A Monument to the Righteous to be Erected in Poznań

Krzysztof Bielawski, 16 November 2016
Following lengthy discussions, a monument dedicated to the Righteous is to be erected in Poznań. The housing estate council, which had blocked the proposal, has had a change of heart.

The proposal, put forward in 2014, was to erect a monument, dedicated to Poles who saved Jews, in Righteous Among the Nations Square. However, the idea was opposed by the council of the housing estate within which the Square is located.

Wild Housing Estate representative, Wild Dorota Bonk-Hammermeister, thought that the city already had too many monuments and that the funds should be allocated for other purposes.

A breakthrough came during talks with Poznań Deputy Major Maciej Wudarski, representatives of the City Council and Alicja Kobus, Chairwoman of the local Jewish Community Council.

In an interview with  the editor of the "Głos Wielkopolski" daily, Dorota Bonk-Hammermeister said, "We've changed our mind, although the city will still be financing the monument."

The unveiling of the monument is planned for the beginning of 2017. Councillor Marek Sternalski said that he would like the monument to become a starting point for grassroots initiatives for the building of good Polish-Jewish relations.