The Jan Karski Society decorated with the medal „Distinguished for Tolerance”

The chairman of the Jan Karski Society, connected with Kazimierz and Lublin, is Kazimierz Pawełek. The medal and diploma were presented to the vice-chairman of the Society ambassador Eugeniusz Wizner.

This organization was awarded for cultivating the memory of its patron, the legendary courier of the Polish Underground State, honored with the title “Righteous Among the Nations” in 1982. (More about Jan Karski on the “Polish Righteous” portal). 

The Society was also distinguished for its activity for creating agreement and dialogue, the fight with intolerance, hate and anti-Semitism, as well as for founding the prestigious award “Jan Karski Eagles”, considered as one of the most important prizes in this field.

Among the laureates of the “Jan Karski Eagles” are: Elie Wiesel, Marek Edelman, Józef Tischner, Jacek Kuroń, Wiktor Juszczenko, bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, Oriana Falacci and „Tygodnik Powszechny”.

The award was funded in 2000 by Jan Karski himself. It is awarded to people who “are duly saddened by the fate of Poland (…) and to those who, not being Poles, are not indifferent to our country”.

The ceremony of awarding medals was held at the Warsaw Jewish Theater for the thirteenth time.

Among the people and institutions distinguished this year were: Ryszard Kalisz from SLD, the former vice-marshal of the senate Andrzej Wielowieyski, Bente Kahan, Uri Huppert and the Polish-Russian Group for Difficult Matters.

The medals „Distinguished for Tolerance” are awarded to people distinguished in fighting nationalism, chauvinism and anti-Semitism and working for building inter-religious and inter-ethnic relations on equal principles.