Wanda Urbanska, US Ambassador Lee Feinstein, Ewa Wierzynska, Lisa Helling
Karski’s legacy is “as important for the 21st century as it was for the 20th” – US Ambassador Lee Feinstein
A presentation about the Jan Karski International Centennial Campaign before a group of Polish Senators and leading political and cultural figures was the high point of a recent four-trip to Warsaw for Jan Karski US Centennial Campaign Director Wanda Urbanska. On Feb. 14, Ms. Urbanska, along with former Foreign Affairs Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld, US Ambassador Lee Feinstein, Robert Kostro, director of the Polish History Museum, Ewa Wierzynska, senior advisor for international cooperation of the Polish History Museum, and Campaign Steering Committee Member Andrzej Rojek, presented the steps leading to Karski’s 2014 Centennial to members of the Emigration Affairs and Contacts with Poles Abroad committees of the Polish Senate. Senators Bogdan Klich and Barbara Borys-Damiecka presided over the 90- minute session.
Jan Karski is “a hero for three communities (Poland, America and Israel),” said Minister Rotfeld. “What distinguished Jan Karski were his deeds… his conscience,” he added. “Those who have the courage to speak their mind – that is characteristic of Jan Karski. Jan Karski spoke from the bottom of his heart, and was better prepared for his mission than anyone else.” There should be no politics that exclude conscience, the elder statesman said.
Ambassador Feinstein, who opened his remarks in Polish, said that Karski’s legacy “is as important for the 21st century as it was for the 20th.” Feinstein, who studied law at Georgetown University where Karski taught, has “heard many stories about the countless lives he touched during his time in the US…. Even in my own career… I recognize Karski’s influence, and the work he did to make sure that we never forget the lessons of the Holocaust.” (Read his remarks in their entirety: Ambassador Feinstein's remarks on Jan Karski's legacy at the Polish ... )
Senator Klich, deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee, suggested the reach of the Karski campaign be expanded into the European Union, with, for instance, a Karski exhibition in Brussels.
Prior to the Senate presentation, Undersecretary of State Beata Stelmach hosted the Karski Campaign advocates for a planning meeting which included Mariusz Brymora, deputy director of Public and Cultural Diplomacy, and Krzysztof Kopytko, head of Programs and Projects for the Public and Cultural Diplomacy Department. In advance of the Senate meeting, Mrs. Wierzynska and Ms. Urbanska also met with Ambassador Feinstein to strategize and discuss future points of cooperation. Ms. Urbanska also met with Aleksandra Lubicz, deputy director for development and communication for the European Academy of Diplomacy, a new Karski Centennial Campaign partner.
Photos below, first row, left to right: Wanda Urbanska, US Ambassador Lee Feinstein, Ewa Wierzynska, and Lisa Helling at the Embassy; Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Wanda Urbanska, Robert Kostro and Senator Bogdan Klich after the presentation; Robert Kostro & Andrzej Rojek; Ewa Wierzynska, Wanda Urbanska, and Undersecretary of State Beata Stelmach outside the Karski Room; second row, left to right: Ewa Wierzynska, Artur Kozlowski, Director of the Polish Communities Abroad Office, and Wanda Urbanska; Wanda Urbanska with Aleksandra Lubicz, Deputy Director for Development & Communication at the European Academy of Diplomacy, Warsaw.
