Sabine Chwast (later Zlatin) was born on January 13, 1907, in Warsaw, then part of the Russian Empire (present-day Poland).
Sabine Zlatin, née Chwast, was born on January 13, 1907, in Warsaw, a city then under the control of the Russian Empire. She was born into a Jewish family, and her early years were shaped by the turbulence of Eastern European politics and the pervasive antisemitism of the era.
Her family later emigrated, eventually settling in France, where Sabine would spend most of her adult life. This early displacement foreshadowed a life defined by movement across borders, adaptation to hostile political climates, and resilience in the face of persecution.
Though her birth was unremarkable in the historical record of the time, it marked the beginning of a life that would later become emblematic of moral courage during the Holocaust. Decades later, Zlatin would become internationally known as "the Lady of Izieu" for her efforts to shelter Jewish children from Nazi deportation.
Understanding her origins in Warsaw helps contextualize her later identity as both an immigrant and a Jewish woman navigating an increasingly dangerous Europe, ultimately shaping her decision to dedicate her life to humanitarian action and the rescue of children during World War II.