By Alexandra Topolski | Board Member
This September 17th will be the twenty-five-year anniversary of the Kresy-Siberia Foundation.
The date of September 17th was intentionally chosen for the inauguration in 2008, as that was the day the Soviet invasion of Poland began in 1939. Mass deportations, repression and upheaval followed. The residents of Eastern Poland were ripped from their communities, cast into exile, senseless violence, cruelty and exploitation. Those fortunate enough to survive rebuilt their lives and identities, often in new countries.
No wonder that, twenty-five years ago, it was not easy for survivors to talk about their experiences. Their new lives were still lived in the shadow of former lives, and memories remained vivid and hovered close. The Kresy-Siberia Foundation bravely and compassionately went out to help collect their individual experiences.
Listening to and preserving what had happened to these survivors provided an overarching connection and dignity that continues to heal and unite decades later. The Foundation’s founder, Stefan Wisniowski, set out in 2008 to record a part of history that had not been told enough and to promote dialogue and awareness. Today, the Facebook group is an active success, with 2,800 members and growing, while the Kresy-Siberia Virtual Museum has 2,200 registered members.
A quarter of a century later, the Kresy-Siberia Foundation is there for the next generation that wants to make sense of their legacy, and their place in the world. It is a foundation in every sense, a solid and strong base, built with knowledge and care, on which to build. It is a gift to the world.
By Alexandra Topolski | Board Member
By Alexandra Topolski | Board Member
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