Excessive caution, fear or art of diplomacy?

Lithuania appears to be one of the most successful countries among new member states of the European Union. Regardless of present difficulties connected with global crisis its economy manages to do realtively well. Its capital city – Vilnius – flourishes and continuously evolves into one of the most beuatiful cities in whole Europe. Of course as in case of majority of new European Union member states the contrasts and gaps between poor province and rapidly modernizing cities are easily noticeable.

My recent trip to Lithuania I resolved to devote to places related with Lithaunian statehood and its newest history. It is worth reminding that Lithuania regained its indepndence on 11 March 1990. On that day Lithuanian Parliament issued Declaration of Independence from Soviet Union. That act of courage cost lives of 14 civil people who were shot and run over by Soviet tanks near TV Tower in Vilnius in January 1991 (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2060552/posts) and 7 customs and police officers shot in July 1991 on the checkpoint in Medininkai on the Belarussian – Lithuanian border (http://adamkus.president.lt/en/one.phtml?id=2268, http://www.prokuraturos.lt/News/Medininkai/tabid/249/Default.aspx)

At present Medininkai is a picturesque village on the eastern border of European Union. About three hundred metres from the border post a grey small wagon surrounded with glass walls is visible, close to it seven white stone crosses and monument depicting the Ten Comandments with bullet holes, and all of these in the scenery of beautiful lush green forest. The wagaon in 1991 was used as a kind of office and checkpoint, later on it was turned into a monument protected with glass walls and covered with roof. Memorial plaque hanging on it reads that 7 customs and police officers were killed by the enemies of Lithuania’s independence. And there is no smallest mention who those mysterious enemies were, no information that perpetrators of the crime were OMON officers (OMON – Russian abbreviation meaning – Department of Police for Special Assignment). Reflections which started coming to my mind after reading the inscription focused on the reason why it did not openly name those hostile forces. One of the thoughts told me that that vague inscription on the plaque may be just the result of political realtions between Eoropean Union countries and present Russia, a kind of political corectness. Although contemporary Russia cannot be directly connected with Soviet Union, it appears that the Russian Federation under rules previously Vladimir Putin and presently Dmitriy Medvedev has not evidently distanced itself from totalitarian past. Paradox of the attitude relies on the fact that first and most severely experienced victims of the Soviet regime were just Russians.

It seems that possible inscription engraved on the memory plaque in Medininkai containing the information about 7 officials killed by Soviet forces, by OMON officers could trigger Kremlin’s anger. Present Russian government’s flirtation with totalitarian Soviet past may cause this sort of caution or even fear on the European Union states’ side which are not interested in spoiling relations with the Russian Federation.

Of course it is not the point to irritate Kremlin. One may say – what is the problem if the plaque includes information about enemies of Lithuania’s independence? But in fact what present inscription may say to people hardly knowing history? Who were those enemies? Other Lithuanianas, Russians, Belarussians? What can they get to know from that plaque?

In fact it is not a question of nationality of those „enemies of Lithuania’s independence”, but it is a question of the Soviet Union’s nature. The problem is the essence of totalitarian regimes at all. There are no doubts that Soviet Union was a totalitarian state, which did not respect liberty and dignity of individuals as well as whole groups – be these national, ethnic or social ones. OMON – Department of Police for Special Assignment was one of the armed forces which communist regime

based its power on. It was an instrument of terror, tool of repression and terrible compulsion, everyday violation of human and civil rights

So is this inspcription on the memorial plaque in Medininkai result of excessive caution or willingness to keep friendly realtions with contemporary Russia which does not want to openly condemn its totalitarian past? May it be an art of diplomacy if independent and sovereign countries become a censors for themselves and do not dare to commemorate opelny places important to their history, fight for freedom and democratic order? May there be other reasons explaining that reserve in naming crime the crime?

Almost completely unknown Irene Gut

If it were not for an accident, probably for a long time I would not know anything about Irene Gut. Precisiely if Dan Gordon did not write a play, if Michael Parva did not direct it and Tovah Feldshuh did not play a heroine and if accidentally I did not watch TV at proper moment I would not hear about Irene Gut – Polish woman who saved twevle Polish Jews.

During the World War II Irene Gut was forced to work as a housekeeper for a prominent German officer. For almost two years she had a courage to protect and give shelter fo twelve Jews. She hid them in a villa of her “employer” – mentioned above German. When he got to know her “mystery” gave her a dramatic choice – she could stay his mistress and save twelve Jewish lives or cause that her “charges” would be given away for sure death. For Irene Gut there was only one possible choice. She decided to sacrifice her dignity and purity to save people’s lives. For an ardent catholic woman it was a really dramatic decision, but she did not have doubts that her duty as a human being and catholic was to act on behalf of her neighbours.

It is a strongly impressive story, but In Poland only few heard about Irene Gut. Myself, tohugh I am Pole interested in contemporary and past relations between Poles and national minorities and ethnic groups, in Polish history, have not heard about courageous Irene Gut. I confess it is a shame. But I blame not only myself, there is a great negligence of Polish magazines, Polish press, Polish media at all, Polish schools, educational system, Polish Univeristies, etc. I have been always interested in searching and finding such stories like that about Irene Gut and have not come across even mention of her anywhere.

It is difficult to understand. Now in Poland we are witnesses of a wonderful rerbirth of interest in Jewish history and culture. Many exhibitions, many concerts, many books, articles, documentary films dovoted to Polish Jews, to Polish Righteous among the nations and almost complete ignorance with regard to Irene Gut.

I am a little bit ashamed.

Vilnius – my spiritual capital city

It is said that everyone should have his/her spiritual capital city. For me – apart from Budapest – it is Vilnius, Lithuanian capital city. Really European, beautiful, picturesque and phenomenal city.

3,5 – 4 hours drive from Bialystok. Across mysteious forests, picturesque fields and meadows, 140 kilometres across Poland, later on Lazdiai, Alytus and Vilnius. You can get on the car on Friaday eveninig, after work and in the evening, at 9 p.m. walk down the Vilnius streets.

City that gives me strength, energy, hope and dispell all sorrows, inspiring place, where you can hear people speaking in Lithuanian, Russian, Belarussian, Polsih, English. I do not mean tourists, but inhabitants of Vilnius. I still remember two charming girls met in restaurant speaking to each other in Belarussian, but talking to waitress in Lithuanian. I still remember all those smooth flows when I spoke to my friends in Polish, and after a while in Russian or English to young waitress. All those different languages, diifferent nations, religions, cultures account for uniqueness of the city. Undoubtedly it is a Lithuanian city, capital city of independent Lithuania, where there are visible traces of Polish, Lithuanian, Italian, Belarussian and Russian cultures. Catholic baroque enormous churches, impressing Orthodox churches, former Jewish district, monument of Gaon of Vilnius – Jewish intelectualist, adversary of chasidism; classical cathedral, Karaims’ temple (kienesa), Gediminas tower…

There are only 180 km to Warsaw, capital city of my country, but it is alwas traumatic for me to travel to this bleak city, popular Cracow is too stuffy and conceited for me. I would even risk the statement that in Poland we do not have a really European city not in the sense of architecture but also in the sense of amosphere created by people, so I am glad that Vilnius is only 300 kilometres form my native town – Bialystok. If it was possible to travel acroos Belarussia it would be only 260 kilometres. I hope one day Belarussia will become democratic country, join EU and there will be no need to posses visa to reach it and go further, for example to Vilnius.

The space, landscape, architecture, atmosphere of Vilnius give me a deep sense of freedom and happiness. It proves that architecture of the city, its inhabitants may be inspiring and hearteaning. Visit to Vilnius pose almost mystical experience.

I was suprised with its harmonic combinationf of modern architecture of Šnipiškės district and baroque, renaissance, classical architecture of the old town on the opposite bank of Neris river.

I also found my private, personal places, where it is impossible not to believe in God – Saint Nicholas gothic church, Divine Mercy Sanctuary with its deeply contemplative atmosphere.

I remember kind people, smiling charming girls with gentle features, only positive things and experiences. For the 2 last months I have visited Vilnius 3 times. There is a great possibility that my impressions are not full, that they are just impressions, illusions. But I am going to go there regualrly and explore this one of the most beautiful and original cities in the world. I am going to discover its postive and negative sides.

My pictures of Vilnius I placed here:

http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1426391925#/album.php?aid=2004750&id=1426391925

http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=1426391925#/album.php?aid=2004289&id=1426391925

Here You can also find pictures of Vilnius churches:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Churches_in_Vilnius_in_alphabetical_order

Farewell to the relics of old cosmpolitan town?

Old Bialystok, bearing witness to its rich multicultural past, is more and more yielding room to rapid and slightly chaotic growth and modernization. It is a great pity that it is happening at the expense of old wooden and picturesque houses with twofold roofs, fabulous gardens, 19th century brick rent buildings and old, narrow and cobblestones streets. I do not mind growth and modernization. Bialystok (town in northeastern Poland) especially needs a modern arcihtecture, numerous innovative investments, new roads, airport, but municipality should thoroughly think over the vision of the town. Local officials ought to define the real identity of the town referring to its multicultural history. It is easy to build the town without the spirit, where there are no ideas uniting its inhabitants. In fact, no connection exists between Bialystok from the times before the World War II and contemporary Bialystok.

I heard a story about a Jewish woman who was born in Bialystok in 1920s or 1930s, who came here in the second half of 1990s and stated that she did not recognize her native town. In her opinion the old and present Bialystok were two different worlds.

Unfortunately many its inhabitants do not even know its rich history. Town without its history, inhabitants without consciousness of their native town’s history probably won’t be proud of living here. They won’t know that their town’s face was shaped by Poels, Jews, Germans, Russians, Belarussians. There is a deep necessitiy to refer to its roots.

Bialystok was significantly destroyed during the World War II. Presently we do not have many monuments witnessing its rich history. Those ones which survived do not appear to be especially spectacular and stunning, but they still retian spirit of the past and they are worth preserving.

I think that there is a possibility to save relics of the past and develop the modern architecture without destroying the old and apparently unspectacular buildings, streets or gardens of the town, where before the World War II several nations lived in relative peace. These places still hold the atmosphere of old times and are capable of arousing imagination.

Below there are presented pictures taken about one month ago, they depict old cosy houses, lush gardens which one day may just disappear…

Trip to Polish Tatars

On a beautiful, warm and sunny Sunday we resolved to set off to Polish Tatars. There are left only few villages where Polish Tatars still live – Bohoniki and Kruszyniany. Most Tatars after the II World War moved to towns and cities – Bialystok, Gdansk, Gorzow Wielkopolski, Warsaw, and many of them stayed at their homeland – near Nowogordek (presently Belarussia, before the WW II town belonged to Poland).

First Tatars were settled in Lithuania in the 14th century by the Great Prince of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – Witold (Vitaut, Vitautas). Here in Podlasie – in villages – Bohoniki, Drahle, Malawicze, Nietupa, Sanniki, Kruszyniany, Luzany, Studzianka, Lebiedziew, Ortel, Malaszewicze, they appeared in the 17th century. Polish king – Jan III Sobieski settled them in royal villages in exchange for money he should have payed them for their service in royal army, but because of lack of money in state treasury soldier’s pays could not have been paid. Tatars obtained many privileges – they could marry Chrisitan women, obtained nobility and were allowed to preserve their Muslim faith and tradition.

Today about 5.000 Tatars live in Poland, most of them in Bialystok (in the north eastern Poland) – about 2.000 – 3.000, they still confess islam. But it seems that many of them lost their Tatar features – not all have slanted eyes, black hair, olive complexion and high cheekbones. They perfectly integrated into Polish society, their islam is very gentle, moderate and peacful, we can say liberal. Tatar women have equal rights as men, they are not discriminated by their husbands, they can learn, study, work and have equal position to men. Their realtions with other national groups in Podlasie (Poles, Belarussians) apppear to be exemplary.

Below I am presenting pictures taken during last Sunday trip to Kruszyniany.

Mosque in Kruszyniany, bulit in the second half of the 18th century or in the first half of the 19th century.

Mizar in Kruszyniany. Mizar it is the name for Tatar cemetery. Many of tombstones come from the 19th century.

Beautiful pine in the mizar a few hundred years old, it may be as old as whole cemetery, which was established in the second half of the 17th century.

Road through the spring forest

The newly explored road through the spring forest between villages – Skrybicze and Lubniki. Pictures taken about 2 weeks ago during the bike trip.

Rubbish in the forest (2 above pictures), a real and very serious problem in Polish forests – some inhabitants of villages and towns used to throw away garbage they produce straight to the forests. It is of course strictly forbidden by Polish law and should be severely punished, but I suppose only few were sentenced to any fine.

Even the most beautiful Polish forests are often marred with old clothes, shoes, cans, cooking pots, sometimies also washing machines or fridges. Apparently it may seem that it is a problem of a poor people, but in fact the real culprits are well off persons.

One of the most reliable Israel’s allies

It is still difficult to understand anti – Israeli and anti – American stance of many European politicians. Comparing the present situation of Israeli Arabs to situation of Jews during Holocaust is the most nonsense thing, which one could imagine. It means that persons who aplly such a comparision do not understand meaning of the term “holocaust” and appear to be ignoramus.

Arab – Israeli conflic is not black and white one, there is not one party which is absolutely good and the second one – absolutely bad, as many European leftists see that, they perceive Israelis as a bad guys and Arabs as an exclusively persecuted victims.

Israelis have a right to possess their own state, and so do Palestinians. But it is absolutely unimaginable to tolerate such a situation when some groups of raidcal Palestinians demand destruction of Israel or in their fight for statehood resort to terrorism and attack innocent civilians.

It enjoys me much that Polish government, especially president Lech Kaczynski so unambiguously supports politics of Israeli government. In an interview which he gaved last Saturday to the one of the mot important Polish dailies (”Rzeczpospolita”) he stated that Poles because of its historic and cultural ties whit Jews are lively interested in good relations between these two nations.

I belong to these people who – maybe naivly and sentimentally – believe in brotherhood between nations. I myself live in a town (Bialystok, north eastern Poland), where still live many nations – Poles, Belarussians, Tatars, Russians, descendants of Germans, where coexist different cultures and religions – Catholics, Orthodox faithful, Muslims, Protestants, and traces of the past are visible – former Jewish synagogues, houses, cemetaries.

When I have more free time I will translate that interview with president Lech Kaczynski, in which he spoke so much about Polish – Jewish common history, common national heros, poets, writers. Jewish presence in Poland counts about 800 years, so it is no wonder that these two nations are so close to each other. There is no other possibility than true, deep and sincere reconciliation of Poles and Jews. And it is a good news that Poland appears to be one of the most reliable Israel’s allies.

Irena Sendler – The Righteous Among the Nations

Yesterday Irena Sendler died in Warsaw. She was a real hero, exceptional person, who appears rarely in all societies or nations. During the World War II she together with her friends and many other unknown people saved about 2.500 Jewish children from Warsaw ghetto.

Irena Sendler worked at that time as a social worker in a municipal office in Warsaw and also as a nurse. Many times as a nurse she visited Warsaw ghetto and “smuggled” little Jewish children hidden in packs, cartons, bags to the Aryan side of the city. Later on those children were taken and looked after by Polish families and nuns in convents. Members of Polish Resistance forged documents for those small survivers to hide their Jewish descent; according to those false documents they were Polish children.

All those people who were involved in helping Jews during the World War II in Poland were exposed to capital punishment. It was not necessary to save or hide Jews to be killed by German Nazis, it was enough to give food, slice of bread, a mug of water, clothing for fugitive from ghetto or from train going to the extermination camp, or for hiding Jews.

In October 1942 Irena Sendler was apprehended by Gestapo and sentenced to death, but her friends bribed a German warder, and even though she was in the list of executed people, she stayed alive.

For many years she was an unknown person, especially in communist Poland. As she was a member of anticommunist Polish Resistance, it was forbidden to talk about such persons in communist country, even if they were real heros.

Only in 1965 Irena Sendler was given the honourable title – the Righteous Among the Nations – title granted by Yad Vashem for people who helped and saved Jews during the horrific period of the war. Israel Institute as a first appreciated greatness, bravery and heroism of that fragile, modest and humble woman.

Irena Sendler was compared to Oskar Schindler, but it was not right. Schindler was a German entrepreneur and as a German he was not exposed to death penalty for his activities on behalf of the Jews, he did not risk his life helping Jews as Irena Sendler did.

She is an excellent example of a quiet, peacful hero, who does not search for a fame and publicity. She has been always smiled, modest, humble and good to all people, who were in need, who were poor and weak.

Irena Sendler was born and raised in Polish intelligentsia family. Her parents taught her that people deserve help regardless of their descent, nationality, material or social status, sex, race, religion. Her father was a doctor in a small town near Warsaw – in Otwock – were he treated mainly the Jewish poor and died when he caught typhus from his patients. It was her first lesson of the sacrifice on behalf of the other and she grasped that lesson very well.

Multicultural town – part 1

Situated on the borderland of a few cultures and religions Bialystok still bears the traces of its past multicultural identity.

Town rights (statutes) Bialystok gained in 1749; its rapid growth as an improtant trade and cultural centre it owed to Jan Klemens Branicki – representative of Polish nobility, who became the owner of the town in the first half of the 18th century. In that period Bialystok and surrounding region was inhabited by Poles, Rutheninans, Jews and Tatars; Catholic, Greek Catholic, Orthodox, Judaism and Muslim belivers. All these ethnic and religious groups lived in relative peace and tolerance. Later on, in the first half of the 19th century newcomers from German states also appeared here.

Below there are presented a few pictures depicting old sacred bulidings related to a few religious and national groups inhabiting this town.

It is the oldest Orthodox chuch in Bialystok, founded by Jan Klemens Branicki in 1758, originally as a Greek Catholic church.

Saint Roch’s church – one of the most modern Catholic churches in the interwar period in Europe, designed by outstanding Polish architect – Oskar Sosnowski.

To be continued…

Industrial Bialystok – part 2

Afraid of possible old textile factories’ disappearance from town landscape I resolved to save them in pictures. Below there are presented next photgraphs taken during my today bike trip across the twon.

Former factory near Czestochowska street.

Old factory close to Jurowiecka street.