The actress known for her indomitable portrayal of the little girl in the red coat in Steven Spielberg’s iconic film “Schindler’s List” is now a 32-year-old woman on a mission to help Ukrainian refugees.
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Oliwia Dabrowska, who was 3 years old when she appeared in the memorable scene, was a key fixture in the film’s effort to tell the story of a Nazi party member who helped Jewish people evade death during the Holocaust, as Deadline reported.
Now, Dabrowska, too, is on her own real-life mission to help save lives. She has reportedly been serving at the Polish-Ukrainian border and is sharing her journey on social media.
The actress posted an image March 9 that included a still from her iconic scene. But Dabrowska’s version changed the little girl’s coat to the color blue, a show of solidarity for Ukrainians suffering under Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion.
“She was always the symbol of hope,” Dabrowska wrote, referring to her “Schindler’s List” character and including emojis of a heart as well as the Ukrainian and Polish flags. “Let her be it again.”
The actress asked the public for help in a separate post, detailing the immense need for medicine, bandages, homes for regufees, and other key donations — including time and volunteerism.
“We need your support!” Dabrowska wrote. “We need any help you can give.”
Another post shared to the actress’ page noted she is on the border and helping transport refugees to temporary housing in Poland.
A number of Instagram posts also indicated Dabrowska’s mother has been with her, helping on the border.
The actress shared a story March 13 about Russia’s bombing of Yavoriv, a city located around 10 miles from the Polish border. Dabrowska said she was “scared” considering her work in Poland — but resolute.
“I’m scared,” she said, “but that only motivates me more to help refugees.”
Dabrowska recounted encountering a mother and her children who were desperate to get to a faraway city after fleeing Ukraine. In the midst of the chaos, she was deeply moved by their plight.
“Those kids…I can barely hold back my tears,” she wrote. “I can’t tell you everything I saw there, because I don’t have [right] words in my mind…nobody, who have never seen this, can’t imagine this nightmare in eyes of those people.”
This week, Dabrowska said she and her mother were continuing to work in the region and were distributing first aid kits to Ukrainian soldiers. You can read more about Dabrowska’s efforts here.
The uplifting story comes as Russia’s violent assault in Ukraine continues. There are reportedly more than 4.2 million refugees, over 1,500 civilian deaths, and thousands of injuries thus far.
Continue to pray for this harrowing situation.
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