News - Instytut Pileckiego

Through October 29, the Pilecki Institute in New York is hosting an exhibition about the people who risked their own lives to save Jews during the Holocaust—and those who survived thanks to their courage.

Exhibition, seminar, and meeting with Eva Paddock—events accompanying the exhibition

On September 9, an international expert seminar on Holocaust remembrance will be held, featuring experts from Germany and Austria, Central and Eastern Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Israel, and the United States. The following day (September 10), there will be a meeting with Holocaust survivor Eva Paddock.

• Exhibition: Between Life and Death. Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust August 25 – October 29, 2026
• Seminar: Memory in Transition: A Transatlantic Perspective on Holocaust Education – September 9, 2026, 6 pm – 9 pm
• Meeting with Eva Paddock September 10, 2026, 6 pm
• Venue: Pilecki Institute, 92 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006
• Admission: All events are free and open to the public

About the Exhibition

Risking one’s own life to save another person is one of the most extraordinary acts of courage. The exhibition Between Life and Death. Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust pays tribute to those who, despite the threat of imprisonment, deportation, or death, chose to help persecuted Jews during the Second World War. By bringing together the stories of rescuers and survivors, the exhibition explores the complexity of human relationships under the varied and extreme conditions of the war. Each story is placed within a broader historical context, helping visitors better understand how local circumstances shaped both the possibilities for rescue and the chances of survival. One of the aims of the exhibition is to demonstrate that the decision to help was profoundly influenced by local realities – for example, the circumstances facing rescuers in Warsaw were fundamentally different from those in Paris. The exhibition presents stories of the rescue of Jews from fifteen European countries – Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom – highlighting the experiences of both rescuers and survivors. One of the panels is dedicated to diplomats from Poland, Japan, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark, whose efforts to save Jews took place in Germany, France, Hungary, Lithuania, and Switzerland.

About the seminar

The seminar Memory in Transition: A Transatlantic Perspective on Holocaust Education accompanying the exhibition offers a transatlantic dialogue on the changing landscape of Holocaust remembrance and the challenges facing educators on both sides of the Atlantic. Prof. Daniel Blatman (Israel), Prof. Rune Christiansen (Denmark), Prof. Stephan Lehnstaedt (Germany), Dr. Richard Quinlan (USA), and Prof. Piotr Trojański (Poland) will share a range of international perspectives and experiences, creating an opportunity for meaningful exchange between European and American approaches to Holocaust education. The discussion will explore Holocaust remembrance as a dynamic and evolving process shaped by historical experience, changing political and social contexts, public debate, and shifting educational priorities across different countries.

About Eva Paddock Eva Paddock is a Holocaust survivor who, at just three and a half years old, escaped German-Nazi-occupied Europe through the Kindertransport. In July 1939, she and her sister were among the children sent from Prague to safety in England on one of the last Czech Kindertransport trains organized by Sir Nicholas Winton. During this special conversation and Q&A session, the audience will have the opportunity to meet Eva and hear her remarkable story of rescue, resilience, and rebuilding her life in a new country. Drawing on her long career as a teacher and headteacher, Eva will also share thoughtful reflections on how to approach Holocaust education with care, sensitivity, and clarity. The event will also feature a presentation of “Sound in the Silence”, an innovative educational program developed by ENRS, introduced by Artistic Director Dan Wolf.

Partners

The exhibition “Between Life and Death. Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust” was prepared by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity (ENRS) in cooperation with the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and the Silent Heroes Memorial Centre in Berlin. The exhibition was first presented at the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels in January 2018. Since then, it has traveled to numerous locations across Europe and Japan, including Amsterdam, Bratislava, Vilnius, Budapest, Bucharest, Bern, Dresden, Osaka, Yokohama, Tsuruga, Gifu, Szczecin, Gdańsk, Strasbourg, Bad Ischl, Dublin, and New York.

Programme – September 9

Memory in Transition: A Transatlantic Perspective on Holocaust Education
Venue: Pilecki Institute New York
Date: September 9, 2026, 6:00 p.m.
Total duration: approx. 3 hours
MC: Ola Słabisz

1. Official Opening

• Welcome speech by Pilecki Institute (Jack Fairweather, CEO)
• Remarks by representatives of the ENRS (Rafał Rogulski, Director). Introduction to the exhibition and the idea of the event 

2. Guided Tour of the Exhibition

• A curator-led tour (prof. Piotr Trojański) focusing on selected stories of rescue and their potential use in educational practice

3. Seminar: Expert Panel and Discussion

• Moderator introduction (dr. Agnieszka Witkowska-Krych)
• Short presentations 

Perspectives:

1. Germany and Austria – perpetration, responsibility and civic education

Prof. Stephan Lehnstaedt

2. Central and Eastern Europe – the Holocaust as local history

Prof. Piotr Trojański

3. Western and Northern Europe – occupation, collaboration, rescue and national self-images

Prof. Rune Christiansen

4. Israel – national memory and historical transmission

Prof. Daniel Blatman

5. United States – memory at a distance and civic frameworks

Dr. Richard Quinlan

4. Panel discussion and audience Q&A

Moderated conversation among speakers followed by questions from participants.

5. Closing remarks

Programme – September 10

Meeting with Holocaust survivor Eva Paddock featuring Dan Wolf
Venue: Pilecki Institute New York
Date: September 10, 2026, 6:00 p.m.
Total duration: approx. 2 hours
MC: Magdalena Żelazowska

Welcome speech by ENSR (Rafał Rogulski, Director)

Interview with Eva Paddock conducted by Jack Fairweather, followed by a Q&A with the audience

Dan Wolf – educator, speech about “Sound in the silence” project and film screening (short film about the project).