Zegota bribed a German guard. Instead of taking her to be executed, he left her in the woods, where she was rescued.
Her name was printed on the public lists of people who had been executed. As far as the Germans knew, Irena Sendler was dead.
After the war, she went back to the apple tree and dug up the jars. She tried to use the names to reunite the children with their families.
But almost all of their parents had been killed.