Jan Karski was a Polish diplomat who brought word of the Holocaust in Poland to the western nations. For his work on trying to save the Jews of Poland, he was awarded the title of “Righteous Gentile” by the Vad Yashem Memorial organization, the highest civilian award Israel can give to those Christians and a couple Moslems who risked their lives to save Jewish lives in WW2.
An old friend of mine, Stefan Korbanski, one of the leaders of the Polish Free Army during WW2, was also the recipient of the “Righteous Gentile” award for his helping to smuggle arms and equipment into the Warsaw Ghetto so that the thousands of Jews trapped in it could resist the Germans, which they did for weeks despite overwhelming odds.
Both men were extraordinary human beings in a time when wild animals roamed the world.
And of course Obama never heard of either of them before this ceremony which he screwed up.
So sad that this incompetent fool has turned something which should have been a day of celebration, pride, and commemoration.
Thank you for the detail in your post. What an honor it must be to meet a man like Mr. Korbanski. I recently watched a documentary about the Warsaw uprising, and my respect for those men and women who fought on despite receiving no aid from Russia, and no supplies, etc... I can’t express my awe in regards to their dedication to stand firm despite the incredible hardships, and suffering.
I have done a lot of research into Polish history as both sides of my husband’s family immigrated from Poland, and can trace our lineage back quite far *back home*. I am continually amazed at the perseverance, courage, and dedication of Poles throughout history.
I am VERY proud to carry the surname I do now, and Obama’s words and actions today - along with his *non-apology* apology make me extremely upset with sadness and anger.
We have (we believe - yet to be confirmed through genealogical sources) members of our own family listed by Vad Yashem as having been murdered trying to hide a family of Jewish neighbors under their barn - a mother, and a 4-year-old girl shot, their father remains unaccounted for to this day.
This hits home for me in a very real way. My disgust is literally making me sick to my stomach. I’ll tell you one thing I know - Poles KNOW Fascism and Communism first hand, and if Obama is trying to propagandize these people he is even more of a fool than I thought.
The spokesperson for the WH that gave a statement to Buzzfeed said in response to this that Obama’s actions have shown a “rock-solid commitment” to the US and Poland’s “close alliance”. Has he forgotten what he told Medvedev about the Missile Defense shields just two months ago? I can guarantee you none of us - and none of the people in Poland have forgotten. He really should save his platitudes for the imbeciles who are still fawning over him.
[Sorry for the *rant* - thanks again for sharing the information about Mr. Karski, and Mr. Korbanski. I will be passing along the names of both of these great men to my children the next time we discuss these things...]
SS guards in the death camps who looked the other way... the officer in the Second SS Panzer Division who allowed a bus load of French civilians to escape into the fields rather than driving them to their deaths as "terrorists" in the days after D-Day...the Gestapo agent who "overlooked" a stash of moldy potatoes that meant life or death to a Jewish couple in Dresden...the list goes on, like signs of life in the desert.
Yad Vashem