75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UPRISING AT THE GERMAN NAZI EXTERMINATION CAMP IN SOBIBÓR
Agnieszka Kowalczyk-Nowak, State Museum at Majdanek
On October 14, several relatives of former Sobibór extermination camp prisoners, representatives of state and local governments, ambassadors and diplomats, members of associations commemorating Holocaust victims, as well as members of the clergy, met at the Sobibór Memorial and Museum. The event was to commemorate the revolt and escape of prisoners - one of the most important manifestations of Jewish resistance during World War II. The ceremony was organized by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in collaboration with the State Museum at Majdanek.
All images in this article: State Museum at Majdanek
During the commemorations, the Commander's Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland was posthumously awarded to Lejba Felhendler, one of the leaders of the resistance movement in the camp.
The accompanying letter from Polish President Andrzej Duda, addressed to the participants of the ceremony, was read by Wojciech Kolarski, a minister at the Chancellery of the President. 'The Republic of Poland wishes to honor in a unique way Lejba Felhendler, its valiant hero, who along with Aleksander Peczerski, co-headed the uprising in Sobibór,' he read. The award was received by Professor Nicholas Kittri, the niece of Lejba Felhendler.
'You are gathered at a place that is a testimony to a horrible crime as well as a proud resistance and heroic fight for freedom and integrity,' the President recalled.