CHICAGO – March 17, 2015 – Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Michelle T. Boone, City of Chicago’s DCASE Commissioner and Paulina Kapuscinska, Consul General of Poland in Chicago will open an exhibit on Monday, March 23, in Chicago’s Richard J. Daley Center to honor the Polish Righteous Among the Nations, a group of men and women who rescued Jewish people from the Nazis during World War II.
The exhibit is titled “They Risked Their Lives – Poles Who Saved Jews during the Holocaust”. It has been sponsored by Poland’s Consulate General in Chicago and it is being co-presented at the Richard J. Daley Center thanks to cooperation between the Polish Consul General Paulina Kapuscinska, Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown and City of Chicago’s DCASE Commissioner Michelle T. Boone.
“This exhibit’s mission is to teach about the virtues of selflessness and courage. It shows how one’s life choices can change history for generations of people” said Consul General Kapuscinska.
This exhibit commemorates the Polish Righteous Among the Nations, who demonstrated extraordinary courage and risked their own lives – and the lives of their families – to rescue Jewish men, women and children from extermination by the Nazis. The exhibit is a tribute to the rescuers who by saving a single life saved entire generations.
Clerk Brown said: “This exhibition is so thought-provoking, causing us to recognize the extreme bravery of these men and women who, under the threat of severe punishment and death, stood up for what is moral and just and saved the lives of others.”
Polish citizens were the only people in the entire Nazi-occupied territory who were punished by death for helping Jewish people. Over 20,000 people worldwide have been honored by the State of Israel as the Righteous Among the Nations for saving Jewish lives from the Holocaust, and nearly than 6,500 were Polish citizens, the highest number from any country.
The exhibit will be displayed for the week of March 23-27 and is located in the East Lobby of the Richard J. Daley Center, 50. W. Washington Street, Chicago.
Photo: http://www.sprawiedliwi.org.pl/