Celebrating Tolerance: The opening of the exhibition Jan Karski. Man of freedom,
the concert of the Rzeszów Klezmer Band, and the final of the Citizen of the Republic of Lithuania competition

The Tolerance Centre of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, together with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland to Lithuania, Migration Board of Vilnius County Police Headquarters, and Polish Institute in Vilnius, celebrated International Tolerance Day this year. This day (16 November) was included on the UNESCO list of international days of commemoration in 1995.

The exhibition Jan Karski. Man of Freedom was opened on 13 November at the Tolerance Centre. Zygmunt Stępiński, deputy director of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and Lena Dąbkowska-Cichocka, representative of the Museum on questions of strategic development, participated in the event. The award ceremony for the finalists of the Citizen of the Republic of Lithuania competition, a quiz for students attending comprehensive schools in Vilnius County, took place during the event. Beside questions about civil society and the history of Lithuania, some questions were related to the life of Jan Karski (1914–2000), a WWII hero and member of the Polish resistance movement. The centenary of his birth is being celebrated this year, therefore the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Institute in Vilnius have organised Karski’s Days in Lithuania. 

Karski and the 20^th Century Historical and Political Education, a training session for teachers and students, took place on 20 November at the Tolerance Centre. The lecturer was Piotr Kowalik, assistant to the head of the Educational Department of POLIN, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

Messenger from Hell: the Jan Karski Story, a short Walt Disney animated film featuring cartoon heroes, was also presented on 13 November. At the end of the evening, guests were invited to the Rzeszów Klezmer Band concert dedicated to the celebration of tolerance. This is the band’s second concert at the Tolerance Centre. The Rzeszów Klezmer Band, which plays klezmer with a hint of jazz and traditional European music, gave its first performance at a Tolerance Centre concert four years ago. At that time, their concert was part of the project Tolerance 2010, which lasted several months.

13 November 2014. The International Tolerance Day. This year the Tolerance Centre of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, together with other institutions, celebrates the International Tolerance Day, which was included on the UNESCO list of international days of commemoration in 1995 (16 November). The other institutions that are taking part in the commemorative events are the Embassy of the Republic of Poland to Lithuania, the Migration Board of Vilnius County Police Headquarters, and the Polish Institute in Vilnius. We will start the day with an award ceremony for the winners of the Citizen of the Republic of Lithuania, a competition for students attending comprehensive schools in Vilnius. The award ceremony will be followed by the artistic presentations of schoolchildren. Secondary school students will take part in a quiz and a “battle of the brains”. The second part of the event is the opening of Jan Karski. Man of Freedom, an exhibition presented by the Polish Embassy in Lithuania. Zygmunt Stępiński, deputy director of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and Eva Wierzynska, director of the board of the Jan Karski Educational Foundation, will take part in the opening ceremony. After the official part, we invite you to a concert of the Rzeszów Klezmer Band as a celebration of tolerance.

More about Karski’s Days in Lithuania: http://www.wilno.msz.gov.pl/lt/ivykiai