On Monday, the British king Karol III visited the center of the Jewish community in Kazimierz in Krakow. He met there with survivors from the Holocaust and refugees from Ukraine. Maintaining the memory of the monstrosity of the past, we shape our future – emphasized the monarch during the meeting.
Karol III He came to Poland in connection with Memorial day about the victims of the Holocaust. The monarch first came to Kraków, where he visited the center of the Jewish community located in the former Jewish district. This is a place that arose on his initiative and which as a prince Wales He personally opened in 2008. Residents were waiting for him in front of the center. After leaving the limousine, the king headed towards them, greeted the hands gathered with a handshake and talked to them briefly.
He met there with members of the Krakow Jewish community. The king sat at the table with the survivors – Zofia Radzikowska, Bernard Offene and Ryszard Orowski. “Your height, do you remember me?” – Zofia Radzikowska turned to King. “Of course yes,” Karol III replied with a smile. Their meeting took place in 2008. On the other hand, Ryszard Orowski Karol, as the prince of Wales, met 23 years ago during his second visit to Poland. Visiting then in Krakow Kazimierz, a meeting with Jews who survived World War II, made a deep impression on the successor of the throne and became the inspiration for the creation of the center of the Jewish community in Krakow. The monarch on Monday also visited the so -called Free Shop, which provides food and necessary articles for refugees. On the spot he met with volunteers operating in this place and talked to two refugees with Ukraine – Victoria Lasna and her daughter Anastasia. Women did not hide his emotion.
The monarch first came to Krakow, where he visited the Kazimierz center of the Jewish community located in the former Jewish districtPAP
Karol III: In Krakow, the Jewish community was reborn with ashes
In a speech crowning a visit to the center of the Jewish community in Krakow, the King of Great Britain emphasized that the testimonies of the survivors tell us, “to enjoy freedom, fight prejudices and never to hesitate to face violence and hatred.” The monarch noticed that, unfortunately, the number of people who survived the Holocaust decreases over time. “The responsibility of memory rests much more on our arms and on the arms of generations that have not yet been born. The very memory of the monstrosity of the past remains very important responsibility, maintaining it, inform our present and shape our future” – said Karol III. – Here, in Krakow, from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish community was reborn, and there is no better symbol of this revival than the center of the Jewish community, in which we gathered today – he added. Karol III also unveiled a plaque commemorating his visit. After meeting with the Krakow Jewish community in Kazimierz, the king went to Oświęcim for the celebration commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. The ceremony organized in the camp is celebrated all over the world as the International Remembrance Day about the victims of the Holocaust, established by the General Assembly UN November 1, 2005
Karol III came to Poland in connection with the Memorial Day about the victims of the HolocaustPAP
First visit after taking the throne
This is the first visit of Karol III on the Vistula after taking the throne in 2022. Earlier, as the prince of Wales, he visited Poland four times, including Kraków three times – in 1993, 2002 and 2008. After a visit to 2002, he took patronage over the center of the Jewish community, a project implemented in Great Britain by World Jewish Relief (WJR). The prince helped the organization, among others in the fundraiser. When, after six years, he and his wife Kamila visited Krakow again, he personally opened the center of the Jewish community in Kazimierz. During the ceremony – welcomed by the Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Shudrich – he nailed a traditional Mezuza on the door of the building. He is also the patron of the building. The main purpose of the British monarch's visit to Poland is to participate in the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp and the extermination of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oświęcim. The presence of Charles III at the celebrations in Oświęcim was confirmed by the Buckingham Palace in mid -January. The event organized in the camp is celebrated as the International Remembrance Day about the victims of the Holocaust, established by the UN General Assembly on November 1, 2005.
Source of the main photo: PAP