The Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by Barack Obama to Jan Karski
The Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by Barack Obama to Jan Karski is being transferred to the Museum of the City of Lodz (Łódź). The Museum is the location of much of Karski’s memorabilia, such as his awards and furniture from his home. An agreement between the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Museum means that the Medal will join the existing exhibit.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest American civilian honor, and was given posthumously to Jan Karski in 2012 for his efforts in informing western leaders, including President Roosevelt, about the Holocaust as it was underway. The Jan Karski US Centennial Campaign organized the effort to obtain the Medal and placed Karski's name in nomination for this honor in December of 2011. The Campaign has since been succeeded by two sister foundations, the Jan Karski Educational Foundation in the US and the Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego in Poland.
Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been active in promoting many initiatives to promote Jan Karski and values that he represented. In January of this year, the "The World Knew: Jan Karski's Mission for Humanity" exhibit premiered in the United Nations building in New York. During his recent visit to Washington, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski spoke with representatives of the US Senate’s Polish Caucus about marking Karski’s centennial - April 24, 2014 - as Jan Karski Day in the US. Minister Sikorski has also supplied financial resources to construct a new gravestone at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, where Karski is buried. Additionally, the Foreign Ministry proposes to establish the year 2014 as the Year of Jan Karski in Poland.
