An exhibit on Polish diplomat Jan Karski, and “Poles Who Saved Jews” officially opened January 31, 2016 at the Culter-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center in downtown Phoenix. Dr. Michael Berenbaum, colleague and friend of Jan Karski, came from Los Angeles to deliver the keynote. The exhibit represents a joint venture of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, to honor those Poles who risked their lives to save Jews. Jan Karski stands as an entire chapter in the history to save Jews.
I was reminded during the evening that joint exhibits such as these, build a bridge between two cultures. At the end of the evening, as I waited to greet the Hon. Mariusz Brymora, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, a middle-aged man wearing a yamaka approached, with tears in his eyes. He thanked the Consul for his remarks about welcoming Jews back to Poland, and the resurgence of a Jewish culture. “You don’t know how much that means to hear you say Jews are welcome again.”
Dr. Michael Berenbaum is considered one of the world’s foremost scholars on the Holocaust. He is the author and editor of twenty books and scores of other articles. His most prominent work was directing the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; he is a Professor of Jewish Studies at the American Jewish University.
Jan Karski Institute,
Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center
