Eye witness

“I am glad that people from all over the world will be able to see this great story and hear about those people who until now were truly silent heroes of the fight for human lives, for human dignity,” said President Andrzej Duda at the opening ceremony of the “Passports” exhibition at the Belweder Palace. In addition, the event was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and National Heritage Prof. Piotr Gliński, the Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage Prof. Magdalena Gawin, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Piotr Cywiński and Polish ambassador to Switzerland Jakub Kumoch. The Pilecki Institute was represented by the director, Dr. Wojciech Kozłowski. The exhibition presents documents from the Eiss Archive, one of the largest collections documenting the rescue efforts of Polish diplomacy for the benefit of the Jews threatened by the Holocaust. They were regained thanks to the joint efforts of the Polish Embassy in Bern, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. The most valuable items from the Eiss Archive were displayed in showcases: passports, bills, and Chaim Eiss’s correspondence with Polish diplomats. There were also letters exchanged by Jews living in ghettos with Abraham Silberschein, who was one of the intermediaries between Polish Jews and the diplomatic mission.