The exhibition "They Risked Their Lives..." in Madrid, Vilnius and Essen

KJ, 16 November 2016
The exhibition They Risked Their Lives – Poles who Saved Jews During the Holocaust, has opened in both Madrid and Vilna. The opening, on the 27th January 2015, was part of the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the liberation the Auschwitz camp and coincided with International Holocaust Memorial Day. The exhibition was prepared as part of our The Polish Righteous – Recalling Forgotten History project, in conjunction with the Polish Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The Spanish version was prepared together with the Polish Institute in Madrid and will go on display in the Madrid’s Centro Sefarad-Israel. Former Auschwitz inmate, Janina Rekłajtis, will take part in the opening ceremony and will speak of her experiences during the occupation of Poland. Prior to that , Mrs Rekłajtis will attend a session of the Spanish Senate and, in the presence of King Filip VI, she will light one of the memorial candles. On the Monday and Wednesday, she will also meet with Madrid school students.

The exhibition can be viewed at Madrid’s Centro Sefarad-Israel until the end of February.

The Lithuanian version of the exhibition, prepared in conjunction with the Polish Embassy in Vilna, will open on 27th January in the Tolerance Centre of the Lithuanian State Gaon of Vilna Jewish Museum in Vilna. The exhibition can be viewed there until the end of March. During the commemorations, The Liberation of Auschwitz, a 2005 documentary film, will be screened. It features scenes filmed by Soviet cameramen during the liberation of the Auschwitz camp on 27th January 1945.

The exhibition emanated from an exceptional collection of testimonies from the Righteous and from those rescued, collected as part of Museum POLIN’s The Polish Righteous – Recalling Forgotten History project.It tells the stories of Poles who risked their lives and the lives of their families by helping Jews. In contrast with the countries of Western Europe, extending help to Jews carried the death penalty in German-occupied Poland. Following the War, some of the rescuers were honoured, by the State of Israel, with the title of Righteous Among the Nations. The exhibition will feature the fates of the rescuers and those rescued in the historical context of occupied Poland, and will highlight the motivations which drove the Righteous.

The exhibition has been translated into five languages – English, German, Russian, Spanish and Lithuanian. To date, it has been displayed in Paris, Tallin, Warsaw, Szczecin and Toruń.