{The Lutheran Ladies' Lounge} Story Time with Sarah: Stanisława Leszczyńska, Midwife at Auschwitz

Stanisława Leszczyńska (May 8, 1896 – March 11, 1974) was a Polish Catholic midwife and member of the Polish Resistance who was incarcerated at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. During her time in the notorious death camp, she provided obstetrical and other medical care to her fellow prisoners and delivered over 3,000 children — most to certain death, a precious few to life.

In this heartbreaking-yet-hopeful Story Time with Sarah, the Lutheran ladies both celebrate the sanctity of human life and commemorate the Nazi Holocaust as they honor the remarkable legacy of this valiant, faithful woman.

Resources referenced in this episode include:

Stanisława Leszczyńska’s 1957 “Midwife’s Report from Auschwitz”
“’Give Me Your Children: Voices from the Lodz Ghetto” (Holocaust Encyclopedia)
The United States and St. Louis Holocaust museums
“This Midwife at Auschwitz Delivered 3,000 Babies in Unfathomable Conditions” (com)
“Stanisława Leszczyńska: Midwife in Auschwitz” (Polish News)
Stanisława Leszczyńska: The Miracle of Life in a Death Camp (video lecture)
The Midwife of Auschwitz: Extraordinary life of heroine who delivered 3,000 babies in horror death camp to be told in new documentary (The First News)
The War within These Walls (illustrated novel on the Warsaw Ghetto and Uprising)

Connect with the Lutheran ladies on social media in The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge Facebook discussion group (facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge) and follow Sarah (@mrsbaseballpants), Rachel (@rachbomberger), Erin (@erinaltered), and Bri (@grrrzevske) on Instagram.

The Lutheran Ladies Lounge is the podcast produced by KFUO Radio and hosted by Sarah Gulseth, Erin Alter, Rachel Bomberger, and Bri Gerzevske. Created for Lutheran ladies to have a place to escape to with inviting conversations, laughter, and fellowship with Lutheran sisters, we invite all of you Lutheran ladies to join Sarah, Erin, Rachel, and Bri on the sofa in the Lutheran Ladies Lounge to sit, rest your feet, and stay a while. If you’re a Lutheran lady, join us in our Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/LutheranLadiesLounge.

Sarah Gulseth

A proud Michigan native and fan of anything with the Mitten State on it, Digital Media Manager Sarah Gulseth is also a lover of historical war movies and anything with the label PBS Masterpiece. An avid bicyclist and women’s biking advocate, she rides her bike to work year-round and has the massive bike clothing and accessory collection to prove it. If it’s the weekend, she and her husband Luther are probably out riding bikes, or finding the next awesome coffee shop to frequent, or rehearsing for the next choir concert. You may also find her down a new rabbit hole on Google, researching the latest random fact she found on social media, while eating an unhealthy amount of apples (Macintosh from Michigan, of course) and raw almond butter.