All in one place

A permanent exhibition devoted to the passport campaign conducted by Polish diplomats during World War II was officially opened at the ambassador’s residence at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Bern. “In the 1940s, Aleksander Ładoś’s office was located in this room. He worked here from 1940 to 1945, during the devastating war and the unimaginable crimes of the Holocaust. It was in this office that the idea of ​​forging Paraguayan citizenship was born. It was here that Ładoś discussed the details of the operation with his associates and gave them the green light to start operations that were, as I mentioned, illegal and very risky for political reasons. [...] Through telegrams, the free world was informed about the Holocaust and other German crimes. Help was sent from here. This base of operations served as an information platform between European Jews and the West. No wonder some Swiss Jews consider this building a sacred place many years after the war. We join them in commemorating Aleksander Ładoś and his associates, who saved those who were condemned to extermination only because of their origin. I would like to thank Ambassador Kumoch for bringing to light the history of his predecessor, as well as the Pilecki Institute for preparing the exhibition,” said the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk. The opening of the exhibition was attended by Anna Gutkowska, the deputy director of the Pilecki Institute, Hanna Radziejowska, the head of the Berlin branch of the Pilecki Institute, Dr. Jakub Kumoch, the Polish ambassador to Switzerland, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and representatives of families who were saved thanks to the false passports.