B’nai B’rith award honors efforts to preserve Jewish heritage, strengthen relations in Poland

B’nai B’rith International has honored four Polish individuals and institutions for their efforts to preserve Jewish heritage and strengthen Jewish-Polish relations.

The fourth annual Wdzięczność-Gratitude awards were presented today at Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin in Lublin, Poland, recognizing efforts ranging from Holocaust remembrance to combating antisemitism, the organization says.

Roman Catholic priest Wojciech Michał Lemański was recognized for more than two decades of commemorating Holocaust victims at sites including Treblinka and for his advocacy of Polish-Jewish dialogue despite conflicts with church authorities.

Historian and photographer Zbigniew J. Nita was honored for documenting and preserving Jewish heritage through historical research, photography and educational initiatives.

Local activist Jakub Wójcik was recognized for preserving the memory of the Jewish community of Grójec through cemetery restoration, Holocaust commemorations and efforts to document the town’s Jewish history.

An institutional award went to Sitwa Organization, a grassroots initiative that combats antisemitism and anti-Zionism through education, advocacy and public programs.

The awards, established in 2023 in honor of Holocaust survivor Marian Turski, are the first annual honors created by the global Jewish community to recognize Poles for contributions to preserving Jewish heritage and fostering dialogue between Jews and Poles, B’nai B’rith says.