Iryna Cybuch (1999–2024) – a Ukrainian journalist, paramedic, and combat medic, known by the pseudonym “Cheka.” She was killed on 29th May 2024 on the front line in the Donbas region.
Sophie Scholl (1921–1943) and Hans Scholl (1918–1943) – siblings and members of the "White Rose" anti-Nazi resistance movement, murdered by the Gestapo.
Marian Turski (1926–2025) – a survivor of the Holocaust, a prisoner in the Nazi German concentration camps Auschwitz and Buchenwald, a historian and journalist, and a friend and co-founder of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
Garden of the Righteous Foundation 2025 Ceremony
On 16th December 2025, a ceremony, organised by the Garden of the Righteous Foundation, will held at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. During this event, further individuals will be honoured who, by decision of the Foundation’s Committee on 6th March this year, were awarded the title of “Righteous”.
The concept of the "Garden of the Righteous in Warsaw" derives from the tradition of commemorating the "Righteous Among the Nations" - an honorary title granted to non-Jewish individuals, who selflessly helped Jews during the Second World War. This concept was subsequently expanded to include the remembrance of those who, in different places and at different times, had the courage to stand on the side of the persecuted. Honouring such individuals forms an integral part of the mission of the POLIN Museum.
This year, those who have been honoured in the past are now joined by Iryna Tsybukh, Sophie and Hans Scholl and Marian Turski.
The ceremony, again hosted at the POLIN Museum, will be accompanied by a piano and violin concert performed by Alessandro Commellato and Francesca Bonaito.
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Each year, on the European Day of the Righteous, designated for 6th March, the Committee of the Garden of the Righteous Foundation announces the names of individuals who have, over the course of their lives, demonstrated a noble act.
These individuals are honoured in the Garden of the Righteous in Warsaw - trees are planted in their honour and commemorative stones are unveiled. The annual ceremonies, honouring the newly recognised Righteous, provide an opportunity to recall and present their life stories and to promote human rights education.
The Committee of the Garden of the Righteous Foundation, which selects successive recipients of the title of "Righteous", is comprised of distinguished individuals from the worlds of culture, scholarship and education, as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations. Any individual may submit a nomination by sending their proposal to the Garden of the Righteous Foundation.
What does the title of "Righteous" signify?
The concept has a universal character and serves to honour all individuals who, in Europe and beyond, saved human lives or stood up in defense of human dignity and freedom - under totalitarian regimes, during genocides, mass murders and crimes against humanity which were committed in the 20th and 21st centuries.
It is a broader concept than the title of Righteous Among the Nations awarded by the Yad Vashem Institute w Jerusalem – an honorary distinction conferred by the State of Israel upon non-Jewish individuals for, selflessly, aiding Jews during the Second World War.
Who are this year's "Righteous"?
On 6th March, during the European Day of the Righteous, the names of individuals were announced who, by decision of the Committee of the Garden of the Righteous Foundation, were honoured with the title of “Righteous”:
Discover their stories: European Day of the Righteous →
To date, the following have been honoured in the Garden of the Righteous in Warsaw:
Władysław Bartoszewski, Mosze Bejski, Arseny Borisovich Roginsky, Hrant Dink, Marek Edelman, Bronisław Geremek, Natalya Gorbanevskaya, Magdalena Grodzka-Gużkowska, Wilhelm Hosenfeld, Petro Hryhorenko, Julia Ilisińska, Jan Jelinek, Gareth Jones, Jan Karski, Siergei Adamovich Kovalyov, Roberto Kozak, Jacek Kuroń, Raphael Lemkin, Ewelina (Ewa) Lipko-Lipczyńska, Antonia Locatelli, Nelson Mandela, Alfreda Markowska, Hasan Mazhar, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Karol Modzelewski, Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrow, Witold Pilecki, Anna Politkovskaya, Emanuel Ringelblum, Amer Abu Sabila, Vivian Silver, Andrzej and Klemens Szeptycki, Raoul Wallenberg, Armin Wegner, Antonina Wyrzykowska, Liu Xiaobo, Jan Zieja, Adalbert Wojciech Zink, Antonina and Jan Żabiński.
The Garden of the Righteous Foundation is active in human rights, in particular by honouring and promoting the attitudes and biographies of the Righteous - individuals who, in Europe and beyond, saved the lives of others or stood up in defense of human freedom and dignity. This includes actions taken during Nazism and Communism, as well as during genocides, mass murders and crimes against humanity which were committed in the 20th century and those that are still taking place today.
The Foundation works toward the democratization of the world by supporting and carrying out educational initiatives, aimed at building an atmosphere of understanding, trust and respect across national, religious and cultural divides.
The Foundation serves as the custodian of the Garden of the Righteous in Warsaw (General Jan “Jura” Gorzechowski Square), which was established in 2014 at the initiative of the House of Meetings with History and the GARIWO Foundation, with the support of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, then Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, and the authorities of the Wola district of the City of Warsaw.
Partner of the Garden is the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
