Attended an event at Krakowski Opera "Let My People Live" commemorating the 65th anniversary of liberation of Aucshwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
Attendees among others; President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, President of World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder.
Was most touched by a speech by chief rabbi of Israel. He himself is a Holocaust survivor. His mother is from Krakow and father form Lwów. He was 7 years old when his family was moved from the ghetto in Piotrków Trybunarski for a trip to a camp. Nazi seperated men from women with small children. So he was with his mother. Right before they were being taken, his mother made a quick and difficult decision. She threw him to arms of his older brother, who was 18. She knew that weakers were to be sent to death. And she was right. He survived and now is standing in front of audience telling this story.
We were sitting on the first row in front of orchestra box. Being seated next to us were two Russian veterans with lots of medals on their uniform. They were complaining to organizers that their seats were not good by the exit door. It was true. These old Soviet soldiers should not be in a corner, while the rest of the dignitaries, presidents and rabbis, were seated in the middle of the hall, shaking hands, kissing each other, and sharing the spotlights and flash of TV cameras. They sat in the dark corner and didn't even know how to turn on the device to listen to Russian interpreter, while most of the speeches were given in English. A young Polish handler was not so helpful and left them with a gadget making a screeching sound.
I didn't know about who exactly they were until I saw AFP story and CNN website. Ivan Martynushkin, 86 and Yakov Vinnochenko 83. Accroding to CNN, Martynushkin got special medal from Vladimir Putin five years ago at the Auschwitz ceremony.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Survivors-liberators-gather-for-Auschwitz-commemoration-with-Israel-PM/articleshow/5505693.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Survivors-liberators-gather-for-Auschwitz-commemoration-with-Israel-PM/articleshow/5505693.cms
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/01/26/auschwitz.liberator/index.html
They were sole survivors among who liberated the camp. I felt bad that these "Soviet heroes" didn't get VIP treatment in Poland, even though this might not be intentional. They might have known days when official ceremonies full of glories and respect, even though majority of ordinary Poles might have not perceived that way.
Poles came a long way to embrace Jews. This immensely difficult issue of Holocaust took place in their own land. Poles have difficult history and relationships with Jews existing within the communist regime and opposition as well after the war. Not to mention pogroms which drove out most of the Jewish population out of Poland.
They were sole survivors among who liberated the camp. I felt bad that these "Soviet heroes" didn't get VIP treatment in Poland, even though this might not be intentional. They might have known days when official ceremonies full of glories and respect, even though majority of ordinary Poles might have not perceived that way.
Poles came a long way to embrace Jews. This immensely difficult issue of Holocaust took place in their own land. Poles have difficult history and relationships with Jews existing within the communist regime and opposition as well after the war. Not to mention pogroms which drove out most of the Jewish population out of Poland.
So twenty years ago when we lived in Warsaw, this kind of close relationship was not thinkable.
With Russians the relations seem to have reversed.
It's understandable, if you think of Poles having suffered under the communism forced by the Soviets. Yet, it's a bitter lesson that beautiful words of cooperation and understanding sometimes sounding hollow. There is still a long way before these two countries will come to term with each other.
