On the 30th anniversary of the Polish-Jewish dialogue in America, a group of activists engaged in the initiative met at the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in New York City.
The Jewish American Council (NPAJAC) was founded by the Polish American Congress and American Jewish Committee (AJC) so that the two nations could enter in dialogue at times when the People's Republic of Poland (PRL) and Israel did not have friendly diplomatic relations and interactions between them were hostile.
Poland's Consul General Krzysztof Kasprzyk hosted the meeting and talked about the rebirth of a small but vibrant Jewish community in the new democratic Poland. He also read a letter from the Undersecretary of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland Jacek Najder.
Guy Billauer, a national and legislative director at the American-Jewish Committee, emphasized the Council's contribution to the dialogue and said that today relations between the two nations are so good that the dialogue, which started 30 years ago by a group of enthusiasts, can now be carried out directly without America's assistance.
"The Polish-Jewish and Polish-Israeli relations have radically improved," said American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris. He reiterated a couple of the most important achievements of the Council, such as condemning human rights violations in the former Communist Republic of Poland and, among others, the role the Council played in the negotiations with the government of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, which allowed Warsaw to become a transit point for Jewish people emigrating from the Soviet Union.
He also named other great contributors to the dialogue, such as Prof. Stanislaw Blejwas, Jan Karski and Jan Nowak-Jezioranski.
"We needed a vision and courage to realize its ideals," said Harris, directing his words towards the younger group gathered at the Consulate.
On the 30th anniversary of the Council, American Jewish Committee's Leonard Grossman presented plaques to recognize the work of Father John Pawlikowski, John Pikarski, Esq., and Dr. Tadeusz Radzilowski. Dr Radzilowski, in turn, honored Leonard Grossman and Martin Bresleow. Guy Bullauer was also honored at the meeting at the Polish Consulate.
