The exhibition +City of the Living/City of the Dead+ by Robert Wilczyński symbolically shows how history is intertwined with the present. The German people took revenge for our two uprisings, one in 1943 and one in 1944″ – said Prof. Gliński, Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

He pointed out that the fair was one of many forms and events supported by the Polish state as part of commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. “Other similar events were also organized by institutions whose representatives are with us today and will soon be shown to Polish and international audiences. I must emphasize here that our government’s policy is not just anniversary support, it is a consistent long-term strategy. strengthening Polish institutions whose activities include caring for the memory, culture and heritage of the multicultural Polish nation, including the heritage of the Jewish minority in Poland, as well as commemorating the Jewish Holocaust committed by the Germans in occupied Poland,” he said.

The Deputy Prime Minister added that spending on these institutions was increasing “more than threefold, often to correct long-term neglect”. Among the institutions subsidized by the Polish government are: state museums in former German death camps: the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Oświęcim; Museum in Majdanek (with branches: Museums and Memorial Sites in Bełżec and Sobibór); Stutthof Museum; Treblinka Museum; Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica; Museum – KL Plaszow Memorial Site in Krakow. As well as the Warsaw Ghetto Museum, Museum of Poles Saving Jews during World War II. The Ulma Family in Markowa, Oświęcim Land Residents Memorial Museum, POLIN Museum of Polish Jewish History, Emanuel Ringelblum Institute of Jewish History,” said the Head of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Gliński points out that one of the collages that make up the exhibition includes a poignant quote from 17-year-old Mary Berg, who wrote in the Diary of the Warsaw Ghetto: “Despite various prohibitions, many things that were done in the ghetto (…) were forbidden on taste. pain of death. Nearly everything was banned. It was forbidden to print newspapers uncensored by the Nazis, to sing national anthems, to attend religious ceremonies and schools, to own radios, vinyl records, telephones – in short: life was forbidden. Yet we live against the Nazis and somehow we hope to survive this slavery regime.”

The deputy prime minister recalled that “it was written by a girl who was inside the ghetto, but hardly anyone in the world knows that almost the same restrictions apply to people living outside the walls of the ghetto.”

P. Gliński points out that one of the collages that make up the exhibition features a poignant quote from 17-year-old Mary Berg, who wrote in the Diary of the Warsaw Ghetto: “Despite various prohibitions, much was done in the ghetto […]prohibited by death penalty. In fact, everything is prohibited. It was forbidden to print newspapers uncensored by the Nazis, to sing national songs, to attend religious ceremonies and schools, to own radios, phonograph records, telephones – in short: life was forbidden. But we live against the Nazis and hope to somehow survive this slavery regime.”

He considered that “these words should serve as a warning to all nations, especially European nations, who were deeply affected by the experiences of World War II.” “There is no place today for the manifestation of racism or anti-Semitism. There is also no approval for anti-Semitism in any form. In Poland, crimes based on ethnic hatred are prosecuted by the state ex officio. There is no physical attack on members of the Jewish community. We note about 150 anti-Semitic incidents in Poland a year, in Germany this figure is 15 times higher” – he said.

Gliński reminded that several Jewish holidays were celebrated in Polish cities. “Throughout the years, the lighting of Hanukkah lights took place in many offices, including the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Poland. Today, Warsaw is a city of life. Poland is a country of life. However, we do not forget those who died or were killed. Memories passed down through generations to generations must last forever. And today we are the keepers” – he explained.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Prime Minister Gliński took part in a seminar dedicated to the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, organized by PiS MEPs Anna Fotyga and Adam Bielan.

He gave an example, incidents of racial hatred still occur today. “However, it should be emphasized that in Poland they are individuals and usually take the form of thoughtless acts of vandalism. These acts have always been condemned both at the state (…) and social level” – he added.

“There is no agreement and there is no place for anti-Semitism in Poland. Jews in Poland can feel safe. (…) There are 150 recorded anti-Semitic incidents in Poland every year. At the same time, there are 15 times more many many of them in Germany. each form” – appeals Gliński.

Former head of Polish diplomacy, and now MEP Anna Fotyga, pointed out that the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is part of the history of the Polish state.

“I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the words of the late President Lech Kaczyński that the arguments in the modern world are unequal. Those who fight for freedom are right. There is no doubt (rebels from the ghetto) ) (…) they died with desire to fight to die with dignity, arms in hand, showing the whole world that they disagree with Germany, the Nazi crimes against the Jewish people during World War II. on behalf of Poland. Poland demonstrated this resistance from the first day to the last day” – concluded the co-organizers of the conference. (PAP)

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