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Outdoor exhibition ‘Poles who rescued Jews during World War II’

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Outdoor exhibition ‘Poles who rescued Jews during World War II’
gov.pl

On March 24th, we celebrate the National Day of Remembrance for Poles who Rescued Jews under the German occupation. On this occasion, the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the Institute of National Remembrance presents an outdoor exhibition devoted to heroic Poles who risked their lives to help Jews, often paying the highest price for it.

The period of German occupation was a time of terror on an unprecedented scale. The Germans aimed at the reduction of the Poles to the rank of sub-humans who were supposed to work and provide services for the ‘master race’. Particularly cruel persecutions were directed against people of Jewish origin. The persecution, which began when the Germans invaded Poland, quickly escalated to the decision to systematically exterminate the Jews.

 

Even though helping the Jews was punishable by death, many Poles did not remain indifferent to the fate of their persecuted fellow citizens and did their best to save their friends, neighbours and sometimes random people who, in dramatic circumstances, turned to them for help. Such silent heroes are commemorated by an exhibition displayed on the fence in front of the Ministry of Justice in Aleje Ujazdowskie. 

 

It consists mainly of pictures of concrete people, laymen and clergymen, Polish families who hid Jews, helped them to escape from ghettos, provided food, money, medicines and fake documents. Thanks to them many Jews sentenced to certain death survived. Some of the Poles depicted in the photographs shared the fate of those whose lives they were trying to save – they were murdered along with the Jews they were hiding.

 

The exhibition also reminds of the activities of the Council to Aid Jews ‘Żegota’, the only underground organization in occupied Europe which aimed to help Jewish people. Polish diplomats who saved Jews abroad have not been forgotten either. It is worth mentioning that in the Swiss Valley, right next to the building of the Ministry of Justice on Chopin 1 Street, there is a monument commemorating Henryk Sławik, who saved about 5000 Jews in Hungary. 

 

The photographs used in the exhibition come from such sources as the Ulma Family Museum of Poles saving Jews in World War II, Institute of National Remembrance, Museum in Przeworsk, Historical Museum of Kraków, Museum of the History of Polish Jews POLIN, the National Digital Archives, National Archives in Kraków, Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw and from private collections.

 

‘Whoever saves one life – saves the whole world’ – this sentence is inscribed on the medal ‘Righteous Among the Nations’, which is awarded by the Yad Vashem Institute at the request of Jews who survived the Holocaust. More than a quarter of all people who are entitled to this honorary title are Polish. Many of the Righteous can be found in the photographs which make up the exhibition. The exhibition reminds us of those who were ready to put their own lives and the lives of their loved ones at stake to save another human being.

Commemorations in Bydgoszcz

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Commemorations in Bydgoszcz
Facebook/@AndrzejDuda

President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki took part in a commemoration ceremony today to mark the 40th anniversary of the bloody events in the city of Bydgoszcz. During the so-called Bydgoszcz Provocation, communist riot police severely beat a number of representatives of the “Solidarity” Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers, who had arrived to meet representatives of the authorities to demand that the regime legalize their independent trade union. The event is considered a crucial moment in the lead-up to the military communist junta imposing martial law in Poland in December 1981.

“Historians will keep discussing this event for years to come but one thing is certain, none of the people who faced off with the authorities, spent a lot of time thinking about it. They simply acted on what they were sure was right. And they wanted to achieve what they thought was necessary. Nothing could stop them, and for that I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And that is why we are giving them medals today.” stated president Duda at the event. 

“<>, we can’t back down. But backing down is acceptable. Even in war sometimes you go into captivity. But we asked ourselves, what will happen later? Who will represent the citizens, workers, farmers. Who will reform the country?” added Jan Rulewski, the host of the event. 

“These medals, which the government has decided to award you, for the great gift that was placed in our hands… the hands of our generation. The generation which came to experience freedom at last. We thank you.” said PM Morawiecki in his speech. 

 

 

 

The fourteenth pensions in late November / early December

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The fourteenth pensions in late November / early December
pixabay.com

The fourteenth pension in the amount of PLN 1,250.88 gross will go to seniors this year in November or December. It will be about PLN 1066 net, reminded on Friday Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policy Stanisław Szwed.

In TVP Info, Szwed was asked about the rules and deadline for paying the so-called fourteenth pension. The act on this matter, assuming another additional cash benefit for old age and disability pensioners in 2021, was published in the Journal of Laws last week. Its regulations will take effect on March 25.

The deputy minister recalled that the so-called “fourteen” will go to retirees “in November or possibly in December this year”.

“This will be the lowest pension, as in the case of the thirteenth pension, that is PLN 1250.88 (gross),” said Szwed, adding that it will be around PLN 1066 net.

The fourteenth pension is to be paid out to approximately 9.1 million old age and disability pensioners. Approximately 7.9 million recipients will be entitled to the full amount of PLN 1,250.88 gross.

 

All hearings at the Supreme Court were canceled

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All hearings at the Supreme Court were canceled
Filip Błażejowski / Gazeta Polska

Due to the epidemic situation, all hearings and sessions in the Supreme Court were canceled from March 22 to April 9 this year. Exceptions concerning cases requiring examination are determined by the presidents of individual chambers of the Supreme Court.

In a statement posted on the Supreme Court’s website, we read:

“Due to the epidemic situation in the territory of the Republic of Poland, Order No. 32/2021 of the First President of the Supreme Court of March 19, 2021, the existing restrictions on holding sessions in the Supreme Court were modified by canceling all hearings and sessions, with the exception of hearings and sessions in cases requiring examination, determined by the President in charge of the work of the Supreme Court Chamber, in the period from March 22, 2021 to April 9, 2021.

In connection with this, Regulation No. 33/2021 of the First President of the Supreme Court of March 19, 2021, the rules of performing remote work in the Supreme Court in the period from March 22, 2021 to April 9, 2021 were also modified.”

 

Celebrations of World Down Syndrome Day

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Celebrations of World Down Syndrome Day
MFA Press Office // Małgorzata Mikołajczyk

This year’s celebration of World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) under the slogan ‘#Connect’, dedicated to the digital inclusion of people with Down syndrome. Ms Natalia Szymańska from the ‘Otwarte Drzwi’ Association, a representative of Poland, takes part in it.

The event takes place simultaneously in New York and Geneva (17 – 19 March), although this year’s celebration is virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Poland, along with Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, UNICEF and the International Disability Alliance, is a traditional sponsor and co-organizer of the event. 

 

Traditionally, the celebration began with an introductory panel featuring event sponsors. This will be followed by panel discussions featuring people with Down’s Syndrome as self-advocates, as well as, among others, representatives of scientific centres and non-governmental organisations.

 

Poland was represented by Ms Natalia Szymanska, a graduate of the Special Basic Vocational School No. 54 in Warsaw, who has been cooperating with the ‘Otwarte Drzwi’ Association for over 10 years, currently as part of the PARTNERS Support Centre for Disabled People. Ms Szymańska participates with great commitment in the process of professional and social rehabilitation, both in individual and group forms. She undertook employment in a position adapted to her disability in a supported employment scheme, with the services of a job coach. 

 

As part of this year’s WDSD, Poland presents a short film prepared by Ms Natalia and the staff of the Association, in which she talks about her professional work, interests and leisure time activities. 

 

Poland’s participation in the WDSD reflects the importance attached by Polish foreign policy to the issue of the rights of people with disabilities. The event is an opportunity to present Polish achievements in this field and to share good examples of legal solutions with the international community. 

 

Follow the event virtually on the website and live on the UN platform -> https://www.ds-int.org/Event/virtual-wdsd-conference-in-new-york 

Nominations for the Pomeranian Art Award

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Nominations for the Pomeranian Art Award
pomorskie.eu // Pomeranian Voivodeship Government Website

The 10 nominations for the 2020 Pomeranian Arts Award (PNA) in the Artistic Creations category have been announced.

The nominations for the Pomeranian Art Award for the previous year were announced on Thursday (18 Mar 2021) by Michal Piotrowski, press spokesman for the Pomeranian Voivodeship Marshal’s Office in Gdańsk. 

 

Candidates for the PNA could be submitted until February 15. They could be debutants, young artists as well as accomplished artists. 

 

In the Pomeranian Artistic Hope category, out of 23 applications, the nominations went to violinist Hanna Pozorska, an actor of the Miniatura City Theatre in Gdańsk Wojciech Stachura, and actress of the Wybrzeże Theatre Agata Woźnicka. 

 

This year the Pomeranian Art Award will be presented for the 22nd time. It was established in 1998. It is an award granted for outstanding artistic creations in any field of culture and art in the province in the year preceding its presentation. Due to its prestige and the way the candidates are selected, the Pomeranian Art Award is sometimes referred to as the ‘regional Oscars’. 

 

The final gala of this year’s Pomeranian Art Award is to take place in late spring.

 

Last year, the Pomeranian Artistic Award was granted to Katarzyna Figura and Mirosław Baka, actors of Wybrzeże Theater, and Emil Miszk, a trumpeter. The title of Patron of Culture was awarded to Marian Zieliński for the purchase of a piano for the White Granary in Słupsk, while ballet dancer Julia Ciesielska was announced the Pomeranian Artistic Hope.

The story of one photograph

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The story of one photograph
facebook.com/ipngovpl/

The Institute of National Remembrance, with the help of Internet users, determined the data of a young woman from an archival photograph, which was published on social media. ‘We know that she served in the Polish Armed Forces in the West,’ said Adam Stefan Lewandowski from the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN). The admin of the Facebook page ‘World War II in Color’ discovered that it was Maria Barr, a Polish woman from Grodno, who was only 20 years old when the photo was taken.

– The photo was found with a Facebook post on the Institute of National Remembrance’s page for Women’s Day. We recalled the role of Polish women in the fight for Poland’s independence in the 20th century. Our post was illustrated with several photographs from the IPN Archives, including one depicting our ‘unknown heroine’ – said Adam Stefan Lewandowski of the Institute of National Remembrance. 

 

The Institute asked for help in identifying the person immortalized in the photograph, who was sent to the IPN Archives from the Military Information Services (WSI), on Monday (8 Mar 2021) by publishing a post on this matter on Facebook account. The photo comes from the folder entitled ‘Polish Armed Forces in the West’. 

 

‘We decided to find out the story of a stranger girl photographed over 70 years ago on an English street. We would like to find out whether she remained in exile or perhaps returned to her war-ravaged homeland, where Stalinist terror was rampant for good,’ was written in the post.

 

‘The girl in the photo is Polish, Maria Barr, wife of Squadron Leader Philip Rex Barr, Commander of the 107thRAF (Royal Air Force) Aerial Warfare Force,’ was written on ‘World War II in Color’ page on Facebook on Tuesday (16 Mar 2021). 

 

‘Maria came from Grodno, her father was a colonel in the Polish Army (I have some suspicions that it might have been Benedykt Chłusewicz),’ it was written. 

 

‘Philip Barr was lost over Belgium in 1942 and posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). The decoration was received by his wife Maria. The photograph was taken on 8 June 1943 after the presentation of the orders by King George VI to the families of the fallen. She was 20 years old at the time this photo was taken,’ admin added.

 

Maria died in 2018 at the age of 95 in England. 

MPs concerned about the conduct of Ringier Axel Springer Polska

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MPs concerned about the conduct of Ringier Axel Springer Polska
twitter.com / KancelariaSejmu

The Sejm’s Culture and Media Committee dealt with information on the situation of journalists, who Ringier Axel Springer Polska Publishing House brought a lawsuit. The Committee expressed deep concern about the attempts to systematically intimidate journalists and the Polish media by Ringier Axel Springer Polska (RASP).

“The prosecution of journalists for their views – instead of polemics with them within the freedom of debate – indicates that the RASP is referring to a legacy distant from the democratic principles of freedom of speech. This must be of utmost concern,” we can read in the adopted desideratum. 

The Committee also asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage to emphasize the problem in relations with German partners.

16 deputies took part in the vote on the desideratum, 14 were in favor, 2 were against.

The Director of the Press Freedom Monitoring Center, Jolanta Hajdasz, who was present at the meeting of the committee and presented information on the situation of journalists, said that bringing lawsuits against journalists by RASP is “a mechanism that serves to silence independent journalists or those journalists who publicly dare to have a position different from that presented by the Ringier Axel Springer company”.

 

Solidarna Polska will support the candidacy of Bartłomiej Wróblewski for the Ombudsman

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Solidarna Polska will support the candidacy of Bartłomiej Wróblewski for the Ombudsman
/ Zbyszek Kaczmarek / Gazeta Polska

Solidarna Polska will support the candidacy of Bartłomiej Wróblewski for the Ombudsman, the minister-member of the Council of Ministers, deputy head of the SP, Michał Wójcik, informed the media. The decision was made on Wednesday at a meeting of the party’s national board.

On Monday, Wróblewski announced that he had decided to run for the position of the Ombudsman. He assured that if he was appointed to the Ombudsman, he would guarantee the apolitical nature of this institution. He announced that he intended to seek the support of parliamentary clubs other than PiS (Law and Justice party). PiS, Solidarna Polska and Porozumienie from the United Right – ruling coalition in Poland.

The Ombudsman is appointed by the Sejm (Lower House of Parliament) with the consent of the Senate (Upper House) at the request of the Speaker of the Sejm or a group of 35 deputies. If the Senate refuses to consent to the appointment of an Ombudsman, the Sejm shall appoint another person for this position.

Parliament tried three times to elect the aforementioned official. Twice the only candidate was attorney Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz, who was a joint candidate of the KO (Civic Coalition), Lewica (Left) and Poland 2050 by Szymon Hołownia, but did not receive the support of the Sejm. The third time the Sejm appointed the PiS candidate, deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Piotr Wawrzyk, to the Ombudsman, but the Senate did not consent to this candidacy.

At the present stage, candidates for the Ombudsman may be submitted until March 19.

 

 

Rafał Brzozowski has become Poland's representative for this year's final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam

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Rafał Brzozowski has become Poland's representative for this year's final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam
facebook.com/RAFALBRZOZOWSKIOFFICIAL/photos/

Polish Television has decided that Rafał Brzozowski will represent Poland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest final with his song ‘The Ride’. The concerts will take place on 18, 20 and 22 May 2021 at the Ahoy Hall in Rotterdam.

The song, which will be performed by Brzozowski, is maintained in the fashionable style of the 80s. It was written by Swedish composers and producers Joakim Övrenius, Thomas Karlsson, Clara Rubensson and Johan Mauritzson. 

 

The recording is illustrated by an energetic video, and since the track has a danceable rhythm, the Polish representative proves that he can move gracefully. The fact that it is Brzozowski, who will represent Poland at this year’s Eurovision, was announced on Friday (12 Mar 2021) morning in ‘Pytanie na śniadanie’ (Question for Breakfast).

 

‘It was a song choice, it was the best song because of the fact that it’s a very dynamic song, a little bit danceable, it can do well on a big Eurovision stage, as well as in radio stations,’ said Brzozowski in TVP. 

 

This year the excitement is certainly even greater due to the cancellation of last year’s Eurovision. Poland was to be represented in the competition by Alicja Szemplińska, who, despite winning ‘Szansa na Sukces’ program (Chance for Success), did not get the opportunity to perform in Rotterdam. 

 

Due to the precarious epidemiological situation, the EBU has prepared four scenarios for the organisation of the event. To protect themselves against the possibility of not being able to organise live performances in Rotterdam, the organizers asked the broadcasters to record the competition presentations beforehand. Broadcasters and artists will produce performances through March 26. Also, as of this moment, 26 of last year’s participants have been confirmed to attend Eurovision in Rotterdam.

 

Rafał Brzozowski is a Polish singer, television presenter and former wrestler. Music aside, Brzozowski’s two biggest passions are sports and aviation. Rafał won a bronze medal for his wrestling in the Academic Championships of Poland and is currently working on upgrading his private pilot licence to an aerobatic licence.

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