10th Anniversary of Warsaw’s Garden of the Righteous

Redakcja, 13 September 2024

This September marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Garden of the Righteous in Warsaw. It was created in 2014 at the initiative of the History Meeting House in conjunction with the Gariwo Foundation. Here, the word “Righteous” has a broader meaning that in the title “Righteous Among the Nations”. This initiative honours people who saved the lives of others or who defended human dignity in the 20th century. Since last year, Warsaw’s Garden has been cared for by the Garden of the Righteous Foundation, which was established for this purpose – and which, today, invites you to the anniversary celebrations. On 10th September in Muranów, on Jan “Jur” Gorzechowski Square, trees will be planted and commemorative plaques will be unveiled to honour those nominated as “Righteous” by the Foundation Committee on the European Day of the Righteous (6th March). The event will be preceded by a a concert at the Teatr Wielki – Opera Narodowa. The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews is a partner in this event.

Previous Next

Photo 1 of 2

“Remembering the Righteous is not about looking into the past, but it is a strong educational message for new generations. It is a message promoting the highest values of European culture. The Righteous who, in the most tragic moments in European and world history, saved the ideal of humanity, teach our communities’ young citizens to engage in the defence of human rights, to help those weaker, to have the courage to think independently, to have the ability to understand and not to consider themselves as the owners of absolute truth”, says Anna Ziarkowska, President, Garden of the Righteous Foundation.

The first part of the celebration will be a unique concert by Ludovico Einaudi, world famous Italian pianist and composer. It will take place on 9th September 2024 at the Teatr Wielki – Opera Narodowa in Warsaw.

Ludovico Einaudi, known for his compositions combining classical music with modern sounds, has won the hearts of millions around the world. Throughout his career, he has created music for ballet, cinema and theatre, including “Sul filo d’Orfeo” (1984), “Time Out” (1988), “The Wild Man” (1991) and “Salgari” (1995). His works have been performed in prestigious venues such as La Scala in Milan, IRCAM in Paris and the Lincoln Centre in New York.

This concert will be the prelude to the celebrations commemorating the 10th anniversary of Warsaw’s Garden of the Righteous, which will take place the next day on 10th September 2024 at 12 noon, at Jan “Jur” Gorzechowski Square, near the POLIN Museum. During the event, commemorative stones will be unveiled, bearing inscriptions with the names of people honoured, this years, the Garden of the Righteous Committee.

What does the title “Righteous” Mean?

The definition of Righteous is universal and serves to commemorates all those, in Europe and beyond, who saved human lives or who defended human dignity and freedom – in totalitarian regimes, during genocides, mass murders and crimes against humanity committed in the 20th and 21st centuries.

This is a broader concept that the title, awarded by Yad Vashem Institute, of Righteous Among the Nations – an honorary decoration, awarded by the State of Israel, to non-Jews who helped Jews during World War II.

The selection is made, by the Garden of the Righteous Foundation Committee, from amongst a list of submitted candidates. The Committee consists of outstanding personalities from the world of education and culture, including the Director of the POLIN Museum, as well as NGO representatives.

The names of those honoured are announced, each year, on 6th March – the European Day of the Righteous.

Who are this year’s Righteous?

Those, who were announced as this year’s “Righteous” are:

Jacek Kuroń (1934–2004): politician, anti-communist activist, co-founder of the Workers’ Defence Committee, political prisoner, government minister in the Third Polish Republic, Knight of the Order of the White Eagle.
Vivian Silver (1949–2023): Canadian-Israeli activist for women and peace in the Middle East, murdered in the HAMAS attack on 7th October 2023.
Amer Abu Sabila (1998–2023): Israeli Arab from Abu Talul in the Negev Desert, a construction worker who died while trying to help a Jewish family from the HAMAS attack on 7th October 2023.
Andrzej Szeptycki (1865–1944) and Klemens Szeptycki (1869–1951): Greek Catholic priests. Andrzej was Bishop of Stanisławów (1899–1900), Metropolitan of Lwów and Halych (1900–1944); Klemens was a studit and ihumen (1926–1944), and then Archimandrite of the monastery in Uniów (1944–1951).

Read: Biographies of those honoured, on 6th March 2024, by the Garden of the Righteous Foundation Committee

To date, those honoured in Warsaw’s Garden of the Righteous are:

Władysław Bartoszewski, Mosze Bejski, Hrant Dink, Marek Edelman, Bronisław Geremek, Natalia Gorbaniewska, Magdalena Grodzka-Gużkowska, Wilhelm Hosenfeld, Petro Hryhorenko, Julia Ilisińska, Jan Jelinek, Gareth Jones, Jan Karski, Siergiej Adamowicz Kowalow, Roberto Kozak, Rafał Lemkin, Ewelina Lipko-Lipczyńska, Antonia Locatelli, Nelson Mandela, Alfreda Markowska, Hasan Mazhar, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Karol Modzelewski, Stanisław Pietrow, Witold Pilecki, Anna Politkowska, Emanuel Ringelblum, Arsienij Borisowicz Roginski, Raoul Wallenberg, Armin Wegner, Antonina i Aleksander Wyrzykowscy, Liu Xiaobo, Jan Zieja, Adalbert Wojciech Zink, Antonina and Jan Żabińscy.

10th Anniversary of Warsaw’s Garden of the Righteous

The Garden of the Righteous in Warsaw was established in 2014 at the initiative of the History Meeting House and the Gariwo Foundation. It had the support of the Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and the authorities of the Wola District of Warsaw. A partner of the Garden is the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

In 2023, on the 10th anniversary of the European Day of the Righteous, the initiative was transformed into the Garden of the Righteous Foundation, which cares for the Warsaw Garden. Its co-founders are the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and the Gariwo Foundation. At the local level, the Foundation had a close relationship with the Warsaw City Council and the History Meeting House.

The Garden of the Righteous conducts activities in the field of human rights, in particular honouring and promoting the attitudes and biographies of the Righteous who, in Europe and beyond, saved the lives of others or defended human freedom and dignity – during Nazism and Communism, genocides, mass murders and crimes against humanity in the 20th century and still happening today. The Foundation works to democratise the world by supporting and conducting educational activities which serve to build an atmosphere of understanding, trust and respect across national, religious and cultural divides.