Prof. Piotr Gliński with ambassador Jakub Kumoch and the director of Pilecki Institute Wojciech Kozłowski
founded during the war the so-called Bern Group - i.e. the then ambassador of the Republic of Poland Aleksander Ładoś, consul Konstanty Rokicki and Jewish activists Chaim Eiss and Abraham Silberschein. He also thanked all the parties involved, in particular, ambassador Jakub Kumoch and honorary consul of the Republic of Poland Mr Markus Blechner, whom he honoured with “the Medal of Merit for Service to Polish Culture”.
Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, the director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, stressed that the Eiss Archive is part of Polish history, Jewish history, as well as the history of Switzerland and all countries of those rescued or who agreed to issue false passports. For this reason, he considered it very important that the exhibition, which opens in Bern, in situ, in relation to that history has become a travelling exhibition not only through Switzerland or Poland but much wider. He also stated that all documents that require preservation would be subjected to conservation at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum laboratory.
Dr Wojciech Kozłowski, the director of the Pilecki Institute, thanked Hanna Radziejowska, the main creator of the exhibition and all the contributing parties.
- All the valuable items from the Eiss Archive are presented in the display cabinet - passports, bills, correspondence between Chaim Eiss and Polish diplomats.