44.2 F
New York
Friday, March 29, 2024

WWII Hero Jan Karski Honored at Bklyn College Exhibit

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

As an emissary for the Polish Underground State, Jan Karski carried classified information from the Resistance in occupied Poland to the Polish government-in-exile.

A new exhibit in the Brooklyn College Library celebrates the life of Polish underground emissary Jan Karski on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Running through April 19, The World Knew: Jan Karski’s Mission for Humanity opened on Tues., March 10. This event is free and open to the public.

As an emissary for the Polish Underground State, Jan Karski carried classified information from the Resistance in occupied Poland to the Polish government-in-exile. One of his critical missions was to inform the Allies of the ongoing slaughter of the Jews in occupied Poland. In 1942, he twice entered the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto in disguise and later penetrated a Nazi transit camp. Under an assumed identity, he traveled to London and, in July 1943, visited Washington, where he met with President Roosevelt to inform him about the unspeakable horrors taking place in Europe.

After the war, Karski became a professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. In recognition of his efforts to alert the world to the atrocities committed by the Nazis prior to and during World War II, the Polish History Museum created the exhibit, which consists of 22 panels with gripping text and vivid images that tell his story. The exhibit also includes a large screen video display showing the story of Karski’s life and work.

The exhibit was organized by the Jan Karski Educational Foundation and made possible at Brooklyn College with support from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with additional funding from the National Endowment for Humanities and the Brooklyn College Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, the Brooklyn College School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Brooklyn College Department of Judaic Studies, Tanger Hillel at Brooklyn College, the Holocaust Memorial Committee of Brooklyn and the Harriet and Richard Kupferberg Holocaust Resource Center and Archives at Queensborough Community College. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Endowment for Humanities or other donors. The Polish Consul General Ursula Gacek and other international dignitaries will be in attendance.

If not affiliated with CUNY, please contact Beth Evans ([email protected]) before your visiting the exhibit.

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -