Open day at the Pilecki Institute’s new “DeBek” gallery | Workshops, meetings and the opening of the exhibition “The Choice to Save Lives” - Instytut Pileckiego

On Saturday, 14 October 2023, we would like to invite you to “DeBek” – the new gallery of the Pilecki Institute located at Krakowskie Przedmieście Street in Warsaw. Numerous attractions await the visitors of the premiere exhibition “The Choice to Save Live

We present the figures who fought not on the battlefront, but at their desks – armed with only a signature and a stamp. At the heart of the exhibition is the group of Polish diplomats led by Aleksander Ładoś, Head of the Polish Legation in Bern, who cooperated with Jewish organizations to issue illegal Latin American passports to European Jews. The Ładoś Group was comprised of Aleksander Ładoś, Juliusz Kuhl, Stefan Ryniewicz, Konstanty Rokicki, Chaim Eiss and Abraham Silberschein.

Hand-written notes, correspondence, testimonies, source materials which helped determine the identity of the Jews who received passports that increased their holders’ chances to survive the Holocaust, as well as private items obtained abroad from the relatives of the participants of the events from 80 years ago – all of this will be made available to the public for the very first time! It is the first exhibition of this scale devoted to the activities of Polish diplomats who strove to rescue Jews in occupied Poland and other European countries during World War II. 

Research has shed light on the scale, significance and unique character of the actions undertaken by the Ładoś Group, which saved citizens of not only Poland, but also other countries (including Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and prewar Czechoslovakia). Such broad scale of the operation would not be possible without a close cooperation between Polish diplomats and Jewish communities. The involvement of the latter is what set the Ładoś Group apart from other aid operations organized by diplomats from various countries during the Holocaust.

The families of the survivors from all over the world continue to discover the fate of their loved ones, reach out to the Pilecki Institute and share their stories, photographs and documents, allowing us to carry out further research and add new names to the “Ładoś List.”

The opening of the exhibition (Saturday, 14 October 2023) will take the form of an open education day at the Pilecki Institute’s new gallery – “DeBek.” The Institute has prepared a variety of activities aimed at audiences of all ages, including families, students, as well as both organized groups and individuals. The events will include workshops devoted to calligraphy and diplomatic protocol, a curator-guided tour, and meetings with the descendants of the heroes of our exhibition.

For our visitors, we have also prepared a retro photo booth, many educational giveaways and a commemorative guest book.

On top of a curator-guided tour, we invite you to workshops and meetings which will allow you to learn even more about the history of diplomacy and aid operations during the Holocaust.

Come and join us!

House Without Edges (dom Bez Kantów), "DeBek" gallery, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 11.

The schedule for the open day at the “DeBek” gallery, Saturday, 14 October 2023

Curator-guided tour of the exhibition “The Choice to Save Lives”
10 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, 4.30 pm

Workshops and meetings:

• 11 am “Stories of the rescued. The Ładoś Group.” A meeting with Leonie de Picciotto (the daughter of Ruth and Wolf Lesser, who were saved thanks to the passports) and Sebastian Ładoś (relative of Aleksander Ładoś). Moderator: Monika Maniewska (Pilecki Institute). The meeting will be interpreted into English and Polish.
   
• 12-1.30 pm Calligraphy workshop “Polish prewar handwriting.”
  Calligraphy used to be taught in school on a daily basis. Today, we admire beautiful handwriting mostly in old letters, notebooks, official documents and book dedications. The workshop will bring back the calligraphy lessons from the past. We will be using a nib dipped in ink and old alphabet textbooks. You’ll learn that everyday school writing was as elegant as English cursive (known as Copperplate) and that calligraphy lessons can be enjoyable and relaxing.
  Instructor: Barbara Galińska (Limited number of participants! Register via email at: wydarzenia@instytutpileckiego.pl)
   
• 2 pm  “Stories of the rescued. The Angel from Istanbul.” A meeting devoted to the remarkable story of Wojciech Rychlewicz – Polish Consul General in Istanbul, who rescued Jews fleeing from the Holocaust during World War II. Rychlewicz provided Polish Jews whose escape route led through Istanbul with certificates confirming Catholicism. The documents allowed the escapees to circumvent the limits imposed by various countries on the number of Jewish refugees.
  During the meeting we will talk to Anna Whitty MBE – the granddaughter of Wojciech Rychlewicz, and with Robert Meth – the son of Ellen T. Meth (prewar name Edwarda Wang) who was saved thanks to a certificate issued by the Polish consul.
  The meeting will be interpreted into English and Polish.
   
• 3.30 pm Workshop “The School of Diplomacy  – part I. Diplomatic protocol of yesterday, today and tomorrow” (Limited number of participants! Register via email: wydarzenia@instytutpileckiego.pl)
• 5 pm Workshop “The School of Diplomacy – part II. Between Asia and Europe. What is similar? What is different?” (Limited number of participants! Register via email: wydarzenia@instytutpileckiego.pl)