According to Talmud: “Whosoever saves a single life, saves the world entire”. This very significant sentence cannot be missed when we are talking about the Holocaust.
The Righteous risked their lives to oppose evil. In this way, they saved our humanity and us. It is important to never forget, that all those people went through one of the biggest tragedy that touched the World.
The purpose of forthcoming exhibition brought to Liverpool by Merseyside Polonia is to present the stories of bravery and tragedy of Jews from the MaÅopolska Province and Poles helping them in the grim days of the German Nazi occupation during the Second World War despite factors such as terror, repressions and mutual antagonisms separating the both nations, there were Poles who decided to help Jews survive the German occupation. All of them risked their lives but this was the sacrifice they were willing to take to fight against mutual enemy.
The exhibition was created by the Polish Institute of National Remembrance and previously presented in cities such as Warsaw, Tel Aviv and Chicago. Thanks to support from Polish Embassy in London and Polish Consulate in Manchester, Liverpool will have unique opportunity to host it.
Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Gary Millar, said: “The period of World War II brought some of the most horrific crimes against humanity, but at the same time it showed that people are capable of unprecedented heroism.
“We have the great honour in Liverpool to host The Righteous among the Nations Exhibition revealing those stories, often so modest, of our allies, friends and Polish heroes. It is our duty not to forget their stories and through them to inspire others.”
Consul General of the Republic of Poland said: “Polish history is a part of European history sharing some of the most courageous acts of humanity and some of the darkest moments during WWII. We are particularly proud that this exhibition will be presented in Liverpool and we fully support Merseyside Polonia in delivering this project that help us remember the heroic acts of ordinary Polish people who were willing to sacrifice their lives to help Jewish people”
President of the Merseyside Jewish Representative Council Professor Julian Verbov said:,”It is to be applauded that well-documented examples of help given to the Jewish population during the Holocaust in World War II, by righteous members of the Polish community,at great risk to their own lives, should be recognised and acknowledged”.
Gosia McKane, Director of Merseyside Polonia said: “Since 2009, when Merseyside Polonia was registered as organization, we felt that we have a responsibility to make people aware of the tragedy of Holocaust as well as the heroic stories of Polish people who helped Jewish Community during WWII that we presented at the Holocaust Memorial Day services at Liverpool Town Hall.
This year through the partnership with the Polish Institute of National Remembrance we have a privilege to share many more inspiring stories in Liverpool through the “Righteous Among the Nations” exhibition.”
