"Certainly the Jews who tried to fight back were not successful, they got demolished, but it was the desire to do something that clearly was inspiring," CNN's journalist Dana Bash told "Fakty" TVN reporter Marcin Wrona. Together with her colleague from CNN - Wolf Blitzer, Bash took part in Wednesday's commemorations of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising 80th anniversary. "I just can’t imagine a mother or a father in a desperate situation like that, having to say goodbye to a kid, to a child, in order to save that child from the Nazi death camps," Wolf Blitzer said.
The main part of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was held at noon in front of the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in Warsaw. The ceremony commenced with the sound of sirens blaring across the city of Warsaw, followed shortly by the national anthem of Poland.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Israeli President Isaac Herzog paid tribute to the fallen heroes by bowing their heads and laying wreaths at the monument.
On Tuesday, on the eve of the uprising anniversary, thousands took part in the annual International March of the Living, organized in the former Nazi German concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Two CNN journalists - Dana Bash and Wolf Blitzer - took part in both events. On Wednesday, they spoke with "Fakty" TVN correspondent Marcin Wrona.
Wrona said he had never seen Dana Bash so emotional like during the commemorations on Wednesday.
"Because this is heavy. It's personal for me because this is the story of my family. The only reason I am an American is because my grandparents were driven out of Europe by the Nazis. And their parents were murdered. My grandmother's sister was murdered at Auschwitz," Bash replied.
"It’s not just about the Jews, frankly. The story, I believe, resonates so much globally now because it was the beginning of the uprising against hate, the beginning of the uprising against the vicious attacks by the Nazis, by the Germans, across Europe," Bash said, underscoring the importance of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
Speaking about the 80th anniversary of the insurgency, she added that "this is such an important day to remember". "Certainly the Jews who tried to fight back were not successful, they got demolished, but it was the desire to do so that clearly was inspiring."
Wolf Blitzer mentioned stories of Holocaust survivors he had heard during his visit to Warsaw and Auschwitz. "One of the most moving things, I knew about this before, but one the most moving things was to hear the stories of these women who were little girls – three, four, five years old – when their mothers had to give them away, so that they would be taken to a safe country and leave Poland," he said.
"It just brought tears to my eyes. It was so painful to think about that, especially now that I’m a grandfather and I have a 6-year-old little grandson," he added.
"I just can’t imagine a mother or a father in a desperate situation like that, having to say goodbye to a kid, to a child, in order to save that child from the Nazi death camps," Blitzer stressed.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH DANA BASH AND WOLF BLITZER BELOW
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24