Three More Heroes Honoured in Warsaw's Garden of the Righteous

Mateusz Szczepaniak, 16 November 2016
Władysław Bartoszewski, Witold Pilecki and Father Jan Zieja have been honoured in Warsaw's Garden of the Righteous with the planting of trees and the unveiling of stone plaques in their memory. Since 2014, the Garden has honoured heroes of the 20th and 21st centuries - those who, in the face of totalitarianism and genocide, had the courage to defend human dignity, come to the aid of victims and to fight for the truth.

"All three responded to what the world presented in the 20th century", said Zbigniew Gluza, President of the KARTA Foundation. "They responded in such a manner which can be regarded as a template of righteousness reacting against an unjust world."

This year, the Warsaw Garden of the Righteous Committee decided to honour Władysław Bartoszewski, Witold Pilecki and Father. Jani Zieja. That announcement was made during a gala for the European Day of Remembrance of the Righteous held on 6th March 2016 at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. More about that event on our website.

The ceremony, honouring these heroes, took place on 21st June 2016 at the Garden of the Righeous, on Generał Jan Jur-Gorzechowski Square. Friends and relatives of the Righteous unveiled the stone memorial plaques, placed next to the trees planted in their name.

The stone plaque honouring Prof. Władysław Bartoszewski bears the inscription: "A witness to the atrocities of both totalitarianisms - resisting lies and violence - he was the personification of decency”.

Witold Pilecki has been remembered with the words: "A chivalrous guide through the hell of Nazism, a voluntary prisoner in Auschwitz, whose reports were intended to awaken the world to save the victims”.

In memory of Father Jan Zieja: "A priest who, even in wartime, stood by the commandment Thou shalt not kill, being living evidence of the existence of God”.

Deputy Israeli Ambassador to Poland, Ruth Cohen-Dar, expressed that hope that "this would grow into a forest of tolerance and brotherhood amongst nations”.

Warsaw's Garden of the Righteous, opened on 5th June 2014, is modeled on Milan's Garden of the Righteous which was established thirteen years ago. To date, Warsaw's Garden has honoured Marek Edelman, Magdalena Grodzka-Gużkowska, Petro Hryhorenko, Jan Karski, Antonia Locetelli, Nelson Mandela, Hasan Mazhar, Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Anna Politkowska.