THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR POLISH-JEWISH STUDIES

8 East 36th Street • Fifth Floor • New York City 10016 Tel (212) 213-9550 • FAX 212-689-9840

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Mrs. Nela Rubinstein 55 Central Park West New York, N. Y. 10023

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I am taking the liberty of letting you know that The American Foundation for Polish-Jewish Studies has learned privately that ("Univer­ sal Weekly"), 's leading weekly which serves as a major forum for debates about the future of the country, stands in danger of having to cease publica­ tion. Founded as a vehicle for Catholic public opin­ ion in Krakow in March 1945, two months after the city's liberation, Tygodnik Powszechny (which is not an organ of the ) undergoes frequent, and at times, quite severe, censorship by the govern­ ment. Yet its editors have continued to write and publish most incisive criticism of the government and the Party at great risk to their personal safety and freedom.

The current economic hardships in Poland have driven up the cost of paper, production, and distribution to a point at which, economically embattled, the weekly, and Znak ("Sign," its sister publication,) can barely continue. In addition, given Tygodnik Powszechny's adversary stance toward the government, the rest of the obstacles faced by the weekly can be safely left to your imagination. Writes Dr. Antony Polonsky: "Since it first appeared 42 years ago, Tygodnik Powszechny has established itself as perhaps the most independent newspaper published legally in Poland. (It did not appear between March 1953 and the

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end of 1956 because it refused to print ar. obituary of Stalin.) It has a wide following in Polish society, particularly among the intel­ ligentsia and although its circulation is deliberately restricted to 80,000 it probably reaches at least million readers. Heavily censored, it has, since 1981, taken advantage of the new censorship law which al­ lows it to reveal where an article has been cut. Tygodnik Powszechny's editor, Jerzy Turowicz has been a consistent advocate of Polish-Jewish and Christian-Jewish rapprochement and many articles on Jewish themes have appeared in the paper, starting with its strong condemnation over 40 years ago of the Kielce pogrom. Ironically, it was the government's press spokesman, Jerzy Urban, himself of Jewish origin, who contemptu­ ously described the paper as 'philo-semitic'."

Had Jerzy Turowicz, one of Europe's most straighforward editors, pub­ lished his Tygodnik Powszechny in these freedom-loving United States, his courageous editorial judgment would no doubt lead to commercial success, as well as to critical appreciation. But not so m Poland, a land gripped by a hopeless depression, where food shortages are per­ ennial, and the waiting period for apartments ranges from 10 to 50 years. As a result, Tygodnik now finds itself caught in an economic struggle in which, for once, self-reliance is not enough. The revenues from th© circulation of the weekly and Znak, barely cover the costs of publication, and the immediate future of these journals is in doubt.

The American Foundation for Polish-Jewish Studies feels morally obliged to pay tribute to Jerzy Turowicz, and to his intellectually enlightened weekly, which has been for decades Poland's foremost spiritual guide. We plan to establish an award called Sapere Auso, meaning "the one who dares to be wise," after an award of the same name given in Poland dur­ ing the eighteenth century. Early next year, the award will be given to Jerzy Turowicz, arid Lt will be accompanied by a sum sufficient to assure the continued publication of Tygodnik Powszechny and znak. Jerzy Turowicz will receive this award at a ceremony in an American city to which leading members of the American clergy and laity, as well as donors, and notable inidividuals who believe in the freedom of the press, will be invited. The influence of Tygodnik Powszechny stretches far beyond Poland, to countries where emigres depend upon its pages for news of their country, where they often reprint its articles and translate them into the verna­ cular to be shared with the local community. His Holiness John Paul 11 is an avid reader of Tygodnik, and knows many of its editors and contri­ butors personally. When one also considers that today approximately one out of every three Catholic priests in the world is Polish, one begins to grasp the significance of the leading Catholic voice in Poland. One can then understand how the rescue of Tygodnik Powszechy, the action in which we hope to enlist your help, becomes even more called upon. A total of $50,000 will cover an award to Jerzy Turowicz, which will be accompanied by an appropriate check for Tygodnik Powszechny, and will cover Foundation administrative costs for the award, including the cost of bringing Jerzy Turowicz to America for the ceremony. It 3 -

will contribute toward a fund for translating into English The Poor Look at the Ghetto and Other Essays (Recent Polish Debates on rhe Holocaust) edited by Dr. Antony Polonsky of Oxford University, (first published on the pages of Tygodnik Powszechny ) the publication of which in this country will immensely contribute to Christian — Jewish dialogue.

1 am convinced that by now you fully understand the spiritual impor­ tance of this call as much as we do. We hope, therefore, that, taxing yourself to the fullest, you will make a most substantial tax-deduct­ ible contribution to The American Foundation for Polish-Jewish Studies— The Fund of Tygodnik Powszechny, in order to assure that an indepen­ dent and Catholic point of view--the leading voice of dissenting opi­ nion in Eastern Europe—continues to thrive in Poland.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Jerzy Kosinski Chairman of the Board, 60 West 57th Street New York, N.Y. 10019