Foundation director Michal H. Mrozek receives the Bene Merito medal
An evening gala was held September 24th at the Polish Consulate in New York to commemorate the visit to the United Nations by the President of Poland, the Honorable Bronislaw Komorowski and the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honorable Radoslaw Sikorski. During that special night, President Komorowski and Minister Sikorski recognized seven Polish Americans and Poles for their merits in promoting Poland and strengthening Polish-American relations.
Jan Karski Educational Foundation director Michal H. Mrozek was among those seven, being awarded the Bene Merito ("Just Merit") Medal by Minister Sikorski for fostering Poland's standing in the international arena. During the ceremony, he was congratulated by President Komorowski, who thanked him for the work done so far and stated the need to work jointly on new ways of promoting Poland.
After the ceremony, Mr. Mrozek had a chance to speak to Minister Sikorski, and indicated that it was an honor to receive the Bene Merito Medal from him as the Minister of Foreign Affairs who has done so much in the field of Polish "economic diplomacy," a topic close to Mrozek's heart as a Georgetown graduate, a student of Professor Karski and a Polish banker in New York. The two discussed the Jan Karski Educational Foundation, which Mr. Mrozek sees as a key platform today for promoting the face of modern Poland, whose mission and strategic objectives are strongly aligned with the principles embedded in the Bene Merito recognition by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Previous recipients of the Bene Merito Medal include Krzysztof Skubiszewski, Wladyslaw Bartoszewski and Adam Daniel Rotfeld, all distinguished former Polish Ministers of Foreign Affairs as well as Dr. Norman Davies, the Welsh historian who through his work has done so much to bring Polish history to the attention of millions around the world.
