Called by Name - Instytut Pileckiego

Location

Living memory must plant its roots where the tragic events took place. These were usually small towns or farmsteads located on the outskirts of villages, on the edge of forests. After murdering the Poles and Jews who were being aided, the Germans burned down the houses, plundered belongings, and forbade burying the dead. The “Called by Name” project was born out of the need to mark the places where our heroes lived and died in the public space. This is where the ceremonies are held and the commemorative monuents unveiled.

The Pilecki Institute has developed a coherent and legible method of visual identification for the  memorial sites. The material sign of the commemoration is a plaque with an inscription in Polish and English, affixed to a stone. It is a permanent element of the landscape, evokes the names and surnames of victims – both Poles and Jews – and becomes a meeting place for the local community.

Family

The “Called by Name” left behind their loved ones – parents, spouses, orphaned children. While the historians’ literary narrative usually breaks off on the day of the death of the rescuers and the rescued, a new chapter of life was just beginning for the survivors. Deprived of their homes, livelihoods, education, the families of the victims struggled to live their lives in the post-war reality. Burdened by trauma, they reluctantly returned to painful memories. They could not count on the support of the Communist state and were not always understood by the people. However, they did not allow the memory to perish, and passed it on to future generations.

The families of the “Called by Name” are at the heart of our project. They are honorary guests at the commemorations; we listen to their voices during the ceremony. Thanks to them, we have been able to reach previously unknown certificates, documents and photos. We also try to take care of them. The integration of the families facilitates an exchange of experiences among people with similar stories, fosters intergenerational dialogue and overcoming trauma. The first meeting of the “Called by Name” families took place in Brok on the Bug river in 2019.

Local community

Local communities are the natural custodians of the memory of the “Called by Name”. The project assumes close cooperation with local authorities, schools, parishes, associations and scout organizations. Commemorations take place in agreement and in cooperation with local communities; thus the stories of the “Called by Name” become their property and permanently shape their identity. Workshops for young people, conducted by educators from the Pilecki Institute, spark the interest in the fate of our heroes and local history in general.

Context

The project is based on the profound contextualization of history. We discuss the fate of the “Called by Name” in an unisolated way, taking the complex circumstances into account. The basic context is the Holocaust, the German plan to exterminate all European Jews during World War II. It particularly affected the territories of the occupied Second Republic of Poland, where the Jewish community of nearly 3.5 million people almost ceased to exist. By honoring the “Called by Name”, we remember those for whom they risked their own lives and the lives of their families. We always try to establish the identity of the Jewish victims and the circumstances of their death. During the unveiling of the monument, we recall their names, and after a solemn mass, the rabbi says a Jewish prayer for the deceased. If unmarked graves of Holocaust victims are found, we cooperate with Fundacja Zapomniane, which conserves and commemorates them.

The key context in the stories of the “Called by Name” is the reality of the German occupation in Poland, which differed completely from the occupation in other European countries, especially in the West. The death penalty for helping Jews, the obligation to denounce and brutal repressions built an atmosphere of terror and made Poles hostages of the criminal policy of the Third Reich. In this situation, solidarity was a heroic attitude and could not be a mass phenomenon. When talking about the heroes, we also talk about denunciations and collaboration, which in many cases brought about the deaths of the “Called by Name” and the rescued Jews. We also remember that denunciation is a tool of control in totalitarian systems. The responsibility for creating a space of violence and lawlessness in occupied Poland rests with the Third Reich. The German perpetrators – the murderers of the “Called by Name” and rescued Jews – mostly escaped punishment and remain anonymous to this day. As part of the project, we strive to establish their identity and reveal their post-war fate.

Taking into account many contexts paves the way for the development of microhistoric research. In many cases, the experiences of the “Called by Name” and their families turn out to be an inspiration and the key to reconstructing a complete picture of local history during World War II.

Process

The “Called by Name” project assumes that restoring and preserving the memory of Poles murdered by the Germans for helping Jews is not a one-off act, but a continuous, consistent and collective effort. The unveiling of the monument is of great symbolic importance, and at the same time it is part of the complex process of researching memory. It is preceded by thorough preparation, research and archival inquiries, multiple visits and meetings with families and local communities. After the commemoration comes time for educational and integration activities, development of good practices of the culture of remembrance and promotion of knowledge about the “Called by Name” both in Poland and around the world. The Pilecki Institute initiates a process in which families, local communities, the media and people of culture are involved, often in response to reports we receive. In this way, the “Called by Name” project becomes a joint venture and the shared responsibility of many people. This allows us to reflect, together and in dialogue with one another, on the tragic experiences of the “Called by Name” and their families, and thus perhaps better understand ourselves.

The “Called by the Name” project was inaugurated in 2019 at the initiative of Prof. Magdalena Gawin, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport. So far, 34 commemorations have taken place, in 33 places, during which 89 people have been honored.

Patronat Narodowy Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Andrzeja Dudy w Stulecie Odzyskania Niepodległości.