E. Thomas Wood talking about Karski at Manhattan College (Photo: Patrick Faccas)
Riverdale, NY – On Monday, February 29, the Genocide and Interfaith (HGI) Education Center at Manhattan College (MC) hosted E. Thomas Wood, Jan Karski’s biographer, author of Karski: How One Man Tried to Stop the Holocaust. Dr. Mehnaz M. Afridi, assistant professor of Religious Studies and HGI Education Center’s Director, introduced Mr. Wood, who first presented the exhibition devoted to Karski. The exhibit, called The World Knew: Jan Karski’s Mission for Humanity, is being displayed in MC’s Alumni Room of O’Malley Library (see the story from the opening of the exhibition).
He then talked about Karski’s work as an emissary of the Polish Underground and his mission to inform the Allies about the situation in occupied Poland and the extermination of the Jews. Mr Woods then went on to tell the audience about Karski's fascinating life, in Poland and in America. While working on Karski’s biography, Tom Wood met with the legendary emissary on many occasions and during his talk at MC, he recounted several anecdotes which gave valuable insights into Karski’s intriguing personality.
Thomas Wood is an investigative journalist who has written for the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and also served as a writer and principal narrator of the 2015 documentary Karski & The Lords of Humanity.
The event was attended by MC’s Provost, Dr. William Clyde, as well as MC students and participants of the conference “Abrahamic Religions: Challenges and Cooperation in the Age of Extremism,” that was held at MC from February 29 – March 1. The World Knew: Jan Karski’s Mission for Humanity exhibition will be available for viewing till May 23, 2016.
The tour of The World Knew: Jan Karski's Mission for Humanity traveling exhibition is organized by the Jan Karski Educational Foundation. The exhibition was created by the Polish History Museum with major support from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Additional funding was provided by the National Endowment for Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition publication do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
