Reminder: Conference in Warsaw in June on Memory in Poland of the Rescuers and the Rescued from the Holocaust

H-Poland Reminder: conference in Warsaw in June on Memory in Poland of the rescuers and the rescued from the Holocaust.

Discussion published by Aleksandra Hadzelek on Thursday, February 26, 2015

On the 30th anniversary of granting the title of the Righteous Among The Nations to Sugihara Chiune, Japanese Consul in Lithuania

In 1940 Sugihara Chiune, Japanese Consul in Lithuania, in cooperation with Dutch Honorary Consul Jan Zwartendijk, issued over 2,500 visas to Polish Jews who in 1939 found refuge in and around Vilnius. Thanks to these visas, up to 6,000 people escaped the Holocaust by crossing the Soviet Union and entering Japan, and from there resettling in other countries. For his actions, in 1985 Sugihara was awarded the title of Righteous Among The Nations. On the 30th anniversary of the award, and 75 years after the rescue actions commenced, we wish to engage in a wider reflection on heroic actions of those who saved Jews from the Holocaust, as well as the ways they have been recognised by different institutions around the world.

The memory of Sugihara's act is well known worldwide but is virtually unknown in Poland. This is the first academic conference on this topic in Poland.

The conference’s main aim is to bring together scholars interested in public memory and commemorations of Sugihara’s actions, and of similar rescue operations. We encourage participation by academics from various fields as well as museologists, archivists, community leaders and public figures, in order to promote a dialogue and a constructive discussion between the academics and the broader public.

The conference will be structured around the following 4 main areas:

Memory of Sugihara and Zwartendijk in Poland, Lithuania, Japan, the Netherlands, and the countries of settlement of Polish Jews saved by him. The perspective of the rescued: personal testimonies of people saved by The Righteous, and their descendants (this session will include online connections with those who can’t attend in person). From remembrance to celebration: various forms of commemorative practices of Holocaust victims, survivors and saviours. The Righteous Among the Nations: Contemporary dilemmas and problems associated with the award.

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Honorary Committee:

Citation: Aleksandra Hadzelek. Reminder: conference in Warsaw in June on Memory in Poland of the rescuers and the rescued from the Holocaust.. H-Poland. 02-26-2015. https://networks.h-net.org/node/9669/discussions/61848/reminder-conference-warsaw-june-memory-poland-rescuers-and-rescued Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-Poland

Prof. Janusz Balicki, Director, Inter-institute Unit for Migration Research, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland

Prof. Andrew Jakubowicz, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Mr Jakub Nowakowski, Director, Galicia Jewish Museum in Cracow, Poland

Dr Grazyna Pawlak, Director, Prof. Moses Schorr Foundation in Warsaw, Poland

Mr Krzysztof Czyżewski, Director, Bordelands Foundation, Sejny, Poland

Mr Marcel Weyland, translator, Sugihara survivor, Sydney, Australia

Organizing Committee:

Aleksandra Hadzelek, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, P.O.Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia, tel. +61 2 95147686, [email protected]

Olga Barbasiewicz, Institute of Political Science, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, ul. Woycickiego 1/3, building no. 23, room no.112, tel. +48 668946552, [email protected]

Joanna M. Guzik, Institute of Middle and Far East Studies, Jagiellonian University, 30-387 Krakow, ul. Gronostajowa 3, room no.127, tel. +48 126645415, [email protected]

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The conference will be hosted byInter-Institutes Migration Research Unit (University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski in Warsaw).

Please send expressions of interest to:[email protected] before the end of February 2015.