Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Heroism in the face of adversity

Photo exhibition on Poles who saved Jews praises courage


By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

Honorata Mucha featured in a photograph by Chris Schwartz. Mucha and her family sheltered brothers Josek, Pinkas and Hymen Federman from the Nazis in the Polish village of Bronów. The film "Hiding and Seeking" by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky is about the reuniting of these two families. Photo by

"It was an instant penalty of death to help Jewish people," said Susan Passovoy, honorary consul for the Republic of Poland in Idaho. "People risked their lives without seeking the risk. What does it mean to be a hero? And, what does it mean in our own life?"

The Wood River Jewish Community and the consulate general of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, are sponsoring the current photographic exhibition "Polish Heroes: Those Who Rescued Jews," which opened Wednesday, March 4, and continues through April 6. The photographs are on exhibition at 471 Leadville Ave. in Ketchum, across from Chateau Drug, from 2-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

"We want to encourage discussion on the issues of courage and heroism," Passovoy said. "The exhibit supports the community to speak out and do the right things."

The photo exhibition is a tribute to the cooperative effort of the Polish Righteous Among the Nations, created by the Auschwitz Jewish Centre, the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow and the Polish American Jewish Alliance for Youth Action. The exhibition debuted in the Galicia Jewish Museum in May 2006.

Polish Righteous Among the Nations consists of people from all levels of society who contributed in the effort to save Jews. The photo exhibition is representative of the 6,000 men and women who are recognized and honored in Poland for the choices they made to save people.

Photographer Chris Schwartz reveals the story of 21 living Polish men and women who rescued Jews during World War II in German-occupied Poland. Each of the men and women featured in the exhibition still reside in the Krakow region of Poland.

"We live in challenging times and we need to stay grounded," Passovoy said. "This community is extraordinary and we can put perspective and give new life to commitment, values and money."

The exhibition tells the story of each individual's commitment to helping Jews as well as misleading Nazi officials. These men and women experienced raids, endangered friends and family members and risked their lives to keep their Jewish friends alive, and in many cases helped them escape Poland.

Several events have been planned to coincide with the exhibition, including a free talk by the Honorable Paulina Kapuscinska, general consul of Poland, at the Community Library in Ketchum, and a visit and talk by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Appelbaum.

Appelbaum lives in Poland and is married to Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs Radek Sikorski. Appelbaum is also the first Gary M. Hunt Writer in Residence, and will talk on Saturday, April 4, at the exhibit. For details, call 727-9646.

Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com

Exhibition event schedule

Tuesday, March 17

Free talk by the Honorable Paulina Kapuscinska, general consul of Poland, at the Community Library in Ketchum at 6 p.m.

Saturday, April 4

Talk by Anne Appelbaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and first Gary M. Hunt Writer in Residence, 471 Leadville, Ave. in Ketchum.




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