News

The International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, part of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, has carried out a successful test of extending its work to prison inmates.

Former Auschwitz prisoners; representatives of the Polish parliament, government, and President; deputies of the European Parliament; members of the diplomatic corps; residents and officials from Oświęcim powiat, invited guests, and all those desirous of taking part in ceremonies marking the liberation of the camp by Red Army soldiers attended commemorative ceremonies on Sunday, January 27. The Polish President, Lech Kaczyński, and Mrs. Kaczyńska were the honorary patrons.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum has published (in Polish) an extensive set of classroom materials for teachers under the title How to Teach about Auschwitz and the Holocaust.

The International Auschwitz Council convened on January 24 at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. The Council approved a report on the year 2007 by Dr. Piotr M.A. Cywiński, director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, who also informed the body about the evolution of plans and the schedule for overhauling the main exhibition, the progress of conservation, research, and educational work, and modifications to the Museum structure....

The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum will commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz at a ceremony on September 27, 2008. This year, the Museum is dedicating the observances to the tragedies of the families of many faiths and ethnic backgrounds that suffered and perished in the camp. The President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, and the First Lady, Maria Kaczyńska, are the honorary patrons of the event.

More than a million people visit the Auschwitz Museum each year. Many of them search for information about family members who lost their lives in the camp. It is highly unusual, however, for a son to recognize his father in one of the photographs—when the father is wearing an SS uniform.