Tribute to Polish WWII diplomat who helped save Jews
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
17.06.2019 01:00
Officials and Holocaust survivors have paid tribute to a Polish World War II diplomat who helped save Jews during World War II.
Konstanty Rokicki. Image: Zbigniew Popadiuch [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin, along with members of the Polish and Jewish communities in Switzerland, gathered in Lucerne on Sunday to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of Konstanty Rokicki, the wartime Polish consul in the Swiss capital, Bern.
The ceremonies began with a mass in a cemetery chapel. Afterwards, wreaths were laid on Rokicki's grave.
Konstanty Rokicki (1899-1958) was part of an informal group based in Bern that fabricated passports for Jews from ghettos in German-occupied Poland to save them from the Holocaust.
The Bern-based group was led by the Polish ambassador to Switzerland at the time, Aleksander Ładoś, and included Stefan Ryniewicz and Juliusz Kuehl.
Poland’s president in October unveiled a new tombstone at a Swiss cemetery for Rokicki, who was this year recognised by Israel as a Righteous Among the Nations.
The Righteous Among the Nations award is the highest Israeli civilian distinction. Recipients receive a medal with a quote from the Talmud saying: "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire."
(pk/gs)
Source: PAP