DORA KACNELSON DROHOTIC PATRIOT
I met Dr Dora Kacnelson, a judaic female from Drohobych on the land of Lviv, during this year's ceremony of awarding her the "Polonia Mater Nostra Est" award for helping Poles on the erstwhile Polish East Borders and for trying to make bridges between Poles and Jews. Mrs Dora's statements struck me with a large love of the Borders, and at the same time with large concern and bitterness due to the increasing interest in the endows from Polish officials. Mrs Dora besides accused them of not reacting to the defamation of soldiers of the Home Army and in general Polish residents of those areas, while at the same time being humiliated by the Ukrainian and Lithuanian authorities.
CONFIDENTIAL TO SWEET AND STANDCOM
Our winner can surely be considered a typical ending. Peaceful, warm, hospitable, speaking with this wonderful singing; erstwhile necessary, stubbornly striving for the goal, profoundly delicate to human harm and injustice. Born in Bialystok in 1921 as the daughter of Basewa and Barl Kacnelson, who fled Russia before the Soviets to free already Poland, she attended the Bialystok general school, in which the memory of witches and heroes of national uprisings was cultivated.
– We organized – remember Mrs. Dora – together with our evening friends, sang soldier songs from the uprisings and another patriotic ones, recited poems by Mickiewicz and Slovaks. I have always remained faithful to my love for large Polish romanticist poesy and to the heroes of national uprisings. Since 1946 I have been writing about Mickiewicz, especially about his concept of Slavic folklore, I have been searching in the archives of Lviv, Vilnius, Siberia diaries, letters and notes of patriots, showing the large influence of the witch Adam on their minds.
After 1939, erstwhile Białystok was occupied by russian troops, Dora Kacnelson found herself with her parents in Leningrad. She began her studies at the University of Leningrad, at the Faculty of Russian Philology. After her doctoral studies in Polish literature and after her doctorate (1946-49) "Mickiewicz and folk work", she was directed by the Ministry of Higher Education to Belarus, where she taught lectures at the Higher Pedagogical School in Połock. At that time, she frequently commuted to Vilnius and worked in the archives there on literary and historical polonniks, which she utilized in later publications.
– During my first visits to Vilnius – Mrs Dora recalls – I met brave and self-sacrificing Polish scientists who did not leave their native land, but deliberately chose a way to service their native culture and discipline at this lost facility. 1 of them was the art historian, Dr. doctrine Jerzy Orda, an outstanding expert in old Vilnius monuments.
Together with Moscow historians dealing with the past of Poland: Włodzimierz Djakow, Ilja Miller and Olga Morozowa – Dora Kacnelson tried to quit for Vilnius scientist. However, Dr. Orda categorically refused to apply for designation of his doctorate before the war. He said the Bolsheviks wouldn't ask for anything. He worked as an average janitor at the Central Archives of the Lithuanian SSR. Dressed in a black apron, he wore dense briefcases up the stairs. He secretly helped Polish scientists find archives due to the fact that the directorate hid catalogues. For his mediocre wage he raised a judaic boy, Wilhelm Józef Zienowicz (Finka), rescued from the ghetto by Polish nuns.
ANTYSOMIC, IMBRECT
The consequence of Dr. Kacnelson's investigation was a dissertation published in the 1990s in the Parisian “Kultura”, entitled “Polish scientists Vilnius and Lviv under russian occupation”. The publisher, Jerzy Giedroć, carefully deleted the word "Soviet occupation", placing yearly dates there.
In 1955, Dora Kacnelson married a university colleague, a Russian Aleksey Egorov, who returned from russian camps in Kolyma, where he spent 10 years for being a soldier of the russian army, getting into German captivity. In 1961, she received a occupation in the city of Read in Siberia, where she stayed for 5 years. Regardless of the frost – reaching minus 50 degrees – the persistent scientist systematically went to the Regional Martyrdom Archive and looked through catalogues, uncovering many papers concerning Polish insurgents. Each emissary came with a card containing: sentence, individual data, date of admission to the camp, etc. There were quite a few names of priests who died in Siberia, specified as Fr Jan Sierociński, who were imprisoned in Omsk in 1837. The subject of the caterpillars has been dealt with extensively in the publications of the docent. The fresh Rector of the Higher Pedagogical School in Czyta, lecturer of Marxism-Leninism Nikolai Babin, however, accused Dora Kacnelson of “anti-Sovietism” – for supporting the student protest, wrongfully expelled from the university. She then moved to Drohobych, where she was one more time expelled (1983) from the local WSP, this time due to the fact that she went to Kiev for the 9th planet Slawists' Convention against the ban of the organization secretary.
WITH NEEDING AID
For 10 years, Mrs. Dora Kacnelson has been retired, and there is inactive no free time. He continues his investigation based on excellent archives in Lviv. On the basis of these and Siberian documents, she issued respective hearings about priests – martyrs for religion and freedom, especially priests-sibiraks: Piotr Sciegienny, Vincent Kroczewski, Tiburcy Pawłowski.
– besides in Lviv – he says – I was fortunate to meet the excellent and self-giving Polish scientists, who deliberately chose to service their homeland and Polish culture in the east Borders. These included prof. Mieczysław Gembarowicz, a world-renowned theorist and historian of fine arts, and Dr. Ludwik Grajewski, an outstanding expert in monuments and souvenirs of Lviv. I became friends with them, having large kindness. They'd show me around Lviv, invitation me to their humble apartments, aid me with archival queries. I besides had the honour of gathering brave defenders of Polish culture, librarians of Ossolineum: Jan Rogala, Kazimierz Giebulkowski, Wacław Olazewicz and others.
Dr. Kacnelson's technological and publicist work combined (and continues to connect, despite the earlier age) with the aid of Jews in the Kresach and with educational and charitable activities in the Society of Culture of the Polish Drohobyka Land. She taught Polish literature at the Polish Saturday School. She visited Polish villages, bringing aid to mediocre Poles. She tried to arrange for the 1939 Polish Army veterans to quit from Poland. She organized the teaching of Polish language for children, and what's more – the Polish judaic female from Drohobych asked for financial aid from the Germans for food for starving Polish children in the Kresy Mountains, which the Polish government did not care about!
She besides supported the activity of Catholic priests on the land of Lviv, writing articles in Polish and abroad press about the magnitude of their noble work. In an article for “Niedziela”, Dr. Kacnelson wrote: “Very many Poles remained on the land of Lviv, this terrible facility, giving up repatriation. They stayed at their churches, graves, household land, richly shriveled by the blood of the Lviv Eagles and heroes of the Home Army. While visiting villages of Drohobycka land, located about 100-150 km from Lviv, I asked Poles why they did not go to Poland together with others, neighbors or relatives. The late Józef Walków of the village of Solonsk close Drohobych, a lonely and almost blind man, said: 'As we all leave, our last churches will close us.' It should be added that the Catholic Church in Kresach is now the main and almost the only standing of Polishness.
Only it reaches the lost villages, forgotten by the Polish Community and foundations and associations in the country.
But now even 1 of the fundamental human rights – the right to prayer in the native language – is at risk. 65-year-old Polish Maria Gabryś from the tiny village of Zady is the daughter of Grzegorz Gabrysia, burned alive by UPA in 1943. Their home was besides burned down, and she was wandering around strangers, working hard. erstwhile she turned 16, she was brought from the agrarian russian council a ready-made identity card from a pre-designated nationality... 'Ukrainian'! This is what demography and statistic looked like in the Endlands. On the margins – Dr. Kacnelson continues – I would like to add that in many works of Polish historians and sociologists the number of Poles in the Kresach region is understated, and after all only 300 1000 Polish families live on Żytomierska land. Maria Gabryś answered to my question, "Why did she stay erstwhile her brother left for the country?"
Two Nations — 2 Parents
Already established in the earliest years of their lives relationship with Poles, with whom on their Kresach was “nearly”, learning about Poles' martyrdom, caused Dr. Kacnelson to always measurement unfounded attacks, especially on Kresowiaks, whom he treats as compatriots. erstwhile I ask why he likes Poles, he smiles mildly and responds: – If they ask the kid who loves more: Mom or Dad, he usually says that both are the same. It's the same with me. I grew up and grew up among 2 nations, judaic and Polish, which gave me their tradition, mentality, culture; they were for little like parent and father, and I both love as much.
ON SECURITISERS
From her childhood, Mrs. Dora remembers traveling with her parent and sister, having weak lungs, to a village close Jedwabny. It emphasizes the warmth of those inhabitants, slow, calm, gentle, who liked their summertime girls very much, although they knew that they were judaic due to the fact that they did not go to church.
– These people did not burn the Jews in Jedwabne (for which Kwasniewski unwarrantedly apologized), not only due to the fact that they did not have specified military strength, but due to the fact that they never showed a tendency to cruel behaviour – says the doctor with absolute conviction. – any even risked their lives, helping Jews hide from Germans. I think Gross' book is hypocritical and dishonest. And I especially don't like that he went to Poles.
The case of slanderous attack on Poland in connection with the Jedwabne execution touched Dr. Kacnelson very much. – 1 time I met any wise rabbis from the United States in Warsaw. They asked if I, as a judaic woman, was exaggerating with the condemnation of Gross's conduct," he says. – I said at the time that the instigation of hatred of Poles is against the interests of America in particular. Poland joined NATO and her sons are ready to give even what is most expensive, their life, to shed blood for America – they have already done so in Afghanistan. But Poles are an honorable nation, and if Americans want them to shed blood in the name of American interests, then they must respect Poles, not constantly slander them, that they "murdered Jews" during planet War II, usage the terms "Polish concentration camps", call Poles "the nation of murderers", etc. – says Mrs Dora.
Meanwhile, the aggressive run of anti-Polish environments in the West continues. It is due to their hatred of the independent Polish spirit, which led Poles to insurgent barricades and caused Poles to be the first to overthrow communism. present these environments are trying to trample on the “hardness” of Poles, their sense of honor and national dignity, fortunately so far unsuccessfully – so Mrs Dora defends the good name of Poland.
The doctor would embarrass many Polish MFA officials with her patriotism. – Poles do not evade the work to participate in NATO. Poles were with Americans in Afghanistan, and what can be celebrated by Poland far distant Afghanistan? After this argument, Mrs. Dora Kacnelson continues, the wise rabbis of the United States agreed with me that the instigation of anti-polonism is foolish and could have bad consequences for the United States and Western Europe.
MICHAEL, THEICHMAN, VIEWERS, BARTOSZEWISH AND OTHERS
When I conclude that antipolonism is spreading, unfortunately, besides in our country, the prof. declares that she knows many Jews, friends of Poles and supporters of Jewish-Polish dialogue. She late mentions the late Arthur Leinwald, author of many works about Lviv, including Polish Orlęta; Szymon Ashkenazi, a celebrated Polish historian, buried at the Main judaic Cemetery in Warsaw; she says that the Institute of judaic Culture on Tłomack is “a lot of friends of Poles”.
Well, well – I said to Mrs. Dora – only I was at the ICE gathering with Gross. The hall was filled almost exclusively by Jews (more than a group of Germans) and only 1 judaic female criticized Gross, the remainder gave him a ovation. In turn the hebrew Michnik wrote that Poles murdered Jews during the Warsaw Uprising. – Michnik – you repost a docent – he is no hebrew to me! He doesn't go to the synagogue, he's not connected to the rabbis, he can't talk Jewish. He's inspired by political elites, they let him. It was Władysław Bartoszewski who appointed Ambassador to Vilnius Euphemia Tejchman, who consistently slandered the arks, and alternatively of defending the interests of the Poles as an ambassador, supported any slander of Lithuanian chauvinists about Poles. The erstwhile Ambassador Jan Widacki together with Tejchmanowa "defence", destroyed the Polish university, which the Vilnius were creating with specified dedication and effort," says Dr. Kacnelson. “At this point I would like to congratulate those people on their actions equal to that of the Tarski Senator Nowosilcov, who closed down the university where he studied Mickiewicz,” he says with regret. – The group should be joined by then Prime Minister Hanna Suchocka and abroad Minister Krzysztof Skubiszewski, who besides did not show a desire to rescue the threatened University of Poland, but on the contrary – in everything they gave way to Lithuanians.
UNIVERSITY FAILED, president DID NOT aid
At the Polish university were lectured free of charge by Mrs. Dora's colleagues: Prof. Eugeniusz Czapleewicz, a Polish student from Warsaw, Zbigniew Łebno, a prof. of global law from Katowice (high-class scientist, from the old lineage, like his wife Marta, from the home of Świszczowska, whose great-grandfather, insurrection of 1863, was buried in Łychczak), who commuted to Vilnius at his own expense. Although the Polish university was not closed, the building and the halls were not yet taken from the Poles, but the Lithuanians – utilizing the approval of Polish "diplomats" – quietly took distant the university's position of higher education, with all the consequences. Currently, it is only a Preparatory survey for young trainees before joining the University of Lithuania or universities in the country (if successful).
“The Polish president did not stand up for the Polish university in Vilnius,” says Mrs Dora indignantly.
It was a disgrace even abroad. The German journalists with whom I met in Berlin were surprised: Lithuania discriminates against the Polish university, indicates that in Polish schools it is hard for Poles to keep their identity, and president Kwasniewski is only curious in Lithuanians, the issue of Lithuania's entry into NATO and the EU, and he does not care about the dramatic destiny of the Polish borderline. Incidentally, I believe that this will be a new, immense centre of corruption, bureaucracy and the fight for seats for the EU. So it is unfair to tell young people that entering the EU will make a large chance for them. After all, the countries that are in the EU already have their hectares of slums, specified as Portugal, says Dr. Kacnelson.
POLSKA strategy – MILK GEREMEC
An exemplary example of the inertia of the Polish authorities – which have no policy developed towards Poles in the erstwhile Polish East Borders – was the case (1999) of the arrest of 4 Poles by Lithuanians and the unlawful conviction of them for hard labors, for asking for the granting of autonomy to the region of Solennik in Vilnius. The reason for the request was logical. In this area, where 90 percent of Poles live, the Lithuanian language applies only – everywhere: hospitals, offices, railway and bus information, offices, etc., which makes life very hard for people, especially old farmers, who failed to learn Lithuanian. Autonomy would at least let bilingualism, which would make things easier, and would besides contribute to the improvement of education and home culture in Vilnius.
However, the request of 4 Poles outraged the Lithuanians (although their number in Poland has subsidies and privileges which are mostly better than the Polish community) and rapidly dealt with them, sending them to the forced labour camp. This injustice did not face any reaction from the government in Warsaw, even though it was a manifest violation of human rights. abroad Minister Bronisław Geremek did not care about wrongful punishment of Poles. The Polish MFA did not stand up for its compatriots, as the authorities of all civilized countries of the planet do. Only the president of the Polish Community Andrzej Stelmachowski went to Vilnius and in that court declared: “You Lithuanians, you are doing Stalinist slabs in your home for the intimidation of Poles.”
Effective action in defence of the prisoners was taken by Doc. Kacnelson. She prepared a protest letter and collected 40 signatures from the global Forum of Journalists of the planet Polonia, which was held in Tarnów at the time. The paper went to the Lithuanian parliament. There's been a scandal. Poles were freed, but... to make it more ridiculous (as the politician of 1 of the Polish journalists in Vilnius said), the president of Lithuania "made a deal", placing the Polish convicts under the condition: "I will release you, but provided you compose that you full support Lithuania's entry into NATO". They signed it, yet preferred it to chopping up trees in the woods.
Can we return the credits?
During a fresh appearance at the Porczyński Gallery, Mrs. Dora Kacnelson stated that at the beginning of the pierestroikas the recovery of the East Edges was simply within reach. erstwhile the russian Union started to break up, the Russian radio and tv stations were represented by the Petersburg voivode, prof. of global Law Anatol Sobczak (Mrs. docent was at the time with her sister in St. Petersburg and listened to this speech) and stated that, in accordance with global law, if the federation of respective united countries breaks down, territories that were later annexed have the right to return to their erstwhile status.
Gorbachev – according to Dr. Kacnelson – wanted to give Poland: Lviv, Vilnius, Stanisławów, Grodno, Tarnopol, but already at that time – keeps Mrs. Dora – Polish politicians made up for Ukrainians and Lithuanians. – It is not known what would happen to our Earths restored – I expressed my doubts. However, Mrs. Docent insists that the recovery of the Borders would be a large opportunity, and its failure would besides mean a failure to the Ukrainian community. The Ukrainians wanted to join Poland in most cases, due to the fact that if Western Ukraine was joined, they would have had their backs in it, or would not starve. Meanwhile, as a consequence of an anti-patriotic policy of apology and adoration, continued by successive governments in Poland, The edges are neglected, humiliated and brutally discriminated against.
– Ukrainian community likes Poland – says Dr. Kacnelson. “Many people learn Polish, read Polish newspapers. Blind Polish Józef Walków in Solonsk close Drohobych Ukrainian neighbors brought bread and milk. There is no hatred among alleged average people, he is among nationalist elites.
INVITATIONS FOR THE ‘POSSIBILITY’ AND ‘COMMBATANTS’ OF UPA
The indifference of the Polish authorities to what the Poles were doing during the German business makes them start raising their heads again. In Ukraine there are statues of Ukrainian terrorist Stepan Bandera; there is besides no city where there is no street dedicated to banders or commemorative plaques treating them as heroes. late Ukrainian OUN and UPA bandits have demanded for themselves pensions and Kombatant privileges – here and there, they already have them locally – they besides request their full rehabilitation. And yet these criminals murdered tens of thousands of Poles, including any Jews in Volyn and Galicia, and 40 1000 of their countrymen. On the another hand, the Polish government apologizes to them for the Poles' courage to defend themselves against terrible slaughters and for the action “Wisła” which was to halt these massacres... Dr. Kacnelson warns against the threat of resurgence of banners.
BANDEROWERS AND THEIR MAINTENANCES
Ukrainian chauvinism is gaining strength due to the fact that it has the support of anti-Polish environments in the USA and of the Polish government and sympathizers of flags in the country. Is it not a scandal that almost exclusively Polish professors, politicians, journalists who whitewash Ukrainian crimes and accuse the AK were invited to the Polish-Ukrainian conference in Krasiczyn on 19th of this year? Is it not a scandal that it was not invited to it, e.g. Ewa and Wacław Czaszków, the authors of the well-documented book "Ludicide done by Ukrainian nationalists on the Polish population Volyn 1939-1945", and that the doors of the conference were besides closed to prof. Szawłowski? Is it not a scandal that in this situation president Kwasniewski sent a message with cordial greetings to the participants of the conference and again apologized for the action “Wisła”?!
– I visited Ukrainian families sent during the “Wisła” action to Western Ukraine in the village of Słońsk, including the matrimony of Anna and Stefan Harenz. They live well. They have a beautiful house, a garden, 2 cows, a field. They talked to me in Polish. And no 1 poked their eyes out, sawed them alive, smoked them. So why does Kwasniewski keep apologizing?! – Mrs Dora is annoyed. – Who will apologise for the savagely murdered Poles? To the children whose banners nailed their tongues to the tables, their eyes pierced, and smoking alive? I wrote a paper about it entitled “The barn is inactive half-burnt” – it was about the village of Zady, 15 km from Drohobych, where a fragment of this blackened barn actually stands. In 1943 Ukrainian bandits burned Poles alive. The Banders then went from yard to yard, killed Poles, and if they met the Ukrainian, they said, “Come fuck with us.”
One of the harassed, Fiekieta, said, “I will not go “ruly”, due to the fact that my wife in the hospital, and I gotta take care of the small children.” They shot him instantly. erstwhile it rained, he choked the small girl he held on his hand. She survived, but present she inactive has a severe back disease. In the same village lives Polka Maria Gabryś, whose father Grzegorz was burned by the ups. She wears food to this sick Ukrainian female whose father was shot by Ukrainian bandits.
ADVICE OF KATS
Dr. Kacnelson is sorry to study that the bannermen have many lawyers in Poland. For example, prof. Władysław Serczyk, lecturer first at the Jagiellonian University, then at the University of Białystok, and now at the Rzeszów Higher Pedagogical School, is persistently whitewashing them. In 1997 Prof. Serczyk spoke at the Polish-Ukrainian Conference in Krakow and accused the AK of doing the "same thing as the banners". erstwhile no 1 responded, prof. Kacnelson stood up and said, “Does it seem ironic that I, a judaic woman, came to Krakow all the way from Drohobych to defend the Polish AK from the slanders of Polish professors?” Another lecturer from the Jagiellonian University, who teaches our youth, Grzegorz Mazur, defended the habilitation proceeding about the AK at the Jagiellonian University and in this work he compared the AK to Ukrainian bannerists. The “respective body” of the Jagiellonian University professors accepted this work. – Thank God – Mrs Dora noticed – that I have no grandchildren, due to the fact that I would not like specified professors to teach them.
PATRIOTISM subject OF DRAGS
When Dr. Kacnelson attempted to print a study from the land of Lviv "Still stands half-burnt barn" about Ukrainian savagery, awarded for “the shyness of the subject” in a competition organized by the global Forum, the Journalists of the World, no of the writings to which she addressed it, wanted to print the article, arguing that it was “a delicate topic” (sic!).
However, Mrs Dora Kacnelson does not break down and inactive bravely fights for the truth. erstwhile prof. Mazur, at the Polish-Ukrainian Conference, repeated the slanders at the AK and she allowed herself to exposure them, Mazur addressed the organizer of the conference Teresa Stanek (a hot patriot, daughter of heroic Colonel Jan Stanek) and said with anger: “Why did you let this crazy old female into the room?”
Aleksander Szumański “Lvivian meetings”
Documents, sources, quotations:
Grażyna Dziedzinska, “Our Journal”, 2002-12-28
