What do we do?
The Polish Righteous – Recalling Forgotten History is a project of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. It is dedicated to the Righteous Among the Nations – people who extended help to Jews during the Holocaust. The rescue stories are published on the Polish Righteous website.
The Collection of Stories of Help
The aim of the project is to document and make known the stories of Jews being rescued during World War II. We conduct interviews with both the Righteous and with Holocaust survivors. We collect archival testimonies, as well as stories testimonies which have survived only within the memories of families.
Our collection, begun in 2007, now contains almost 1,000 stories of help. We publish list the names of the Righteous and those whom they helped alphabetically, so that interviews, articles and photographs are easily accessible.
Among others, we cover extensively the activities of the “Żegota” Council to Aid Jews, of Irena Sendler and providing hideout to Jews at the Warsaw Zoo.
The Yad Vashem honour of Righteous Among the Nations
We explain the procedures one must follow in order to apply for the title of Righteous Among the Nations granted by the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem, as well as the history and symbolism of the award. We display images of the medals and certificates, as well as the olive tree planting ceremonies in the Garden of the Righteous.
Education and Resource Material About the Righteous
We publish educational material, virtual exhibitions as well as sources relating to the history of the Holocaust and the attitudes of Poles towards Jews, with particular emphasis on help provided to Jews and the penalties that might have arisen from those deeds.
We run educational online campaigns as well as regular meetings with witnesses to history – the Righteous as well as the Holocaust survivors. We take part in the training of teachers, educators and of people interested in history and human rights.
We believe that the attitudes of the Righteous could be extended to other contexts. For this reason, we address the topic of the Righteous in a more universal dimension by joining initiatives whereby people who, at various times and places around the world, have opposed evil and have fought for human rights are honoured with the title of the Righteous.
Share Your Stories with Us
Anyone, who wishes to share their stories of help or survival, or who is seeking witnesses of events which took place during the Holocaust, is invited to send us stories about those events.
