Called by Name - Q&A - Instytut Pileckiego
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Pilecki Institute’s flagship program
One of the activities of the Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor is the commemoration of Poles who were murdered for aiding Jews during World War II. So far, we have organized 36 commemorative ceremonies in 35 towns and villages across Poland, “calling by name” 98 Poles. Below you will find the key questions and answers concerning the program.
1. Who are the “Called by Name”?
The “Called by Name” are Poles who were murdered by the Germans during World War II for helping Jews. The death penalty imposed in occupied Poland for assisting Jews in any way – e.g. by offering shelter, a piece of bread or a sip of water – did not discourage them from lending aid, for which all of the “Called by Name” paid the ultimate price.
2. What is the aim of the “Called by Name” program?
The program named in reference to Zbigniew Herbert’s poem Mr Cogito on the Need for Precision [PL: Pan Cogito o potrzebie ścisłości] aims to restore the memory of specific individuals and honor the courage of those who aided the persecuted Jews despite the threat of death penalty and consequently lost their lives. The program creates an opportunity to restore the memory of the victims both in local communities and in our common knowledge of history – to publicly “call them by name” after the decades-long period when their fate was forgotten. In cooperation with local authorities, we honor the victims in a permanent manner by unveiling commemorative stones with inscriptions in Polish and English honoring the victims at the execution sites. We also try to identify and restore the memory of the Jewish victims who received help from those “Called by Name” and in many cases were killed along with them.
3. What happens at a “Called by Name” commemoration, and who takes part?
A permanent form of commemoration is a stone, located in a public area, with a plaque dedicated to the “Called by Name”, established in cooperation with local governments. The commemorative events provide an opportunity for the families of the “Called by Name” to speak up on behalf of the victims and open up about their own difficult experiences after decades of silence. The unveiling of the stone also helps integrate the local communities, which attend the events in great numbers. Present at the ceremonies are representatives of state and local authorities, uniformed services, Scouts, school pupils, representatives of veterans’ associations, historical reconstruction groups, as well as local societies and groups of activists. Especially moving moments during the ceremonies involve the unveiling of commemorative stones by the representatives of the “Called by Name” families and the prayers said by a Catholic priest and a rabbi or a representative of the Jewish community. What makes it all the more emotional is that in many such towns and villages the Hebrew language has not been heard since the tragic events.
4. What else is included in the “Called by Name” program, except the unveiling of a commemorative plaque?
The “Called by Name” program involves the work of many people from the “Called by Name” Department of the Pilecki Institute, who are assisted by co-workers from other departments. In addition to the main commemorative events, we organize other promotional activities, such as an exhibition and brochures devoted to the individuals commemorated as part of the program. The wide-scale information campaign and educational projects that accompany the commemorations help familiarize local communities with their history and cultivate universal values. Meetings with youths and teachers along with educational workshops aim to propagate patriotic and civic attitudes characterized by empathy, tolerance and sensitivity to mistreatment and injustice. Our educational workshops are held at the commemoration sites and at the permanent exhibition at Warsaw’s Dom Bez Kantów.
The program has a modern and social significance, as we continue to research the subsequent fate of the relatives of those “Called by Name” and record their memoirs. We integrate the community of the “Called by Name” families around the commemorations, as well as the preparations leading up to the ceremonies and the annual meetings of the “Called by Name” families.
The local governments play an important role as partners during the ceremonies and as custodians of the newly established commemorative sites. We also cooperate with social organizations represented by teachers, history enthusiasts and cultural institutions such as local museums. We undertake new, joint initiatives during periodic meetings and while observing the National Day of Remembrance of Poles who Saved Jews under German Occupation. We continually develop our original goals and modify them in order to reach as much people as possible.
5. Does the Pilecki Institute appeal for the “Called by Name” to receive the title of Righteous Among the Nations?
Yes, we try to do so in accordance with the Yad Vashem procedures. Our research often leads to the discovery of additional testimonies which allow us to initiate such proceedings, as was the case with the Budziszewski family – Henryk, Stanisława, Wacław and Stanisław, who hid several members of the Jewish Kosower family at their farm. The uncovered testimony of Rachel Kosower, who managed to survive, allowed us to appeal for the title of Righteous Among the Nations for the whole Budziszewski family.
6. Were all the Jewish recipients of help killed along with the “Called by Name”?
In most cases, everyone involved died. But not always – some of the Poles who gave shelter or other forms of aid to Jews received a warning that they had been denounced or that the Germans were planning to search their property. In such cases, the Jews were able to leave the hideout and they proceeded to either look for another one on their own or went to a designated house of another family who had offered to help them. That’s how the Blum family managed to survive, even though Józef Pruchniewicz, who had given them shelter, died during the search of his property. Many years later, the Pruchniewicz family contacted the Blums, who moved in Israel after the war. A proper appeal to Yad Vashem was made, as a result of which Józef Pruchniewicz was granted the title of Righteous Among the Nations.
Several Jews survived the German occupation thanks to a hideout located in the basements in Rzeszów, where they received help from Michał Stasiuk – who was murdered by the Germans in March 1944 and was later granted the title of Righteous Among the Nations.
Our researchers estimate that 59 out of approximately 200 Jews who received aid from the “Called by Name” survived the immediate German intervention. However, this isn’t synonymous with surviving the whole of German occupation. We still need thorough and time-consuming research in order to analyze their subsequent wartime fate.
7. Did all of the victims’ families testify before the Main Commission for the Investigation of Hitlerite Crimes in Poland?
No, not all of them did. Some of the German crimes did not fall under the scope of the Main Commission for the Investigation of Hitlerite Crimes in Poland, and in some other cases testimonies were collected many years after the events, when much of the details had already faded away from the eyewitnesses’ memory. This is why we also examine historical sources, e.g. documents from concentration camps. We analyze surveys, case files, lists that have been compiled concerning German repressions and postwar petitions available in archival databases in Poland and abroad. The key sources for us are the materials from the collection of the Polish State Archives, the Institute of National Remembrance, the Jewish Historical Institute, Yad Vashem and Bundesarchiv, as well as registry offices, parish registers and the memorial books of Jewish communities. We also explore oral history databases, i.e. interviews with eyewitnesses. Archival research is always followed by field research involving interviews with eyewitnesses or the closest relatives of the victims, who often share their family mementos with us. A positive verification of the results of archival research is the basis for taking further steps concerning the commemoration of the victims.
8. Was death penalty for lending help to others imposed only in German-occupied territories during World War II?
The death penalty took its most drastic form in German-occupied Poland during World War II. Countless German posters and notices reminded Poles that the punishment for all forms of assistance offered to Jews – even for selling food – was death. Unfortunately, the killing of those who aid others occurs also in present-day warfare. Volunteers, doctors and clergymen die trying to reach those in need in war zones. The shelling of humanitarian convoys and hospitals is not uncommon in many places of conflict.
9. What do Poles think about the commemorations of those who died for helping Jews?
According to the report compiled by the Center for Public Opinion Research and commissioned by the Pilecki Institute in December 2022, cultivating the memory of those who were killed for aiding Jews during World War II is very well-received. 80.6% of the interviewees believe that the actions of the “Called by Name” constitute a moral testimony of humanity that deserves to be remembered. 83.5% of the interviewees think that these individuals should be commemorated at their place of residence or at the location where they were killed – which is how the “Called by Name” has been designed from the beginning. Poles also recognize the present-day significance of the program: 59.4% of the interviewees agree that the dissemination of knowledge about the wartime killings of civilians who aided the persecuted decreases the likelihood of similar events in the future.
10. I know a story about people who were murdered for helping Jews. Can I pass it on to the Pilecki Institute?
Yes, we invite the family members of both Polish and Jewish victims in particular to contact us. We of course continue to collect testimonies and documents about new examples of repression inflicted by the Germans during World War II. Each case will be thoroughly analyzed by our research team. If the analysis yields positive results, our researchers will contact the person who submitted the story, carry out further investigation and contact the victims’ family. This will allow us to record their testimonies and obtain materials from family collections, and consequently increase the number of commemorations of those who paid the ultimate price for aiding Jews.
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