Zabinski Foundation

Preserving and Expanding
The Legacy of Jan & Antonina Zabinski

Antonina and Jan Zabinski’s acts and activities performed under extreme duress during the WWII represent heroism, humanitarian spirit, simple decency and sensitivity to human suffering at enormous personal risk.

The story of the Zabinskis was told to the worldwide audience in Diane Ackerman’s book “The Zookeeper’s Wife” which was subsequently turned into a very successful Hollywood movie. The movie reached millions of people, but the story of what happened in Warsaw Zoo during WWII still remained largely unknown to many more people. Story of courage, valour, determination and fortitude while caring for people and helping them. Jan Zabinski the caretaker of the Warsaw Zoo and his wife Antonina rescued about 300 people, mostly Jews. Jan joined the underground resistance and ran a clandestine operation in which Jews were smuggled out of the ghetto and into the zoo. Antonina ran a secret operation hiding the Jews taken by Jan out of the ghetto in their home, in the tunnel and in the empty Zoo cages and then Jan transported them to safety. The Zabinski couple did it at the peril of losing their and their children’s lives. This is their enormous legacy and lessons for wider humanity.

Not many people are aware that the Zabinski villa, the zookeeper’s villa, which is central to the Zabinski’s tale, is still standing in the middle of the Warsaw Zoo. This forceful and compelling beacon of human unity is hidden , and maintained over the years by a small group of people associated with the zoo and with the Zabinski family, on a very small budget.