Awarding of the Irena Sendler Award “For Repairing the World”

On June 21st, 2010 at noon in the palace of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 6 Foksal Street in Warsaw took place the awarding of the Irena Sendler Award “For Repairing the World”. The winner of this year's competition is Marzanna Pogorzelska, teacher of English from the 1st Henryk Sienkiewicz Secondary School in Kędzierzyn-Koźle. In her speech she said that her work with young people is extremely important to her. "I wouldn't be here, if it weren't for my students, who allowed me to reach out to them" - she emphasized. Marzanna Pogorzelska was the founder of the European School Club "Time for Europe", and at present she is the coordinator of the School Group of Amnesty International, which fights with intolerance and xenophobia, and organizes numerous campaigns, meetings, workshops and discussions. Among the initiatives realized by the winner are the projects "Recalling memory" and "Everybody different, everybody equal". Marzanna Pogorzelska cooperates, among others, with the "Open Republic" Association, Amnesty International, the Center for Citizenship Education, and during the project "Recalling memory" - with the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage.

The ceremony started with the projection of a film about Irena Sendler. Afterwards, Maciej Kozłowski, the Deputy Department Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland welcomed the guests and the director of the Center for Citizenship Education Alicja Pacewicz presented the concept and history of the award. Among other guests who delivered speeches were Piotr Kadlčik, chairman of the Jewish Community of Warsaw, Renata Skotnicka-Zajdman from the Association of the "Children of the Holocaust" in Poland, and Janina Zgrzembska, daughter of Irena Sendler. Krzysztof Czyżewski, founder of the Pogranicze Foundation and chairman of the Chapter, delivered a eulogy to the winner. Special awards were given to: Grzegorz Bożek, Lucyna Gizińska, Katarzyna Ludwiniak i Joanna Olender.

As part of the ceremony, on June 21st at 7 pm in the Warsaw Staromiejski Theater (4 Jezuicka Street) was given the performance “Kroniki Sejneńskie” (“Sejny Chronicles”) directed by Bożena Szreder.

The award “For Repairing the World”was created on the initiative of the Association of “Children of the Holocaust” in Poland and the American “Life in a Jar” Foundation (official website of the project). This year it was given for the fourth time. "For Repairing the World" is granted annually to primary and secondary school teachers in the United States and in Poland, who play an active role in the life of their schools and local communities, and educate children in the spirit of tolerance. Another important factor is the ability to effectively transmit knowledge about Holocaust to the young generation and to propagate those values and conducts that were represented by Irena Sendler. The award is sponsored by the American side. Every year it is given to one American and one Polish teacher.

The award is a way to honor the memory of the Righteous Among the Nations, activist of the underground Council to Aid Jews “Żegota”, who saved many children during the Second World War. The first recipients were Norman Conard from Union Town in Kansas and Robert Szuchta, teacher from the 64th Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz Secondary School in Warsaw – they were personally chosen by Irena Sendler. Anna Janina Kloza from the 6th Secondary School in Białystok received the award “For Repairing the World” in 2008, and in 2009 it was granted to the co-founder and director of the school “TAK” (“YES”) in Opole, Beata Maliszkiewicz.

The partners of the program are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, the Center for Citizenship Education and the Jewish Community of Warsaw. The competition is held under the patronage of the Minister of National Education, Katarzyna Hall.