Jan Karski and Pola Nireńska Prize Awarded to Alina Skibińska

KJ, 16 November 2016
Historian and researcher into the history and culture of Polish Jews, Alina Skibińska, is the winner of this year’s Jan Karski and Pola Nireńska Prize. Ms.Skibińska’s specific area of interest is Polish-Jewish relations, in particular during the period of Nazi occupation.

The Prize is awarded, annually, to authors of publications documenting Jewish life in Poland or the contribution of Jews to Polish culture. The Jan Karski and Pola Nireńska Prize was established by Professor Jan Karski in 1992 together with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Its aim is to honour the memory of Poli Nireńska, Karski’s wife, an outstanding dancer and choreographer.

Alina Skibińska’s last publication (written together with an eye-witness Tadeusz Mariel), entitled “What Did It Mean? Was It Done Through Greed? The Holocaust of Tryńcza”, is about the Polish and Jewish communities in the village of Gniewczyna, in the municipality of Tryńcza within the Przeworsk District. It describes crimes against Jews committed by their Polish neighbours.

The Awards Committee of the Jan Karski and Pola Nireńska Prize was comprised of Prof. Jerzy Tomaszewski, Prof. Feliks Tych, Prof. Paweł Śpiewak (Director of the Jewish Historical Institute), Dr Jonathan Brent (Director, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research) and Marek Web.