POLIN Awards for 2024 handed out in Warsaw

The 2024 POLIN Award winners, Ewa Teleżyńska-Sawicka and Paweł Sawicki, are board members of the Treblinka Memory Foundation. For years, they have been commemorating those murdered in this extermination camp. They are creating the Book of Names – an online database of victims, which already includes nearly 109,000 names, with another 20,000 awaiting processing.

On the last Saturday of every month, at the site of the former camp, they read out the names of Jews along with the stories they have uncovered about them. They also work on creating a database of escapees, transportation records, and a multilingual educational path incorporating new technologies.

The foundation collects not only basic information, such as name, surname, and dates, but also details of the victims' lives and photographs. Family connections are also preserved.

"We are incredibly moved and honored. Thank you so much for this decision. We are absolutely convinced that it reflects the importance of Treblinka as a site. Treblinka is the largest war cemetery for Warsaw, Kielce, Radom... a hundred, two hundred, maybe three hundred Polish towns. And yet many people in Poland do not even know where Treblinka is," Paweł Sawicki said during the Monday gala at the museum.

"For over a dozen years, we have been trying to reconstruct the individual fates of those who died there, so that it is not numbers, but people who speak," he emphasized.

The competition committee also awarded two Honorable Mentions, which went to Karolina Panz from Nowy Targ and Dariusz Sobczyk from Opatów.

Karolina Panz has been combining her role as a researcher of the fates of Jewish communities in the Podhale region with efforts to restore their memory for nearly 20 years. She searches national and international archives for materials on their history and meets with Holocaust survivors and descendants of Jews from Podhale. She organizes meetings with surviving Jews from Nowy Targ and commemorates the Jews of Podhale on the anniversaries of their extermination.

Dariusz Sobczyk is a guardian of the memory of Jewish communities in Opatów. He initiated annual commemorative events to honor the victims of the Holocaust and has worked for years to ensure that the town's residents do not forget their city’s cultural heritage. On the 80th anniversary of the Opatów tragedy, he co-organized a gathering of descendants of Jewish families from Opatów. He was the originator and initiator of the first exhibition in Opatów showcasing paintings by Majer Kirszenblat.

The POLIN Special Award was presented to the Borussia Foundation, which, since 2006, has been working to restore the multicultural history of Warmia and Masuria and supporting civic activities in culture, education, and social integration. For over a decade, it has fostered cross-border cooperation, engaging in dialogue with neighbors and sharing experiences related to Poland’s path to democracy.

"The Borussia Foundation is deeply committed to preserving Jewish heritage, a commitment evident in their efforts to save the unique Bet Tahara building from oblivion and decay. Today, this building stands as a memorial to the Jewish history of Olsztyn and as a symbol of public service," said POLIN Museum Director Zygmunt Stępiński.

For the first time in the award’s history, the museum director presented a Special Award in the category of Culture and Media, which went to Father Adam Boniecki.

"Father Boniecki has, for decades, built understanding and spread values that are often overlooked today but remain universal and timeless," Stępiński noted. "He has an exceptional gift for cultivating respect for others and their beliefs. He can look deeply into human experiences, stirring emotions, prompting reflection, and urging us to re-evaluate our own beliefs. For years, he has taught us openness and empathy, truly embodying an authority with a capital 'A'."

"For years, Tygodnik Powszechny has consistently highlighted various aspects of the history and presence of Polish Jews, thanks to Father Boniecki’s persistent work. This dedication has borne fruit. Through perseverance and a steadfast conscience, much has been achieved," Father Boniecki said, accepting the award.

As explained by the organizers, the award’s purpose is to promote values and actions aligned with the museum’s mission. The recipients are community leaders who cultivate the memory of Polish Jewish history and contribute to building a shared future, mutual understanding, and respect.

The POLIN Award has been presented since 2015, with nine recipients to date, and over 55 finalists. From the nominated candidates, the competition committee selects, rewards, and honors individuals or organizations that have demonstrated significant actions, initiatives, or contributions in recent years, positively impacting public awareness of Polish Jewish history and fostering Polish-Jewish relations.