ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Żegota

Okay, let me explain what żegota is in a way that's easy to understand for a 5-year-old.

During a very bad time in the history of the world, called World War II, some people wanted to hurt and even kill other people just because they were different from them. They were called Nazis, and they would kill people who were Jewish, Romani, disabled, and other minority groups. This is something that is really, really bad and mean.

But there were also good people who wanted to help those who were in danger. These people were called żegota. They were like superheroes, who fought against the Nazis using kindness and love. They helped people who were in danger by giving them food, shelter, and protection.

Just like how a superhero has a secret identity, żegota had to keep their identity a secret too. This is because it was dangerous for them to help people. If the Nazis found out what they were doing, they could have been killed.

But despite the danger, żegota kept helping people because they knew it was the right thing to do. They worked really hard to make sure that people who were in danger were safe and cared for. And because of them, many people were able to survive the terrible things that were happening during the war.

In short, żegota was a group of super kind people who helped those in need during World War II when the bad guys, called Nazis, wanted to hurt and kill them because of who they were. They were like real-life superheroes who did good things, even if it was dangerous.