Does the Past Teach Us to Act Today?

by Nadiia Mykhalevych, HIA Fellow

People who don’t know their history properly are often destined to repeat it. The knowledge of the past gives us the answers for many questions and to some extent prevents us from the same mistakes. The part of our history that we saw in the extermination camp Treblinka on Friday is like a book page which you want to tear out and throw away, but it’s the easiest way – to erase it from our memory and don’t come back to it any more. We should, no actually, we must remember and speak out loud about such history even though it’s painful and bitter.

Our site visit to Treblinka became for all of us an emotional challenge and a difficult lesson showing the scale of cruelty and hatred that a human being is capable of. It was difficult to imagine and impossible to put up with the words the tour guide Tomasz Cebulski told us.  For some of us this was the first time in such place, for some the second or even fourth, but this trip became a very important step for everyone. “The power of Treblinka is in its voidness. Maybe, I would like to interact with more visible things here, but on the other side, maybe, because of the absence of these things, I’ve got such experience”, - Sudip Bhandari , HIA Poland fellow, described his feelings about the visit to the death camp.

  During our discussion we touched on various issues, but the main questions were “What can we do, personally and as a community, to prevent the genocide? What would be our concrete steps to solve this problem?” These questions remain without one universal answer, but for sure we need to raise awareness among people, look deeper into the reasons why it was so, educate, share and promote our ideas. Genocide is repeatable. When you look at what is happening now in South Sudan, you ask yourself, what pushes people to commit such crime against each other, when would be a stopping point for people’s violence? Don’t we learn from our past? It’s in our power, step by step, to prevent the extermination of ourselves wherever it happens. Each action can be “a small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.

This day was also special, especially for me, as beside the deep reflection upon the ways of genocide prevention, we also had an opportunity to visit the Euromaidan Museum and get to know about Ukrainian community in Warsaw. When I entered the Museum and saw the exhibits, posters and inscriptions on the walls, the memories suddenly flooded my mind. I want to emphasize once again that we don’t have to forget our history and know the price which was paid for our welfare. Today is already our yesterday. We should live our today so as we wouldn’t be ashamed of our past.

Yulia Gogol, HIA Senior Fellow and Ukrainian activist in Poland shared with us her personal experience, how one day she became HIA fellow and from that very moment the topic of human rights became a part of her everyday life. She participates actively in the life of Ukrainians in Warsaw and uses every possible way to help Ukraine in its struggle for freedom. “It’s very important to convey the message so as the needed people hear it”, - Yulia says. Very bright example of conveying the message was the protest of Ukrainians in front of the French Embassy. They brought a small pool, filled it with the red paint and put the toy ships into it. By such action the protesters wanted to say that France shouldn’t sell the military ships to Russia, as the latter is leading a war against Ukraine. Every time the Ukrainians in Warsaw create a new way of rendering the message so as the world community hears their voices.

Yulia Gogol is an example of an agent of change, who once became a part of HIA program and it became a turning point in her life.  Yulia is not the only person who inspired us with her actions, as we also met other HIA Senior Fellows who are working in different NGOs, institutions, in European Parliament, who with their day by day steps make the life of others better. I hope that in the nearest future, all of us as the Senior Fellows will meet together and inspire the “younger generation” of HIA Fellows with our actions in the human rights sphere.

The first week flew by, but still we have time to learn more and seek for the ways which would help to change our community, country and world for the better. Such diverse atmosphere is a nest for creative and viral ideas. We’ve already become a one big family.  24/7 together , a lot of emotions, experience sharing, visits to different  NGOs,  very emotional site visit to the Treblinka extermination camp…all this left behind, but what we gained is the unforgettable experience, knowledge and moments which only 24 people will have in common.

THE EPITOME OF HUMAN EVIL

by Lendsey Achudi, HIA Fellow

            How can a neighbor whom you have known for decades turn against you during the one moment that you really need them? How can your child’s friend, the one who you helped babysit when they were toddlers turn against your child and call them “a rat”. How can your employees, whom you hired so that they can provide better for their families turn around and call you a parasite? This is exactly what happened when the Warsaw ghetto was commissioned. 

            We got the chance to envision even more suffering that the Jewish population in Poland went through on Friday June 6th 2014 when we the visited Treblinka extermination camp located about a 2 hours drive from Warsaw. To say that being physically present in a site where over a million innocent human beings were senselessly murdered was depressing for me, is an understatement. While looking at the remnants of the representation of the daily lives of these victims, I felt uneasy. I saw keys, cups, kettles and a few other personal stuff recovered from the site. These people who were exterminated were real. At some point in time, they lived their lives just like us. They were doctors, religious leaders, teachers, lawyers, community organizers, businesspeople and all they seemed to want, just like all of us, is to make the best out of their short lives and leave it a little better for the younger generations.

One big question that tormented me before I came to Warsaw was how did these human beings end up in the extermination camps? Then other questions arose: How did the hate propaganda by Nazi believers and sympathizers result in fatal action that sought to eliminate a group of people for thriving in their uniqueness? Did everyone agree with what the Nazis were doing to the Jews? If not, who should have prevented this from happening?

            When our Humanity in Action staff showed us a documentary about the Warsaw Ghetto and Dr. Tomasz Cebulski, our guide for the day explained the transition from life around Warsaw, to the Warsaw Ghetto and finally to Treblinka extermination camp, I began to understand that the process from hate to extermination was thoroughly strategized. From each exhibition at the museum to the next, I envisioned a tragedy unfold slowly yet so surely. It was all so vivid, so overwhelming yet that is a reality that can never be erased but could have been prevented.

            First, it started from conversations. Rumors abound about the Jews living and working in Europe. Those living in Warsaw were not exempted from this. Hate for the Jews was nurtured by popular opinion shapers in the communities that they were a part of. This bred hatred towards jewish people. There would be minimal opposition later when they were asked to leave their homes and head to Warsaw where a ghetto had been specifically built for them in the name of resettlement. They had already been ostracized from their communities and the ghettos was represented as some sort of alternative.

            I learned from the documentary, visit to Treblinka and our tour guide that life in the Warsaw Ghetto was dehumanizing to say the least. The Jews were deprived of their dignity. Food was scarce, sanitation was deplorable and security guards assaulting residents of the ghetto was commonplace. Disempowering sights of mothers cuddling their babies who had frozen to death due to lack of warm winter clothing became normal. Heartbreaking tales of a child tugging on their mother’s clothes as a way to wake them up only to realize that their mothers were dead were told as frequently as the sun rose and set. Unfortunately this was just one of the initial phases of the torture. The hate perpetuated against the Jews had led to them being forcefully isolated from the rest of the community. They no longer had free movement. They had lost much of their valued possessions during the move into the ghetto. Their neighbors whom they had shared their lives with for the longest time seemed to have turned against them. These people had done nothing to deserve such kind of treatment. Their downfall, in the Nazi context, was being born Jewish and being part of the Jewish minority in Europe. They contributed to their communities and were were more of an asset than a liability to the establishment. But then according to the Nazi, they were parasites who did not deserve the opportunities they had created for themselves.

 

            From these ghettos, all sorts of tricks would be used to ensure that they travelled to Treblinka without putting up a united and strong resistance. This would answer some of my lingering questions on how such smart and able people, who were aware that their friends and families were being exterminated in other cities would appear to have willingly travelled to these well orchestrated death traps. Turns out while being systematically dehumanized in the ghetto, they would also be brainwashed into thinking that their then situation was much better than it actually was. The residents of the Warsaw ghetto would be encouraged to surrender their most valuable property to the Nazi custodians for “safe-keeping”. Anyone that submitted their valuables would be given a token as a receipt leaving the impression that these items could be retrieved at a later time. Of course this was never going to happen but how would they ever know? They were not told that they were being taken to death camps rather that they were being resettled into labor camps in other parts of Europe. It was even more shocking to learn that many of these victims were made to pay the one-way train fare for their work deportation when really they were just paying for their own shipment to their miserable deaths.

These details made me realize that Hitler and his cronies were just as clever as they were narcissistic. They were not just crazy sick evil people as we would like to dismiss them as. They were human beings and the bitter truth is that any human being is capable of committing such acts against other human beings if they do not consult their conscience. At one time all these perpetrators were only seen as fathers, husbands, brothers or neighbors yet they committed insurmountable evil that no one who knew them before would ever fathom as even humanly possible. The bad news is that indeed, human beings are capable to committing unimaginable evils against other human beings.

 

Sadly, as much as we would like to deny it, these evils persist even today. As I watched the documentary on the Warsaw ghetto, photos from the current situation in South Sudan, Somalia and the Central African Republic haunted me. The images of dead Jewish bodies in the Warsaw ghetto are strikingly similar to those I have seen of mutilated bodies from machete blows and gun shots from South Sudan. The photos of the crematorium at Treblinka brought back all the footages from the lynching of children and women’s bodies in the Central African Republic that have stuck in my head. The Nazi swastika at the model of Treblinka extermination camp being exhibited at the museum reminded me of the extremist jihadists Al-Shabaab and Boko Haram’s modus operandi that made me feel hopeless about the situations of innocent people who are falling victim of their murderous sprees everyday.

Ultimately what really got me thinking is if one day history will judge me a by-stander in what is happening in South Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Central African Republic and if there is anything I could do to help avert the crises. Am I doing enough? What more could I do? Is the situation even solvable in the first place? This experience at Treblinka really shook me to the core. Genocide is being committed right now all over the world. Clearly, we have never learned from slavery, the Holocaust, Rwandan genocide and many other similar events in our history. 

Throwback Thursday: Bridging the Past to the Present to Combat Discrimination & Hate Speech

Old Town Market Place, Warsaw

by Michael Williams, HIA Fellow

Day 1: I arrive down the aged, stone streets to our group hostel in Warsaw’s captivatingly beautiful Old Town. After exploring what will be our home for the next month, some of my American compatriots and I journey down the maze of these same winding streets of revived medieval architectural splendor to the core of the neighborhood – Old Town Square. Passing through this magnetic public space that attracts Poles and tourists from far lands alike to its effortlessly elegant gathering center, my premature, self-guided tour of Warsaw is punctuated by a presumably poor young boy in dirty and worn clothing who stops me to ask for money. Immediately, his unexpected and persistent begging for money sharply disrupts my utopian exploration of my first time on the European continent, forcing me to awaken to a more holistic, “down-to-earth” reality of my surroundings. This moment shapes my first encounter with one of the Roma people of Poland and part of the context influencing discourse around their presence, perception, and discrimination in Poland and all of Europe.

In honor of HIA Polska’s focus on social media activism to counteract hate speech, I yield to the ever-popular weekly social media posting theme of Throwback Thursday (typically denoted on social media content by the hashtag “#TBT”) in which active participants post content of an occurrence from the past. The picture and description above set the tone for my #TBT pick this week. While only in the first week of our program, our discussions this Thursday on “the Other” – in terms of LGBTQ, Romani, and immigrant populations in Poland – sparked reflection on the striking moment I experienced with the little boy upon my first day in Warsaw. Noting his darker, caramel-colored skin that stood out amongst the white Poles that surrounded me in the square, as well as his clearly impoverished status, it was an educated guess that led me to identify him as member of the Roma ethnic minority – an assumption that my Polish comrades confirmed as likely true.

Dr. Małgorzata Kołaczek; Association of Roma in Poland

In between our conversations today with guest speakers on the state of LGBTQ and immigrant populations in Poland, our group gained further understanding on the condition of the marginalized Roma citizens through dialogue with Dr. Małgorzata Kołaczek of the Association of Roma in Poland. The itinerant Roma, or Romani, people (sometimes known by the antiquated and politically incorrect term of “Gypsies”) have possessed a strong European presence ever since their migration from northern India to several parts of the continent nearly 1,000 years ago. Now about 10-12 million people in size and predominantly residing in Eastern European nations and Spain, they comprise a small sector of the Polish citizenry having arrived and settled in Poland between the 15^th and 20^th centuries and with about 30,000-50,000 inhabitants currently residing here.

As we HIA fellows bridge the past to the present in our research and discourse this month, we are informed of how the history of this small, foreign migrant community is one full of strife as much it is full of its rich culture. Not only have the Romani consistently experienced struggle and discrimination with integrating into the respective societies in which they have settled in, they were victims of persecution during the Holocaust and World War II – in which 500,000-1.5 million of them were murdered on the basis of racial and ethnic inferiority that similarly led to the plight of Jews. And today, Roma people are still sometimes considered the “scapegoats” of Polish societal problems or the victims of discrimination and hate crimes as one of the most targeted groups for hate speech and even physically violent attacks. The challenge of integration that is often met with a lack of cultural competency and acceptance in their European host countries leads to ignorance and poor misconceptions that fuel negative stereotypes and prejudice – the foundation for fear of the “Other” and a mindset of hate. Their high unemployment rates and traditionally migrant nature encourages the conflation of Roma culture with a culture of poverty; they are mostly portrayed in the media and understood in society as impoverished, manipulative, thieving, the perpetrator of micro-aggressions, and thus, undeserving of full respect and Polish citizenship.

Such a reality incites many pressing questions essential to our fellowship’s aim of uncovering the root of hate speech and ways to combat it: Are the Roma positive, active members of Polish society? In what ways have interpersonal interactions or media portrayals of the Romani been mere exercises of freedom of speech or accurate depictions based off of fulfilled stereotypes? To what extent can social media activism assist a group that remains to be exclusive and still lacking full integration into a nation-state that is over 94% ethnically white Polish and seemingly moving beyond issues of race left behind in the ruins of a Holocaust past?

Warsaw Old Town

Ultimately, we as fellows cannot attempt to answer questions for which there is no true arbiter of positive social and cultural performance in a society; nor can we responsibly and ethically make judgments, conclusions, or recommendations for a people or culture in which none of us are part of. What we can do is continue to approach our learning, discourse, and eventual social media activism projects as multi-partial and fairly as possible by first seeking understanding for the case of the minority, which is often neglected. As we bridge theory to practice, the universal to the local and the past to the present, we must look or “throwback” to history to inform the context in which we approach the forms of hate and discrimination spewed towards LGBTQ, Roma, and migrants in today’s social reality, rather than taking these occurrences at face value. It means that I do not judge my encounter with the poor Roma boy on my first day as the fulfillment of a stereotype that serves to justify the slander directed towards his ethnic group; but instead, I allow my perception to be colored with as comprehensive and holistic representations of a people as possible to combat the ignorance that too often leads to hate. For the sake of equality and justice, this means addressing hate speech from an informed and responsible position that centers the dialogue on those who the growing phenomenon harms the most. 

The virus of freedom – celebrating 25 years of democracy in Poland

by Daniel Slomka, HIA Fellow

On 4th of June Poland celebrated the 25th anniversary of the first semi-free elections following the communist regime in the country. Were the events that took place 25 years ago the unofficial opening of the 21st century? Did they establish the universality of values and freedoms in which we believe? And where do these values stand today, a generation’s time later? These questions open a great space for discussion. 

 Achievements and challenges for democracy – Prof. Rychard with HIA Fellows in Warsaw

A wise history teacher once told me that the 19th century did not end, as one might logically assume, in the year of 1900, but rather in 1914. It is not the date that matters, she said, but the global social and political atmosphere that characterizes the world in a certain time: in 1914 the “peaceful century” made place to one of the most tragic and tumultuous eras in human history. The 20th century was marked by the atrocities performed by authoritarian regimes that ruined the lives of billions all over the world. Political persecution, racism, totalitarianism, war and genocide were the dominant themes of these sad years.

All this was about to change on the 4th of June, 1989. A stubborn, battle-ridden nation stood up, challenged these negative developments that had affected it so much – and won. The Polish population, largely mobilized by the Solidarity movement, demanded an end to the abuse of their human rights, and called for the return of their fundamental freedoms and of democratic values. After several years of harsh resistance, the communist regime finally understood that one cannot ignore the voice of the people, and agreed for change. The general elections that took place on June 4th were only partially free, and some key positions were reserved for representatives of the old establishment, but they symbolize the point of no return. As put up by Prof. Miroslaw Wyrzykowski from the University of Warsaw, in his meeting with HIA Fellows, “the virus of freedom, of independence, of sovereignty, quickly ‘contaminated’ the whole continent and the world”. The “third wave of democratization” (as coined by Samuel Huntington) was now on full gear, bringing to the reunification of Germany, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and processes of democratic transition in innumerous states.

High noon, June 4, 1989. Solidarity elections poster. Source: Wikipedia.org

Could it be that the 4th of June 1989 was the first day of the 21st century? Is it possible that, just as the 20th century began symbolically in 1914 because of the shift of value systems in the world, so did the year of 1989 herald humanity’s expectations from the new century to come? In the following years, democracy became widely and globally consolidated as the only form of government to be worthy of true public legitimacy; human rights and fundamental freedoms gained the status of “universal”, a title that acknowledges the recognition of their importance by people all over the world, regardless of culture, religion or nationality; out of the ashes of the 1900’s were born generations upon generations who yearned for peace, tolerance and respect.

This is indeed the way we want to see the world in our lifetime, and these are the values that we struggle to support as social activists. In this sense, we would all like to refer to the 4th of June, 1989, as the day in which the world made a crucial step in the right direction. A huge step for the Polish nation, an immeasurable leap for humanity.

Let us not forget, though, that the state of democracy and human rights around the world is far from being satisfactory. On the same day that Polish people happily marched to the ballots, hundreds (if not thousands) of Chinese people were massacred in Tiananmen square, while fighting for the same just cause. How symbolic it is, that the day that we celebrate as a sort of “birthday for democracy” is also a memorial day for all those around the world who still need to struggle for what belongs to them by natural right. In this moment of happiness, let us remember them and make an oath never to abandon them. 

Apart from worrying about the state of democracy in other countries, let us also look at the mirror, and see the immense challenges that democracy and human rights face in our own homes. Trends of growing extremism, discrimination, racism and hate speech, as well as apathy from the “silent majority” towards the democratic procedures and values, should serve as a red light for us. In a way, both trends derive from the economic and social crisis that the world has been going through in the last years. Prof. Andrzej Rychard from the Polish Academy of Sciences, who met the HIA Fellows today, presented three types of public reaction to crisis situations: a loyal strategy, meaning a continuous belief in the existing system; a “voice” strategy, standing for the out-speaking of public dissatisfaction; and an exit strategy, representing the tendency of people (especially young people) to simply abandon the democratic process. As Prof. Rychard put it: “Loud voices of protest are not the real threat to democracy. Rather, the silent withdrawal from the democratic process is the threat.” The democratic withdrawal of which Prof. Rychard spoke stands for the apathy that nibbles the democratic legitimacy. This apathy is the one that stands silent in front of outraging cases of discrimination and hatred and does not raise a cry; it is visible in extremely low voting turnouts, which give disproportionate power to extreme parties that promote politics of hatred; and it endangers the decades-long work of people all over the world to protect their rights – including the work of the Polish nation, which we celebrate today.

Anniversaries are good times to celebrate and to reflect. So today, let us celebrate, and let us reflect on the state of our democracies and on the work that we should do to make it better. Happy 4th of June – Cheers!

One Day in Six Words: From Religion to Diversity

by Anna Mykytenko, HIA Fellow

Nowadays, democracies all over the world meet new challenges, which they need to confront with. People have to keep history in their memories and try to understand it as well as they can to realize that there is a strong connection between the past and present. This understanding is necessary to prevent bad experiences in the future. Without understanding history, we can hardly be able to know how to handle problems regarding human rights including freedom of speech, migration, etc. All of these questions were raised during today’s discussions.

Today is June 3, one day before an outstanding anniversary in Poland – the 25^th anniversary of freedom, democracy, self-determination and choice. During such a long period of time, a new generation was created with a revived spirit of new time, with a different system of values and with a changed way of thinking. These days usually inspire us to thoroughly consider the past and present especially in terms of a reflection process as it was defined by Prof. Stola. This especially applies when our main discussion takes place  in the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

This strong connection between the past and present can be seen anywhere, but for me, it is extremely important to compare Poland and Ukraine as neighboring countries, whose democracies are basically different nowadays. The religion  landscape and its role in Poland can be mainly described through the Catholic Church which acted to unify the nation, shelter the resistance and to protect from overwhelming  Russian influence. Religion in Ukraine, as Reverend Wieslaw Dawidowski truly noticed, is the rock on which makes divisions. Also, when comparing Poland and Ukraine, it is extremely important for me as a Ukrainian citizen who seeks to examine the Polish example as a case study to potentially learn the best practice for building a democracy in Ukraine.

In addition to history and religion, we have a list of contemporary topics we tackled that day. One of these issues is migration. Actually, I was surprised with some facts presented by Katarzyna Slubik from the Association for Legal Intervention because, unlike with the Ukrainian situation with migrants, the Polish situation seems be one that is improving. For instance, Polish NGOs have the right to monitor detention locations and present reports that could influence and improve conditions in those centers. However, I was much more amazed with the description of racism in Poland. There are really low numbers of hate crimes and the majority of hate speech incidents (which is mostly on the Internet); however, in Ukraine there are only a few hate crimes per year with presumably unfair statistics. We still have the same roots of hate crimes which are mostly violent attacks on ethnical background perpetrated mainly by young men under the influence of  alcohol. This issue is still pretty challenging for our societies.

The last session on counteracting anti-Semitism in Poland raised a great discussion between the fellows  because it was our direct subject as it related to counteracting hate speech (according to the key issue from the conversation with Jan Herczynski). The Internet is a huge space for presenting ideas to the world and these ideas may be equally liberal, democratic or directed against humanity, dignity or justice. The point is to do our best to prevent  hate speech since it may lead to  human rights violations in general.

It was really long day, full of surprises, challenges, dialogues…What conclusion have I made on this day? Mostly I  understood the meaning of the word “diversity” and its value for personal development and brining a new vision to the world. We had an exercise where we had to choose five words to describe whole day. The fellows split into three groups and each group wrote a completely different list of words to describe today’s sessions. Diversity of views makes it possible to compare some facts, to learn the lessons from the past, to prevent the same mistakes in future and to provide the most efficient and just present. As for hate speech or migration or anti-Semitism your country or culture is not a crucial issue (we have very similar problems, however the desire to solve these problems plays a key role), a new generation was born in the era of Internet democracy to meet new challenges such as online hate speech or migration remembering  and commemorating past experiences. 

Others – who are you?!

by Joanna Socha, HIA Fellow

Gypsy! Jews! Gays! What did you think about when you just read these? If you could add some adjectives to each group,, what would it be? Is it easy for you to define them? Do you have to see them to have prejudice against their competences or personality?

Why did I ask about those particular groups? The adjectives here are probably more specific than if I were to ask you to describe white men or heterosexuals. The definition of the “normal” is broader as we tend to accept that there are various people among the whites for example, and not necessarily among the homosexuals. “Maybe if our son’s favorite teacher turned out to be gay after we had been biased against them, we would change our mind?” – Dr. Michal Bilewicz asked at the HiA Poland session devoted to the construction of prejudices and stereotypes. He presented the results of the research of The Center for Research on Prejudice, an interdisciplinary research unit at the Faculty of Psychology of University of Warsaw. He also explained the universal mechanisms which lead to discrimination, violence and hate speech and how they are constructed. The goal of the session was to present the key paradigms of social psychology regarding the “human nature”.

So who are the “others”? Prof. Zdzislaw Mach from the Center for European Studies of Jagiellonian University explained how it depends on the country’s history and changing identity throughout the years. The case was Poland and its very long struggle and fight for independence and freedom. The very engaging lecture turned into a lively discussion on who are the marginalized “others” and why some countries (including Poland) developed so strong emotions and prejudices towards some of the states. We tried to understand the context of the Polish attitude and the impact it has on how other countries perceive Polish people in exchange.

The last session was a lecture by Eugeniusz Smolar, HiA Poland Board Member about the history of the Solidarity Movement in Poland and its influence on today’s political situation of the country. The speech was particularly important for the international fellows, who have not discussed the Polish history at their schools. Thanks to that they could understand better the link between the difficult fight for freedom and current lack of trust of Polish society towards “others” generally. Are Polish next generations going to influence society’s attitude towards different cultures?

We were looking for the answers in the last lively discussion of the day. Participants were divided into six working groups and brainstormed on key topics raised during the intensive day. We created mind-maps where we could add our thoughts and feelings regarding the topics raised during the day. We agreed that there are so many marginalized “others” at every stage of developing Polish society’s identity and so many points of views that there is still a lot of things we can add to discussion every day of the fellowship.

The sessions were a part of the Humanity in Action Poland 2014 Fellowship  “Incubator of Ideas: Transformation, Democracy and Human Rights”. Young leaders from the U.S. and Europe gathered in Poland to discuss the democracy and Human Rights issues in the context of the Polish complex past and the present. After the brief introduction, we focused on the important topic of prejudice and stereotypes. Let the intellectual adventure begin!

Warsaw Book - speaking pictures

'Warsaw Book' is a collection of photos made by Humanity in Action Poland Fellows in order to share their impressions on first encounters with Warsaw.

 by Adrienne Le

 In the midst of all the excitement of these first few days in Warsaw, this boy sitting with his balloons gave me a moment of reflection. Spotting him in the Old Town square made me pause and recognize that while I am experiencing the whirlwind that is HiA Polska, I should not overlook the small details of daily life that go on in Warsaw.

 

by Adrienne Le

Visiting Praga was an eye opening experience. I know that every city has its poorer neighborhoods; even so, I was somewhat caught off guard walking through these dilapidated apartment complexes and seeing children playing in the alleyways. It was a reminder of the reasons why so many of us have come to HiA -- because we are inspired to make life better for a greater number of people. I think it was extremely important for us to see this side of Warsaw.

 

by Daniel Slomka

by Dylan Kitts (the picture was made by Nadiia)

This is the picture I will choose from the tour. I chose this for a few reasons. First and foremost, the greenery. Warsaw's green abundance makes the city's beauty unique and lively. Secondly, the significance of this museum represents -- in some ways -- a society that is trying to accommodate to a minority group, respect/promote/appreciate its diverse culture, and realize its past. Thirdly, the architecture of museum is truly modern and creative -- not like "Old" Town!

 

by Jarmiła Rybicka

 

 Layers of the Warsaw Ghetto by Jasmine Burton

Abstract in nature, these photos capture the past (the brick), the present (the red and white flowers) and the future (the hand) of the Warsaw ghetto. These photos connect tangible things to a common humanity.

 

by Kasia Balas

 

by Kathrin Fischer

 

by Lendsey Achudi

 by Michael Williams

 I captured an image of Castle Square and was drawn to it because I believe that public space has the ability to be a magnet and incubator for diversity and positive exchange of people and ideas. Public space (should) serves as a great equalizer for those who are in it, despite specific identities or backgrounds. 

 by Mil Dranoff

 The significance of a woman as a protector

 

by Sudip Bhandari

The vibrant colors of the buildings in Warsaw immediately caught my attention. I am aesthetically pleased.

 

by Sylwia Wodzińska

Warsaw appears to me as a troubled city, stories of which rooted in the invisible cartography of past times. Each street hides more than it reveals and I feel that in order to get through the jungle of complex history I really needed a local guide. The city strikes me as an eclectic collage of random images which at first sight might not make much sense. Many beautiful buildings are overshadowed by the kitsch neon lights of local shops. The streets are wide, contributing to the image of vast space, yet somehow I still feel lost in its architectural chaos. On top of that there is the Holy Mary that gives me shy looks from each and every corner…

 

by Weronika Romanik

 

by Weronika Romanik

 

by Łukasz Niparko

Campo dei Fiori

BY CZESLAW MILOSZ
TRANSLATED BY LOUIS IRIBARNE AND DAVID BROOKS

In Rome on the Campo dei Fiori
baskets of olives and lemons,
cobbles spattered with wine
and the wreckage of flowers.
Vendors cover the trestles
with rose-pink fish;
armfuls of dark grapes
heaped on peach-down.

On this same square
they burned Giordano Bruno.
Henchmen kindled the pyre
close-pressed by the mob.
Before the flames had died
the taverns were full again,
baskets of olives and lemons
again on the vendors' shoulders.

I thought of the Campo dei Fiori
in Warsaw by the sky-carousel
one clear spring evening
to the strains of a carnival tune.
The bright melody drowned
the salvos from the ghetto wall,
and couples were flying
high in the cloudless sky.

At times wind from the burning
would drift dark kites along
and riders on the carousel
caught petals in midair.
That same hot wind
blew open the skirts of the girls
and the crowds were laughing
on that beautiful Warsaw Sunday.

Someone will read as moral
that the people of Rome or Warsaw
haggle, laugh, make love
as they pass by the martyrs' pyres.
Someone else will read
of the passing of things human,
of the oblivion
born before the flames have died.

But that day I thought only
of the loneliness of the dying,
of how, when Giordano
climbed to his burning
he could not find
in any human tongue
words for mankind,
mankind who live on.

Already they were back at their wine
or peddled their white starfish,
baskets of olives and lemons
they had shouldered to the fair,
and he already distanced
as if centuries had passed
while they paused just a moment
for his flying in the fire.

Those dying here, the lonely
forgotten by the world,
our tongue becomes for them
the language of an ancient planet.
Until, when all is legend
and many years have passed,
on a new Campo dei Fiori
rage will kindle at a poet's word.
Warsaw, 1943

 

By Łukasz Posłuszny

 

By Arne Semsrott