Kmieć presents Theater Award in Poland

Review: Śląsk - an Ultimate Performance of Excellence

Off-Broadway Polish-themed Play: The Revisionist

My Name is Asher Lev

Review: Śląsk - an Ultimate Performance of Excellence

PĄCZKI DAY

PĄCZKI DAY is today on “”Fat Tuesday”… not your ordinary doughnut – rum or pure spirits in the dough and filled with natural preserves or the traditional rose hip or rose petal jam. Poland celebrated last Thursday – Tłusty Czwartek.

Remembering Ed Koch

by Staś Kmieć

 You did not have to grow up in New York City to know the name Ed Koch.  He served as Mayor for three terms from 1978-1989, and used his sometimes combative style to rescue the city from near financial ruin. 

  He was a quintessential New Yorker and one of the city’s most popular and outspoken politicians - known for his no nonsense in-your-face, colorful personality, and his trademark question asked of friends and foes alike  - "How'm I doin'?"  Koch lived a life as big as the city he served – not afraid to speak his mind. He lived with a passion for politics and the Big Apple.

Son of immigrants

   Edward Irving Koch was born to Polish Jewish immigrants in the Bronx, NY in 1924.  His parents Louis and Yetta (later Americanized to Joyce) arrived in New York separately as teenagers from Poland in the early 1900s – Louis traveled from the village of Uścieszko in the Galician frontier.  He became a furrier and a partner in a shop until it folded during the Depression in 1931.

   Ed was drafted out of college by the army to serve in World War II as a combat infantryman in Europe.  Honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant, he returned home and practiced law before turning to a political career. A lifelong Democrat, Koch served on City Council, then three terms in the Congress.  In 1977, he became New York’s 105th Mayor – a job Koch often said he wanted for life. 

   He took over a city facing financial crisis and is credited for saving it from disaster.  New York was graffiti-marred and crime-ridden.  He was the city’s Mayor for twelve years that were spirited, irreverent and rarely, if ever boring.

   After leaving office, Koch remained active and popular.  He practiced law, wrote more than a dozen books, came into the homes of many TV viewers as the Judge on the People’s Court, was a radio broadcaster, an inveterate movie reviewer, and became an enthusiastic Twitter user.  He also endured a stroke, a heart attack and quadruple bypass surgery.

   Ed Koch was involved with the Consulate General of Poland in New York for special events, such as the dedication of the Jan Karski monument.  The sculpture was formally dedicated by the former Mayor, who also renamed the intersection where the statue resides as “Jan Karski Corner.”  

   He was direct, unpredictable, and had an irrepressible character, but he claimed that the Ed Koch you saw was not who he was.  “I knew that to get attention, to get it done, and to get people to listen and support, you have to be bigger than life,” said Koch. 

   Much to his frustration the former Mayor was too ill to attend the premiere of the film Koch – a documentary about his life was released.  Ironically, the film opened to the general public on the day of his passing.

   Larger-than-life, the ebullient Ed Koch embodied New York chutzpah for the rest of the world.  "How'm I doin'?"  You did good!

NEW YORK, NY - Holocaust Exhibits at the United Nations

by Staś Kmieć by Staś Kmieć

On the occasion of the United Nations 2013 observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, two new exhibits built around the theme Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care opened on January 22 at the UN Visitors Lobby – 1st Avenue between 45th and 46th St., New York.  The exhibit is open to the public through February 18.

   Through two extraordinary exhibits, film, educational activities and the annual memorial ceremony, the United Nations honored those who risked their own lives to save tens of thousands of Jews.    

   The World Knew – Jan Karski’s Mission for Humanity was produced by the Polish History Museum in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Mission to the UN. The exhibit lays out the captivating background of Polish native Jan Kozielewski, who under the assumed name of Jan Karski served as a courier for the Polish Underground State and informed Allied leaders about Nazi Germany’s ongoing extermination of the Jews. Karski was a Roman Catholic who later attained U.S. citizenship and was named an honorary citizen of Israel and a “Righteous Among the Nations.”

Permanent Representative to the 

UN from Poland Ryszard Sarkowicz

   “Millions of people's lives could have been saved had leaders at the time heeded Karski's advice. Unfortunately history took a different course,” said The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations H.E. Mr. Ryszard Sarkowicz.  “Karski's achievements have earned him a place in the pantheon of Polish greats and he is regarded by Poles as one of the country's undeniable heroes of the 21st century.  His story serves as a testament to the power of unbridled loyalty to one's homeland.” 

   Presented by The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, Whoever Saves a Single Life … Rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust showcases some of those rare but exceedingly important instances where people fought to safeguard their Jewish fellow citizens during the Holocaust.

   ”The Righteous chose a different path – a much more difficult one.  They sought to become involved and in doing so risked their lives and often the lives of their families.  For if one were caught hiding a Jew in Eastern Europe, you were killed,” said Harvey Schulweis, Chairman of The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. “Our exhibition provides a snapshot of some of the Righteous.”

   Ewa Wierzyńska, Leader of Jan Karski Legacy Program and Head of International Cooperation in the Polish History Museum provided commentary and historical perspective. 

Harvey Schulweis of The Jewish 

Foundation for the Righteous 

and H.E. Ryszard Sarkowicz

   “As I walk through the two exhibitions, I’m struck by their harmony,” remarked H.E. Sarkowicz.    “Together they convey just one, but very powerful reminder: when governments and states failed in saving millions, ordinary people with courage, moral integrity, compassion and self-sacrifice acted to save some of them.  In this respect, perhaps it’s more accurate to think of these two displays as one exhibition on the power of the individual human spirit.” 

Wanda Urbanska, Robert Billingsley of the Jan Karski Educational Foundation, Mme. Consul General Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka, Bozena Nowicka McLees, and Ewa Wierzynska - Jan Karski Legacy Program and International Cooperation in the Polish History Museum

THE EAGLE'S CROWN RETURNS - December 29, 1989

On this day, December 29, 1989, Polish eagle got his crown back, as the parliament amended the socialist constitution of the People's republic of Poland. The amendment also restored the former name of the country, Rzeczpospolita Polska.

FEAST DAY: Swiety Mikolaj - Saint Nicholas

CHICAGO: Pan Tadeusz Score in Concert

The Paderewski Symphony Orchestra of Chicago under the direction of Wojciech Niewrzoł will present a concert version of the score from the Polish film – Pan Tadeusz on Saturday, December 1, 7:00 pm at Copernicus Center – 5216 W Lawrence Avenue, Chicago IL. 

  Pan Tadeusz is an epic poem by the famed poet, writer and philosopher Adam Mickiewicz.  The book was first published in 1834 in Paris, and is considered by many to be the last great epic poem in European literature – recognized as the national epic of Poland.  In 1999, a film version was made by director Andrzej Wajda.  The score by Wojciech Kilar is filled with majestic, heart-rending melodies and tense, visceral strings.
   Fragments of text will be interpreated by Chicago actors Elżbieta Kochanowska, Julitta Mroczkowska, Andrzej Krukowski, Bogdan Łańko and Stanisław Wojciech Malec.
   For tickets:  773-467-9000; www.pasochicago.org.

CHICAGO: Piano Recital Museum of America

Michal Korzistka will present a piano recital at the Polish Museum of America – 984 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL on December 16, at 3:00 pm.  The concert program will include the works of Fryderyk Chopin, Karol Szymanowski and Wojciech Kilar. All proceeds will help support The Polish Museum of America Library Rare Book Restoration Project.