„Confronting the Holocaust.

Documents on the Polish Government-in-Exile's Policy Concerning Jews 1939–1945”

Book Launch & Panel Discussion

16 January 2023 (Monday); 15:30–17:00 CET (Belgium)

Press Club Brussels Europe,

Rue Froissart 95-1040 Brussels

_________________

On 16 January 2023, at the Brussels' Press Club, a panel discussion was held on the volume "Confroning the Holocaust. Documents on the Polish Government in Exile's Policy Concerning Jews 1939-1945". The debate, co-organised by the PISM office in Brussels, was attended by Piotr Długołęcki, scientific editor of the volume, Prof. Emmanuel Debruyne from the Catholic University in Louvain, Dr Frédéric Crahay and Johan Puttemans from the Auschwitz Foundation. Marek Rodzik - from the editorial office of PISM's Polish Diplomatic Documents - moderated the discussion. Łukasz Jurczyszyn, director of the PISM office in Brussels, delivered the opening remarks.

During the debate, the panellists discussed actions taken by the Polish government in exile towards Jews from the perspective of different research positions. On the one hand, historians specialised in the diplomatic aspects related to the Holocaust, and on the other, historians whose expertise is the Holocaust studies itself. The experts' discussion brought about a lively reaction from the audience, who, during the questions & answers session, was interested, among other things, in the activities of representatives of the Jewish community in the Polish Government in Exile or the extent of anti-Semitic attitudes in Polish society.

15:30 Official welcome

Łukasz Jurczyszyn

Director of the Brussels Office, Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM)

15:35 – 16:35 Panel discussion

Speakers:

Piotr Długołęcki,

Scientific editor of the presented volume, PISM, Warsaw

Frédéric Crahay,

Director, NPO Auschwitz in Remembrance, Brussels

Emmanuel Debruyne,

Professor, Catholic University of Louvain

Johan Puttemans

Researcher, NPO Auschwitz in Remembrance, Brussels

Chairman:

Marek Rodzik

Editor of the Polish Diplomatic Documents series, PISM

16:35 – 17.00 Q&A session

17.00 – 17.30 Glass of wine

Language: English

RSVP by 15 January 2023 at brusselsoffice@pism.pl

Type of event

In-person public debate (book launch), recorded and distributed a posteriori  via the PISM YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/PolandPISM

The debate is going to concern the activities undertaken by the Polish diplomatic and consular service during WWII on the basis of the volume Confronting the Holocaust. Documents on the Polish Government-in-Exile’s Policy Concerning Jews 1939–1945 which is a full English translation of the original source publication published in Polish in 2021 – W obliczu Zagłady. Rząd RP na uchodźstwie wobec Żydów 1939–1945.

The publication contains 554 archival documents (as well as many others cited in footnotes) concerning the conditions and mechanisms of the actions implemented by the Polish Government in Exile towards the Jewish population during World War II. It illustrates the systemic and mass nature of the actions of the Polish diplomatic and consular service on the assistance and rescue of Jews during all stages of the war by bringing together the activities of the President, the Prime Minister and individual ministries and offices, but above all show the permanent work of the Polish diplomatic and consular posts and the relief agencies of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Polish Red Cross.

The archival materials included in the volume show the whole spectrum of efforts undertaken, documenting information activities (about the situation of Jews in occupied Poland), propaganda activities (aimed at mobilising the international community to prevent the Holocaust) and legal activities (undertaken with the goal to file criminal charges against the perpetrators). Above all, they illustrate direct aid activity consisting in finding safe havens or enabling people in danger to flee. They highlight that the extensive aid effort was not incidental, but was one of the most important aspects of the refugee policy of the Polish Government in Exile.

Prizes and awards

– Nomination for the Historical Awards of the "Polityka" weekly in the category of source publications

– 2nd prize in the "Historical Book of the Year" competition named after Karol Modzelewski

– 1st prize in the "Historical Book of the Year" competition named after Oskar Halecki in the category of source publications

– 1st prize in the Foreign Minister’s History Competition for best publications promoting the history of Polish diplomacy and Poland

More information about presented volume see on the website – https://pism.pl/publikacje/confronting-the-holocaust-documents-on-the-polish-government-in-exiles-policy-concerning-jews-1939-1945