Wdzięczność-Gratitude-הכרת הטוב:

Individual category:

Robert Kobylarczyk, Andrzej Koraszewski and Ireneusz Socha

Institutional category:

Association of the Museum of Białystok Jews

B’nai B’rith International announced today the recipients of an award honoring Polish citizens who have shown commitment to preserving Jewish heritage in Poland and cultivating Jewish-Polish relations. The award, in its third consecutive year, is called Wdzięczność-Gratitude-הכרת הטוב in Polish, English and Hebrew, and recognizes outstanding contributions of individuals and institutions. From this year onward the award will be presented in honor of Marian Turski (1926-2025), a Polish-Jewish journalist, historian, Holocaust survivor and a member of the B’nai B’rith Poland lodge.

Recipients of the award are:

Robert Kobylarczyk, Andrzej Koraszewski and Ireneusz Socha –  Individual category

Association of the Museum of Białystok Jews  – Institutional category

The award includes a unique statuette and certificate designed by graphic artist Klara Jankiewicz and will be presented on June 29, at noon at the White Stork Synagogue, 5a Pawła Włodkowica St., Wrocław. The ceremony will include presentations by B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin and B’nai B’rith Polin President Professor Andrzej Friedman with a violin recital from Marial Slawek.

Robert Kobylarczyk initiated a project to commemorate the Jewish cemetery in Tuszyn in 2020. With support from donors—including descendants of Tuszyn’s Jewish community such as Ellen Mains, Moshe Lasman and Jay Norwalk—he successfully raised funds to sponsor a five-ton commemorative stone. This effort involved collaboration with multiple institutions, including the National Institute of Cultural Heritage of Poland (NID) and the Rabbinical Commission, both of which granted permission to place the stone in September 2020. By October 2020, a plaque was installed on the stone with the inscription: “This is the site of the Jewish cemetery in Tuszyn.” The following year, thanks to the partnership with POLIN Museum and NID, Kobylarczyk had the honor of serving as the coordinator for the ceremonial unveiling of the plaque. This event was widely covered by the media and received highly positive feedback, both locally and nationally. This initiative aimed to restore the Jewish cemetery to its rightful place in public memory, honoring the history and heritage of the Jewish community that once thrived in the area. It was not only a tribute to those who came before but also a call for greater understanding, respect, and preservation of cultural and historical landmarks. Through this project, the Jewish cemetery transitioned from being a forgotten site to a recognized and respected part of Tuszyn’s history. The unveiling ceremony brought together descendants, community members, and cultural organizations, fostering dialogue and mutual respect across cultural and religious divides.

Born in 1940, Andrzej Koraszewski grew up in Poznań and studied at the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology at the University of Warsaw. In 1971, he and his wife Małgorzata left for Sweden, and in 1986, he relocated to London, where he worked for the Polish section of the BBC for twelve years. He contributed to many Polish émigré magazines, including the Paris-based Kultura. In 1998, he retired and returned to Poland. He currently lives in Dobrzyń on the Vistula river and, together with his wife, runs the website Listy z naszego sadu, (“Letters from our orchard,”) which focuses on science, religion and international affairs. For years, Koraszewski has worked tirelessly to combat anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli stereotypes and prejudices, making extensive use of the internet. Despite his age, he remains one of Poland’s most active pro-Jewish and pro-Israeli publicists. His invaluable work is gaining wide social resonance. His latest book Idź i wróć człowiekiem, (“Go and return human,” 2023) consists of nearly 40 pieces of journalistic material devoted to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or more broadly: the Israeli-Arab conflict. Thanks to an intensive search for sources and extraordinary erudition, Koraszewski shows the harmfulness of the stereotypes of the “bad Jew’ and the “good Palestinian,” still perpetuated throughout the world. He argues—backed by detailed documentation—that the primary blame for the failure of numerous peace initiatives lies with the Palestinian Authority, its allied terrorist organizations, and an Islamic clergy and educational system that glorifies the death of fighters in the struggle to wipe the state of Israel off the face of the earth.

Ireneusz Socha lives in Dębica, a town in southeastern Poland, and has been a solitary force since his early youth in restoring the memory of the Jewish inhabitants of his town. He assisted the last Jewish resident in Dębica in these efforts until their passing before taking over the responsibility himself. A member of the Dialogue Forum (Gratitude institutional award winner in 2023), Socha is in touch with the descendants of the Dębica Jews in Israel and in the United States and continues to document their family stories. He gives tours and organizes educational events for young people and adults, as well as (often at his own expense) annual commemorations at the site where the Jewish residents of Dębica were rounded up and selected to work for the German occupiers or to die in the Bełżec death camp Socha also established the “Jewish trail‟ in Dębica, featuring six educational plaques along the City Historical Route. Socha single-handedly led efforts to save the New Town Synagogue, helping to raise millions of zloty that resulted in its 2024 purchase by Dębica authorities. Set to become a major heritage site and cultural center honoring local Jewish history, the building will host exhibitions, events and concerts. Conservation research uncovered 17th-century polychrome fragments and an original marble floor. Renovation will begin with foundation insulation to halt decay and ensure long-term preservation.

The Association of the Museum of Bialystok Jews created and run the Museum of the Jews of Białystok, known as “THE PLACE”. The museum aims to highlight the rich Jewish cultural heritage of Białystok and the surrounding region, promote mutual understanding, and strengthen Polish-Jewish relations. The association pursues its goals by organizing thematic events, holding exhibitions, initiating educational and research activities, running an internet portal, funding scholarships, and collecting and sharing photographs, documents and artifacts related to the life and activities of Polish Jews.

Members of the award committee are: Professor Andrzej Friedman, president, and Dr. Sergiusz Kowalski, former president and mentor of the B’nai B’rith Warsaw Lodge; Daniel Mariaschin, CEO, B’nai B’rith International; Lili Haber, chair, Association of Cracowians in Israel; Professor Adam Daniel Rotfeld, former Foreign Minister of Poland; Rabbi Eric Fusfield, deputy director, International Center for Human Rights and Public Policy and director of Legislative Affairs, B’nai B’rith International; and Alan Schneider, director, B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem, who serves as the award secretariat.

The award is founded on the ancient Jewish principle of giving due praise to God and man and is informed by Psalms 56:12 “Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.” Presented for the third consecutive year, it represents the first annual award established by the global Jewish community to honor Poles for their contribution to dialogue and preservation of Jewish heritage in Poland and Jewish-Polish relations. Last year’s winners were Prof. Łukasz Tomasz Sroka in the Individual category and the Brama (Gate) Cukermana Foundation in the Institutional category.

For further information and press access, please contact:

Prof. Andrzej Friedman, President, B’nai B’rith Poland Lodge +48-602-753-856 andrzej.friedman@wum.edu.pl

Alan Schneider, Director, B’nai B’rith World Center, Jerusalem  +972-52-5537441 aschneider@bnaibrith.org