Photo coverage from the teachers’ seminar

On Saturday, February 1st, at the seat of the Janusz Kurtyka Educational Centre “History Point” at 21/25 Marszałkowska Street in Warsaw, a training for teachers of humanities entitled “Jews during World War II – selected issues” took place for the first time this year. It was also the first time that such an initiative was co-organized with the Institute of National Remembrance Educational Centre “History Point”.

The seminar, co-organized by the Warsaw Ghetto Museum and the “History Point”, led by Barbara Pamrów, deputy head of the Institute of National Remembrance Educational Centre “History Point”, had three objectives – said Dr. Wiesława Młynarczyk from the Education Department, who gave a lecture entitled: “Before the creation of the ghetto. Jews in the first year of war in Warsaw”. – The first aim was to present the situation of Warsaw Jews before the borders of the ghetto were closed. The second was to show how this topic was presented in various sources. The third to show how history is taught on the basis of sources.

The seminar, co-organized by the Warsaw Ghetto Museum and the “History Point”, led by Barbara Pamrów, deputy head of the Institute of National Remembrance Educational Centre “History Point”, had three objectives – said Dr. Wiesława Młynarczyk from the Education Department, who gave a lecture entitled: “Before the creation of the ghetto. Jews in the first year of war in Warsaw”. – The first aim was to present the situation of Warsaw Jews before the borders of the ghetto were closed. The second was to show how this topic was presented in various sources. The third to show how history is taught on the basis of sources.

Dr. Jacek Młynarczyk from the Scientific and Research Department gave a lecture on “The Genesis of the Holocaust with a Special Focus on Polish Lands”, which focused on the circumstances of the creation of the Holocaust crime machinery on Polish lands. After the lecture, he was asked about the attitude of the Polish population towards the tragedy of the Jewish community, among others about the percentage of Poles who took part in the activities related to the Holocaust – collaboration and the participation of the so-called Blue Police in “supporting” the ghetto deportations. – Out of 12 thousand members of this formation, every sixth officer and every second official cooperated with the Polish underground – emphasized Dr. Młynarczyk. – The Blue Police mainly guarded the external borders of ghettos, the gates and walls. Jews who were outside the law were exposed to all acts of lawlessness. In the General Government, any kind of contact with the Jewish population was subject to the death penalty. This was decided by Hans Frank in his third regulation on residence restrictions (“Jews who leave their designated district without authorization are subject to the death penalty. The same punishment is imposed on people who knowingly give such Jews a hiding place” – ed. note).

An important part of the seminar was an educational walk around the area of the “small ghetto” led by Jagna Kofta from the Education Department of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum. An exhibition of sculptures by Samuel Willenberg, a Polish-Israeli sculptor and painter who died four years ago, a prisoner of the ghetto in Opatów, a Treblinka prisoner (he was the last of the living) and a participant in the rebellion in the camp in 1943, a Warsaw insurgent, the author of memoirs “The Rebellion in Treblinka” and the hero of two documentaries: “Ostatni świadek” [The Last Witness] by Michał Nekanda-Trepka and “Samuel” by Jan Kidawa-Błoński, that was opened on 28 January in the “History Point”, was also presented. The seminar ended with a screening of Robert Kaczmarek’s film “Paszporty Paragwaju” [Passports of Paraguay].

All the points of the training were highly rated, but the walk with Jagna Kofta and the exhibition of Samuel Willenberg’s works turned out to be particularly moving – summed up Dr. Halina Postek, Head of the Education Department of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum. – In the nearest future, the Education Department of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum is planning a two-day training course: a trip to Łódź and the Chełmno upon Ner extermination camp (SS-Sonderkommando Kulmhof, 21-22 March). On 8 March, we are beginning our weekly walks around the area of the former Warsaw Ghetto – said Dr Postek.

Anna Kilian

Photo: Warsaw Ghetto Museum

Translated by Michał Nowakowski (LIDEX)