Who is the zookeeper's wife?
Based on Antonina's diary, their heroic story is the focus of the 2017 film, The Zookeeper's Wife, which stars Jessica Chastain. At the height of Adolf Hitler 's reign, Jan Zabinski was director of the Warsaw Zoo and superintendent of the city parks.
Is the zookeeper based on a true story?
The book, like the film, attempts to remember the true story of a daring feat by Antonina and her husband Jan Żabiński, the titular zookeeper of the film. Jan was the director of the Warsaw Zoo when the war erupted.
Is Antonina Zabinski's wife the real zookeeper?
The real Zookeeper's Wife, Antonina Zabinski (top), cuddles two large cats. Actress Jessica Chastain (bottom) imitates Zabinski's love for animals in the movie. Was the damage to the Warsaw Zoo as bad as what's seen in the movie? Yes.
How many Jews did the zookeeper's wife hide?
For three years, they chose to hide and shelter close to 300 Jews and political insurgents at their zoo. Based on Antonina's diary, their heroic story is now the focus of the film, The Zookeeper's Wife, which stars Jessica Chastain and premieres in theaters today.
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Who is zoo Keepers wife based on?
Jan and Antonina ŻabińskiThe film tells the true story of how Jan and Antonina Żabiński rescued hundreds of Polish Jews from the Germans by hiding them in their Warsaw zoo during World War II.
How factual is the zookeeper's wife?
Diane Ackerman's book is very accurate and hews very closely to the facts as we know them.
Is Zookeepers wife based in a book?
The Zookeeper's Wife delves into a little known aspect of World War II: the part played by the Warsaw Zoo in saving the lives of over 300 people. This book is based upon the writings of Antonina Zabinski— the true life zookeeper's wife — survivor interviews, and research.
Is Teresa zabinski still alive?
January 30, 2021Teresa Żabińska-Zawadzki / Died
What happened to Warsaw Zoo in ww2?
World War II The zoo was bombed regularly in September 1939, and many animals died from the bombs, bullets (e.g. apes) or missiles (e.g. an elephant, a giraffe).
Were any animals hurt in the zookeeper's wife?
The audience sees this moment as it affects Antonina Żabińska (Jessica Chastain), her family, and their zoo. Bombs fall, some animals are killed, others are set free, and the place is severely damaged. The impacts of the bombs are felt, not just through the bass, but as animals lie there, forever gone.
What did Jan and Antonina do?
Dr. Jan Żabiński, director of the Warsaw ZOO, and his wife Antonina Żabińska helped save Jews, hiding them in empty cages and pavilions of the Warsaw ZOO as well as in their home. At the same time, they were part of the Polish underground – the ZOO serve as a drop for food, weapons and ammunition.
What happened to the zookeeper and his wife?
The zookeeper survived, however, and the family was reunited at their zoo after the war, reopening it in 1949. Jan resigned as director two years later. Antonina, who died in 1971, and Jan, who died in 1974, were recognized by the State of Israel as the Polish Righteous Among the Nations for their actions.
What happened to Lutz Heck after the war?
After the Battle of Berlin he fled with his wife to Bavaria, occupied by the Americans, to escape from Soviet prosecution. He was replaced by Dr. Katharina Heinroth as scientific director of the Berlin Zoo.
When was Rys zabinski born?
Jan ŻabińskiBorn8 April 1897 Warsaw, Congress Poland, Russian EmpireDied26 July 1974 (aged 77) Warsaw, PolandNationalityPolishOccupationEducator, scientist, director of Warsaw Zoo3 more rows
What happens to Teresa in the zookeeper's wife?
Their story was told in the 2017 Hollywood movie "The Zookeeper's Wife," which starred Jessica Chastain and Michael McElhatton. The zoo said on its Facebook Sunday that Teresa Zabinska-Zawadzki died the previous night, at age 77. It did not give the cause of her death.
Who is RYS in the zookeeper's wife?
Antonina Żabińska is married to Jan Żabiński. Together, they're the Żabińskis, and their son is Ryszard Żabiński.
How long did the Stibon family stay in the zoo?
Stephania Kenigswain Stibon‘s family hid in the zoo for over two months — the longest time anyone stayed. Stibon was just 7 months old when the war started and was 3 when her mother escaped the ghetto with her brother in 1943 and sought solace with the Żabińskis. The holocaust survivor tells PEOPLE how Antonina devised a clever system of signals to alert the houseguests of danger when German soldiers were nearby.
How old was Stibon when she escaped the ghetto?
Stibon was just 7 months old when the war started and was 3 when her mother escaped the ghetto with her brother in 1943 and sought solace with the Żabińskis. The holocaust survivor tells PEOPLE how Antonina devised a clever system of signals to alert the houseguests of danger when German soldiers were nearby.
Is the Warsaw Zoo open?
The Warsaw Zoo remains open in Poland. But while they saved hundreds of lives, Teresa tells PEOPLE her parents didn’t see themselves as heroes. “My parents told me that they did only what should have been done — it was their obligation to do that,” she says. “They were just decent people.
Who is the director of the Zookeeper's wife?
Helmed by New Zealand director Nikola Jean Caro, ‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’ is a poignant war drama that tells the compelling tale of the Żabiński couple who saved hundreds of innocent Jewish people by hiding them in the Warsaw Zoo. The yellow-tinted indie film is backed by an impressive ensemble of the cast with the highlights ...
Who was the zookeeper in Animals and Men?
The book, like the film, attempts to remember the true story of a daring feat by Antonina and her husband Jan Żabiński, the titular zookeeper of the film. Jan was the director of the Warsaw Zoo when the war erupted.
What did Antonina do after Jan's imprisonment?
Antonina used music as a device to alert the Jews as well as communicate with them.
Why did Jan visit the Warsaw Ghetto?
Due to his official post in the municipality, Jan came to have access to the Warsaw Ghetto upon its foundation in 1940, which was the largest Nazi resettlement of the Jews during the war. In the environment of terror, Jan and Antonina began devising a plan to help out their Jewish friends in the city. While the purpose of Jan’s visit ...
Who was the director of the Warsaw Zoo?
Jan was the director of the Warsaw Zoo when the war erupted. The couple, in a heroic achievement, saved over 300 Jewish lives during the German invasion of Poland. After completing his doctoral degree in Zoology, Jan Żabiński joined the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) as a researcher. The university is where Jan met his future wife, ...
Who was Jan's wife?
The university is where Jan met his future wife, Antonina Erdman, rechristened as Antonia Żabiński when she took his title in marriage. A staunch atheist, Jan co-founded the Warsaw Zoo in the interwar years, and served as the director of the zoo for ten years before the Nazi occupation, and resumed his post after the end of the war in 1945.
Is the Zookeeper's wife based on a true story?
Yes, ‘The Zookeeper’s Wife’ is based on a true story. The World War II drama has been adapted from the eponymous non-fiction book by Diane Ackerman. The book, in turn, uses the diary of Antonina Żabiński as its source material. A noted Polish writer in the holocaust era, Antonina published a diary in 1968 named ‘Ludzie I zwierzęta’ ...
Who wrote the book The Zookeeper's Wife?
D804.66.Z33 A25 2007. The Zookeeper's Wife is a non-fiction book written by the poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman. Drawing on the unpublished diary of Antonina Żabińska, it recounts the true story of how Antonina and her husband, Jan Żabiński, director of the Warsaw Zoo, saved the lives of 300 Jews who had been imprisoned in ...
What book did the Zookeeper's wife win?
In 2008, The Zookeeper's Wife won the annual Orion Book Award from Orion Magazine; the selection committee noted, " The Zookeeper's Wife is a groundbreaking work of nonfiction in which the human relationship to nature is explored in an absolutely original way through looking at the Holocaust."
Who was the wife of the German zookeeper?
His wife, Antonina, has a remarkable empathy with animals, and their villa in the zoo acts as a nursery and residence for numerous animals, as well as for their son. This part of their life abruptly ends with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, subsequently starting World War II (1939–1945).
What is Donna Seaman's book A Natural History of the Senses about?
Ever since A Natural History of the Senses, she has been building a galaxy of incandescent works that celebrate the unity and wonder of the living world.
Who is the bad guy in Zookeeper's wife?
2. ‘The Bad Guy’, a.k.a. Lutz Heck. Every Hollywood story needs a villain, and a conflict between ‘the bad guy’ and ‘the good guy’. Lutz Heck, who happens to be the former in The Zookeeper’s Wife, was however a much more ambiguous person. He was a high-ranking Nazi officer, and like many Nazis, was crazy about the idea of purity of the breed.
Why did Heck decide to take the animals to the zoos in Berlin and Munich?
Heck decided to take the species he wanted to the zoos in Berlin and Munich ‘for safekeeping,’ so they would be spared the horrors of war. Unfortunately, he later decided that the other animals should be wiped out.
Is each escape from the ghetto true?
Most terrifyingly, the moments when they were so close to getting caught, such as the one with the Jewish lawyer being almost stopped, are 100% true.
Was Ziegler an entomologist?
Even Antonina admitted that the role of Ziegler remained a mystery to her. The real-life part of this story is that because Ziegler was an amateur entomologist , absolutely mesmerised by Szymon Tenebaum’s collection, he equipped Jan Żabiński with the document that allowed him to pass freely in and out of the ghetto.
Was the story of dyeing hair true?
The story of dyeing hair is partially true. Germans strongly believed there was such a thing as a ‘Jewish appearance’ or a ‘Jewish physiognomy’ and dark or red hair was something they thought was a part of it. This is why Antonina attempted to dye the Koeninsgwein family’s hair a fair blonde.
Was Janusz Korczak a real person?
Janusz Korczak. Tereska, Żabiński's daughter with an otter, 1947, Warsaw, photo: Stanisław Dąbrowiecki/PAP. On the contrary to Urszula, Janusz Korczak was, of course, a real person, and a Polish-Jewish hero. He really did run an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto and devoted his life to saving Jewish children.
Who is Jan Zabinski?
The real Jan Zabinski. Dr. Jan Zabinski was the director of the Warsaw Zoo. He had written numerous books about animal behavior and biology. His daughter, Teresa Zabinski, said this about him: “My father was not a sentimental man and he was quite serious. But at the same time, he had an incredible sense of humor.”.
Who is Antonina Zabinski?
The real Antonina Zabinski. Born in Russia in 1908, Antonina Zabinski lost both her parents in the Russian Revolution. As an adult, she was a teacher and also wrote many children’s books about animals. She was never trained as a zoologist but learned how to care for animals from her husband, Jan.
What animals did Heck breed?
Heck started a breeding program of bison that physical features similar to aurochs, hoping to breed the beast back into existence. He also did this with horses and other animals.
What did Angela Workman say about the camel?
The Zookeeper’s Wife screenwriter Angela Workman told SheKnows about a funny incidenct with a camel when she visited the set. “Camels make really funny noises,” she said. “When you’re on the headsets, trying to be silent in the producer tent, you can hear the camels groaning. They sound like old men with gas.
What is Jan's plan for the Jewish ghetto?
Of course, his secret plan was to smuggle out Jews and smuggle in some pork for them to eat.
Who threatened Ryszard?
Ryszard was put in danger. In the film, we see Nazi officer Heck threaten young Ryszard with extreme violence. While the incident happened in real life, it wasn’t Heck who tormented Ryszard; it was another Nazi officer. The Nazis were also quite menacing to Antonina.
Why did Antonina bleach the hair of two women?
Code name “squirrels”. In the movie, we see Antonina bleach the hair of two women in an effort to hide their Jewish identity, but it didn’t always work out. In real life, she attempted to bleach many people’s hair, but sometimes it was no use if a person’s hair was very dark.
Why did Diane Ackerman write the book The Zookeeper's Wife?
In The Zookeeper's Wife book, author Diane Ackerman reasons that Antonina's love for animals and her ability to see all life as precious led to her wanting to do whatever she could to help save lives. Despite her fears, she could not turn her back on suffering.
Who plays Lutz in Zookeeper's Wife?
In The Zookeeper's Wife movie, Nazi Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl) protects the couple in part because he has a crush on Antonina (Jessica Chastain). In real life, Heck, a fellow zoologist, had been a former colleague of Antonina's husband Jan.
Why did Antonina give her guests animal names?
Yes, in order to hide their Jewish names, Antonina gave her guests animal names. For example, the Zabinskis' friend and sculptor Magdalena Gross was given the name "Starling" because according to Diane Ackerman's book, Antonina "pictured her 'flying from nest to nest' to avoid capture.".
Why did the Zabinskis hide in the zoo?
The Zookeeper's Wife true story confirms that the Zabinskis used the cages to hide fleeing Jews and partisans. They also hid them in the underground pathways connecting the animal cages.
What animals were taken to the Warsaw Zoo?
Other animals, including one of the Warsaw Zoo's main attractions, Tuzinka the elephant, were taken to German zoos, with the best and rarest animals taken for breeding purposes, including for Heck's plan to "resurrect" extinct purebred species. -WashingtonPost.com.
Where did Jan smuggle the animals?
Like in The Zookeeper's Wife movie, Jan personally smuggled some of them out of the Warsaw Ghetto himself and over to the Aryan side. He would provide them with papers, find accommodations for them, and if necessary, hide them on the grounds of the zoo or in his own personal villa with his family.
Who barked at the zoo?
A German soldier barked an order at a 15-year-old assistant at the zoo and disappeared with him behind the house. A shot was heard and the soldier re-emerged and yelled at Antonina's son Ryszard, "You're next!". As he took Ryszard behind the house, Antonina began to tremble with fear.
Who is the woman in The Zookeeper's Wife?
Holocaust survivor tells real story behind The Zookeeper’s Wife. Stefania Sitbon, seen in her Toronto home, was one of hundreds of people who found safe refuge in a zoo – depicted in The Zookeeper’s Wife – during the German occupation of Warsaw. This article was published more than 4 years ago. Some information in it may no longer be current.
Who plays Antonina in Zookeeper's Wife?
Ms. Chastain, a two-time Oscar nominee, portrays Antonina Zabinski in The Zookeeper's Wife, and several key elements depicted onscreen mirror Ms. Sitbon's own recollections from her time at the zoo.
How long did the Sitbon Zoo stay in hiding?
They became life-saving shelters for hundreds of Jews seeking safety. For 2 1/2 months, the zoo served as Ms. Sitbon's home. During the day, those in hiding would stay tucked away to steer clear of the zoo's other staffers and soldiers who patrolled the property.
Why are the Zabinskis considered righteous among the nations?
The Zabinskis have been recognized as "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. The honour is bestowed upon non-Jewish people who risked their lives to help Jews during the war. "They were very, very nice people," Ms. Sitbon said of the couple. "They hid 300 Jews during the war.
Who is the only living survivor of the Warsaw Zoo rescue?
It's based on the book of the same name by Diane Ackerman, which includes references to Ms. Sitbon's family. Ms. Sitbon, 78, relocated to Canada from Israel in 1989. She and her older brother, Moshe, are said to be the only known living survivors of the Warsaw Zoo rescue effort.
Is the Zookeeper's wife based on a true story?
It's based on the book of the same name by Diane Ackerman, which includes references to Ms. Sitbon's family.
How much did the Zookeeper's wife make?
The Zookeeper's Wife grossed $17.6 million in the United States and Canada and $8.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $26.1 million, against a production budget of $20 million.
When did the Zookeeper's wife come out?
The Zookeeper's Wife had its world premiere on 8 March 2017 in Warsaw, Poland, and its US premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival on 12 March 2017. The film was released in the United States on 31 March 2017 and was released in the United Kingdom on 21 April 2017.
What does Jan see when he collects garbage?
When Jan collects garbage inside the Ghetto, he sees how Jews are starving. He uses his trucks, secretly, to bring them to the zoo, working with the Underground Army to transport them to safehouses throughout the country. Jews are hidden in the zoo's cages, tunnels, and inside the Żabińskis’ house.
What was the Zookeeper's wife's award?
At the 2016 Heartland Film Festival, held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana, The Zookeeper's Wife was awarded the "Truly Moving Picture Award"; emblematic of the festival's goal to "inspire filmmakers and audiences through the transformative power of film."
Who is the actress who plays Antonina in The Zookeeper's Wife?
In September 2010, it was announced that Angela Workman was adapting Diane Ackerman's non-fiction book, The Zookeeper's Wife. On 30 April 2013, Jessica Chasta in was attached to play the titular role as Antonina Żabińska, while Niki Caro signed on to direct the film. On 24 August 2015, Focus Features acquired the US rights to the film, and Daniel Brühl and Johan Heldenbergh signed on to star in it.
Where was the movie Animals filmed?
Filming. Filming began with the animals on 9 September 2015, and principal photography with the actors began on 29 September 2015, in Prague, Czech Republic. Suzie Davies served as the production designer, Andrij Parekh as the director of photography, and Bina Daigeler as the costume designer.
Who is the head of the Berlin Zoo?
As Polish resistance collapses, Dr. Lutz Heck , head of the Berlin Zoo and Adolf Hitler 's chief zoologist and Jan's professional rival, visits the zoo while Jan is away; Heck is now Hitler's chief zoologist and chief of the Warsaw Zoo. He offers to house their prized animals in Berlin, until after the war.
Jan Zabinski Was A Zookeeper and Member of The Polish Resistance
When Her Husband Was Captured, Antonina Stepped in
- Eventually, though, his part in the resistance caught up with him. In 1944 he fought in the Warsaw Polish Uprising and was caught by the Germans. While he was a prisoner, his wife Antonina and their son, Ryszard, continued helping Jews at the zoo. Born as a strict Catholic and having lost her parents during the Russian Revolution by the Bolsheviks,...
Jan Eventually Returned to His Family
- Just like in the movie, the real-life fate of the Zabinskis had a happy ending: Jan survived the prison camp and returned to his family. He later took on a position at the State Commission for the Preservation of Nature and authored 60 science books. Out of the 300 people the Zabinskis saved, only two died during the war; all the others remarkably found refuge and safe passage els…
Overview
The Zookeeper's Wife is a non-fiction book written by the poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman. Drawing on the diary of Antonina Żabińska, unpublished in English (though published in Polish in 1968 ), it recounts the true story of how Antonina and her husband, Jan Żabiński, director of the Warsaw Zoo, saved the lives of 300 Jews who had been imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto following th…
Plot summary
In the 1930s, Jan Żabiński is the director of a thriving zoo in Warsaw, Poland. His wife, Antonina, has a remarkable empathy with animals, and their villa in the zoo acts as a nursery and residence for numerous animals, as well as for their son. This part of their life abruptly ends with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, subsequently starting World War II (1939–1945). Most of the zoo's animals and structures are destroyed in the bombings and sieg…
Reception
Donna Seaman wrote enthusiastically in her Los Angeles Times review, "It is no stretch to say that this is the book Ackerman was meant to write. Ever since A Natural History of the Senses, she has been building a galaxy of incandescent works that celebrate the unity and wonder of the living world. But every rapturous hour she has spent communing with plants and animals, every insight gleaned into human nature, every moment under the spell of language is a steppingstone that le…
Adaptations
In 2013, plans were announced for an eponymous feature film adaptation. The film is based on a screenplay by Angela Workman, directed by Niki Caro, and starring Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Michael McElhatton and Daniel Brühl. The film was released on March 31, 2017.
Further reading
• Linfield, Susie (September 7, 2007). "A Natural History of Terrible Things". The Washington Post. At the heart of the Nazis' madness, she implies, lay a paradoxical refusal to control our most amoral impulses on the one hand and to accept the natural world's imperfections on the other.
External links
• The Zookeeper’s Wife: Fact vs. Fiction
• The Zookeeper's Wife on Open Library at the Internet Archive