The documentary, filmed in 1985 by distinguished Iranian film maker Khosrow Sinaii, tells the story of the war-time arrival in Iran of hundreds of thousands of Poles released from the Soviet labour camps of Siberia. Ships crammed with emaciated men, women and children arrived at the Caspian port of Anzali almost every day during the months of April and August 1942. Their condition was desperate. Thousands died from malnutrition and typhus on arrival. The healthy young men travelled on to Syria and Lebanon to join the allied forces there. The remainder (mostly women and children) remained in Iranian refugee camps for a further three years, their lives totally transformed in the process. Their reminiscences, as well as the many graves left behind in Tehran, Anzali and Ahvaz, bear testimony to a chapter of Iranian history almost erased from public memory.
Abdol Rahimi filmed the arrival of the exiles in Anzali with his camera. His photographs are the most complete visual record of the event that exists. "They were in bad shape”, he recounts in the documentary, “thin, ill and in rags. A friend of mine, a carpenter, used to make boxes [coffins] for them. About 50 were dying every day."
The events made such an impression on him, that even on his deathbed, he was still recounting to his friends the pitiful state of the refugees. Abdol Rahimi's heroic efforts to document the arrival of the Poles have never been publicly recognized or published
The Documentary “Lost Elegy”, is a priceless Iranian (as well as Polish) historical resource. At present it is gathering dust in the archives of the IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) in Tehran. Its condition is deteriorating rapidly. The film’s director Khosrow Sinaii warned that if nothing was done to restore it the documentary would soon be irretrievably lost to posterity. To date, all requests for prompt action have been met with silence by the film’s producers (IRIB).
Khosrow Sinaii was born in Sari in 1940. He studied film directing and screenwriting at the Academy of the Dramatic Arts in Vienna and music theory at the Vienna Conservatoire. He is famous for his documentaries "In the Alleys of Love", “The Inner Monster”, and “Bride of Fire”. He is married to the Hungarian visual artist Gizella Varga Sinai.
The Iranian Soldier-Bear of Monte Cassino By: Ryszard Antolak, August 2005
After the Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the fiercest and bloodiest conflicts of the Second World War, many accounts emerged of the bravery and heroism of the soldiers. But perhaps the strangest story of all was of an Iranian brown bear who served alongside the allied soldiers in the worst heat of the battle. Despite the incessant bombardment and constant gunfire, the bear carried vital supplies of ammunition and food to his fellow-soldiers fighting on the mountainside. Many observers who witnessed his remarkable actions doubted the reality of what they were seeing. But the story was no legend.
Voytek, The Iranian Soldier-Bear At the time of his death in 1964, he was the most famous bear in the world, visited by countless celebrities and adored by the international press. Books and articles were written about him, statues and plaques commemorated his actions. To the men of the 22nd Transport Company (Artillery Supply) however, he was merely Voytek a remarkable fellow soldier, and their beloved comrade.
He was born in the mountains of Hamadan, in one of the many caves to be found in that dusty mountainous area. At the age of eight weeks his mother was killed by a group of hunters, but he was rescued by a young Iranian boy who thrust him into a hempen sack and set off with him homeward along a narrow dusty path.
Iran at that time was going through one of the unhappier periods of her history. Occupied by the Russians and the British, her relations with the soldiers of those two countries were understandably tense and strained. In April 1942, however, Iran opened its arms to receive hundreds of thousands of Polish citizens (men, women and children) who had been released from the Soviet labour camps of Siberia and Kazakhstan. Having arrived at the port of Pahlevi (now Bandar-e Anzali), they were suffering from various diseases, including malnutrition, and had to be rested in the vast tented city hastily built for them on the shores of the Caspian. When they were well enough to travel, however, they were taken to more substantial military and civilian resettlement camps all over Iran.
Most of the civilians (women and children) were destined to remain as guests of Iran for up to three years. But the able-bodied men were almost immediately sent westwards to join the Polish forces in Lebanon. A long stream of covered trucks left Anzali daily carrying the future soldiers along the narrow twisted roads via Qazvin, Hamadan and Kermanshah to the borders of Iraq and beyond.
It was on one of the narrow mountain roads somewhere between Hamadan and Kangavar, that the trucks were brought to an abrupt halt by the sight of a small Iranian boy carrying a bulky sack. He looked tired and hungry, so the men offered him a billy-can of meat. And as he ate, they gasped in astonishment as the sack beside him began to move and the head of a honey-coloured bear cub emerged sleepily into the sunlight.
Although none of the men could understand Farsi, the boy was able to indicate by his actions that he had found the bear cub whimpering outside one of the caves, its mother having been shot by a hunter. The orphaned cub was in poor condition and it was almost certain he would not survive the day. One of the men, therefore, offered to buy the orphaned cub for a few toumans. Someone else fumbled for a bar of chocolate and a tin of corned beef to give him. Another took from his pocket an army penknife that opened up like a flower. The boy smiled, pocketed the offerings and disappeared forever from their lives.
A feeding bottle had to be hastily improvised from an empty bottle of vodka into which a handkerchief had been stuffed to serve as a teat. They filled it with condensed milk, diluted it with a little water, and gave it to the little bear to drink. When he had finished it, he crept up close to one of the soldiers for warmth and fell asleep on his chest. The soldier s name was Piotr (Peter) and he became forever afterward, the bear s closest and most enduring friend.
The cub clung desperately to his substitute mother all through the tortured journey across Persia, Iraq and Jordan, along vast distances that seemed to loose heart and succumb to the despair of barrenness. Sometimes the man would lock the bear in the warmth of his greatcoat so that it became part of him. In the evenings, as he sat with the other men around the fire telling tales late into the night, the bear cub would be rocked to sleep in the sound of his immense laughter. In time, the orphan lost himself in the lives of these strangers and entangled himself completely in the rhythms and cadences of their speech. From that time onwards he became wholly theirs: body, will and soul.
Voytek, The Iranian Soldier-Bear with a soldier of 22nd Transport Division (Artillery Supply) of the Polish 2nd Army Corps In this way, Voytek the Iranian brown bear from Hamadan entered the lives of the soldiers of the Second Polish Army Corps, transforming all their destinies.
In the months that followed, he won over the hearts of all who met him. The soldiers, who had all endured the horrors and hardships of Siberia, needed something in their lives to love, and the presence of Voytek was a wonderful tonic for their morale. Despite his brute strength, which grew day by day, he was always an amiable and a gentle giant. The soldiers treated him from the start as one of their own company and never as a pet. They shared their food with him, allowed him to sleep in their tents at night and included him in all their activities. If the unit was ordered to march out, he would march with them on two legs like a soldier. When they were being transported to some distant location, he would ride in the front seat of the jeeps (or transport wagons) to the great amazement of passers-by. More than anything, however, he loved to wrestle with the soldiers, taking on three or four of them at a time. Sometimes he was even gracious enough to allow them the courtesy of winning. Over the next few years, he shared all their fortunes, and went with them wherever they were posted throughout the Middle East. He grew to be almost six feet tall and weighed 500 pounds.
In early 1944, the men of Voytek s unit were ordered embark for Italy to join the Allied advance on Rome. The British authorities gave strict instructions that no animals were to accompany them. The Poles therefore enrolled Voytek into the army as a rank-and-file member of their company and duly waved the relevant papers in front of the British officers on the dockside at Alexandria. Faced with such impeccable credentials, the British shrugged their shoulders and waved the bear aboard. In this way, Voytek the Iranian bear became an enlisted soldier in the 22nd Transport Division (Artillery Supply) of the Polish 2nd Army Corps.
Monte Cassino was the strategic key to the allied advance on Rome. Three bloody attempts by the British, Americans, Indians, French and New Zealanders to dislodge the enemy from the famous hill-top monastery had failed. In April 1944, the Polish forces were sent in. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Much of the fighting was at close quarters. The shelling, which continued night and day without interval, scarred and cratered the landscape until it resembled the pock-marked surface of the moon.
The symbol of the 22nd Transport Division (Artillery Supply) of the Polish 2nd Army Corps During the most crucial phase of the battle, when pockets of men were cut off on the mountainside desperately in need of supplies, Voytek, who all this time had been watching his comrades frantically loading heavy boxes of ammunition, came over to the trucks, stood on his hind legs in front of the supervising officer and stretched out his paws toward him. It was as if he was saying: I can do this. Let me help you . The officer handed the animal the heavy box and watched in wonder as Voytek loaded it effortlessly onto the truck. Backwards and forwards he continued, time and time again, carrying heavy shells, artillery boxes and food sacks from truck to truck, from one waiting man to another, effortlessly. The deafening noise of the explosions and gunfire did not seem to worry him. Each artillery box held four 23 lbs live shells; some even weighed more than a hundred. He never dropped a single one. And still he went on repeatedly, all day and every day until the monastery was finally taken. One of the soldiers happened to sketch a picture of Voytek carrying a large artillery shell in his arms, and this image became the symbol of the 22nd artillery transport, worn proudly on the sleeves of their uniforms ever afterwards and emblazoned on all the unit s vehicles.
Now famous, he completed his tour of duty in Italy and when the war was over, he sailed the Polish Army to exile in Scotland. Here, once again, he found himself a celebrity. In Glasgow, people lined the streets in their thousands to catch sight of the famous soldier-bear marching upright in step with his comrades.
Voytek s last days, however, were steeped in sadness. In 1947, the Polish army in Scotland was demobilized and a home had to be found for him to live out his retirement.
Although he was world-famous, the bear of Monte Cassino was forced to spent his last years behind bars in Edinburgh s Zoological gardens. Artists came to sketch him and sculptors to make statues of him. Sometimes his old army friends arrived to visit him, leaping over the barriers to wrestle and play with him in the bear enclosure (to the utter horror of all the visitors and zoo officials). But he did not take well to captivity, and as the years passed, he increasingly preferred to stay indoors, refusing to meet anyone.
I was lucky enough to see him just before his death in 1963. He was sitting at the back of his large enclosure, silent and immobile. It was said that he was sulking, angry at being abandoned by those he had loved. Others said he was merely showing the symptoms of old age. None of the shouts from his assembled visitors seemed to catch his attention. But when I called out to him in Polish, something seemed to stir in him at last, and he turned his head towards me as if in recognition.
He died in Edinburgh at the age of 22 on 15th November 1963. A plaque was erected in his memory by the zoo authorities. Statues of him were placed in the Imperial War Museum in London and in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. But although he had entered the pages of military history, the Iranian soldier-bear of Monte Cassino would have preferred to remain in the company of the soldiers with whom he had shared five years of war and countless memories of devoted companionship.
'Soldier Bear' was adopted in the Middle East by Polish troops in 1943 - IRAN
'Soldier Bear' was adopted in the Middle East by Polish troops in 1943 - IRAN
Honour sought for 'Soldier Bear' was adopted in the Middle East by Polish troops in 1943 - IRAN Voytek was billeted in the Borders (Imperial War Museum) Archive footage A campaign has been launched to build a permanent memorial to a bear which spent much of its life in Scotland - after fighting in World War II. The bear - named Voytek - was adopted in the Middle East by Polish troops in 1943, becoming much more than a mascot.
The large animal even helped their armed forces to carry ammunition at the Battle of Monte Cassino.
Voytek - known as the Soldier Bear - later lived near Hutton in the Borders and ended his days at Edinburgh Zoo.
He was found wandering in the hills of Iran by Polish soldiers in 1943.
He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer - he drank a bottle of beer like any man Augustyn Karolewski
They adopted him and as he grew he was trained to carry heavy mortar rounds.
When Polish forces were deployed to Europe the only way to take the bear with them was to "enlist" him.
So he was given a name, rank and number and took part in the Italian campaign.
He saw action at Monte Cassino before being billeted - along with about 3,000 other Polish troops - at the army camp in the Scottish Borders.
The soldiers who were stationed with him say that he was easy to get along with.
"He was just like a dog - nobody was scared of him," said Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, who still lives near the site of the camp.
"He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer - he drank a bottle of beer like any man."
When the troops were demobilised, Voytek spent his last days at Edinburgh Zoo.
Mr Karolewski went back to see him on a couple of occasions and found he still responded to the Polish language.
"I went to Edinburgh Zoo once or twice when Voytek was there," he said.
"And as soon as I mentioned his name he would sit on his backside and shake his head wanting a cigarette.
"It wasn't easy to throw a cigarette to him - all the attempts I made until he eventually got one."
Voytek was a major attraction at the zoo until his death in 1963.
Eyemouth High School teacher Garry Paulin is now writing a new book, telling the bear's remarkable story.
'Totally amazing'
Local campaigner Aileen Orr would like to see a memorial created at Holyrood to the bear she says was part of both the community and the area's history.
She first heard about Voytek as a child from her grandfather, who served with the King's Own Scottish Borderers.
"I thought he had made it up to be quite honest but it was only when I got married and came here that I knew in fact he was here, Voytek was here," she said.
"When I heard from the community that so few people knew about him I began to actually research the facts.
"It is just amazing, the story is totally amazing."
Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7208505.stm
خرس ایرانی، سرباز ارتش لهستان در دوران جنگ جهانی دوم بیشتر از 3000 سرباز لهستانی نزدیک شهر هاتن در کنار مرز اسکاتلند مستقر بودند که در میان این سربازها یکی شان بیشتر مورد توجه قرار داشت، او "وویچک"، خرس ایرانی بود.
این خرس در جنگ های مختلف در اروپا و خاورمیانه همراه دیگر سربازان شرکت داشت.
این خرس را سربازان لهستانی در سال 1943 در کوه دره های ایران یافته و برای حمل خمپاره های سنگین آموزش داده بودند.
وقتی نیروهای مسلح لهستانی برای جنگ در اروپا مستقر شدند، تنها راهی که می توانستد وویچک را با خود به اروپا ببرند این بود که رسماً این خرس را برای خدمت در ارتش ثبت نام کنند.
بنابراین، به او نام و درجه و نمره مخصوص ارتشی دادند و بعد او را سوار کشتی و روانه ایتالیا کردند.
پس از شرکت در نبرد موته کازینو در ایتالیا به او نشان افتخار (سربازی) لهستان دادند.
اگوستین کارولوفسکی، کهنه سرباز لهستانی که در زمان جنگ جهانی دوم همراه با وویچک در پایگاهی نظامی نزدیک مرز اسکاتلند مستقر بوده، خاطرات خوبی از او دارد.
یکی از آن خاطرات این است که کسی از وويچک واهمه نداشت، او خیلی با سربازان براحتی انس می گرفت، حتی وویچک گاه گداری با سربازان آبجو می نوشید و سیگار هم می کشید.
بعد از پایان جنگ، وویچک را به باغ وحش شهر ادینبورگ، پایتخت اسکاتلند منتقل کردند و او تا هنگام مرگش در سال 1963، مورد توجه بازدیدکنندگان از باغ وحش بود.
The hero bear who went to war (and loved a smoke and a beer) By BETH HALE - More by this author »
Last updated at 22:23pm on 25th January 2008
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Like any soldier, he loved to relax with a cigarette and a bottle of beer when out of the firing line.
But in the heat of battle, he became an inspiring figure - bravely passing ammunition along to supply the guns.
All the men in the Second Polish Transport Company agreed that the recruit they called Voytek was the perfect comrade.
Scroll down for more ...
Voytek in the zoo: He soldiered on there until 1963
As for Voytek, he was just happy to be part of the unit... ever ready to lend a helping paw.
The 250lb brown bear, standing more than 6ft tall, was possibly the most remarkable combatant of the Second World War, seeing action amid the hell of Monte Cassino in Italy.
After the war, he and his fellow troops were billeted in Scotland and he lived out his days in Edinburgh Zoo, dying in 1963.
Now a campaign is under way to build a permanent memorial to the remarkable animal who fought so valiantly for the Allied forces.
Voytek was just a tiny bundle of fur when he was discovered wandering in the hills of Iran by the Poles when they were driving towards Palestine in 1943.
Having lost his mother, he attached himself to the men, who fed him on condensed milk and gave him an old washing up bowl to sleep in.
Voytek soon took on many human characteristics, crying when left alone and covering his eyes with his paws if chastised.
As he grew, he became a key member of the unit, being trained to carry mortar shells.
In the heat of summer, he reportedly learned to work the shower of the unit's bath hut.
On one occasion, Voytek was delighted to find the door ajar - and discovered an Arab who was spying for a raiding party.
The intruder confessed all, and the enemy were rounded up. Hailed a hero, Voytek was given two bottles of beer and allowed to spend all morning splashing happily in the bath hut.
When the Poles were deployed to Italy in 1944 to supply Allied troops with desperately-needed food and ammunition, the only way to take their furry friend with them was to officially enlist him - so he was given a name, rank and number.
As the bitter battle for the monastery of Monte Cassino was fought, the bear travelled in the munitions trucks, his head hanging out of the window, ignoring almost constant shellfire.
Cradling 25lb shells or boxes of ammunition in his arms, he would effortlessly pass them down the line. Off-duty, he loved a bottle of beer, a cigarette and to wrestle with the men - in between raids on the cookhouse.
At the end of the war, the transport company was stationed in the village of Hutton, Berwickshire, where Voytek became a local legend.
"He was like a big dog, no one was scared of him," said Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, 82, who still lives near the site of the camp.
"He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer - he drank a bottle of beer like any man." When the troops were demobilised, Voytek moved to Edinburgh Zoo.
Mr Karolewski went to see him and found he still responded to the Polish language.
"As soon as I mentioned his name, he would sit on his backside and shake his head, wanting a cigarette.
"It wasn't easy to throw a cigarette to him - I made several attempts until he got one."
Teacher Garry Paulin has written a book, Voytek - The Soldier Bear, which will be published next month.
Aileen Orr, who lives in Hutton, is campaigning for a memorial. "The story is totally amazing and it would be good if we could have some memorial in Scotland, perhaps at Holyrood, to celebrate the bear's life," she said.
And like any other combatant, he is even said to have had an official name, rank and number.
Now a campaign is underway to build a permanent British memorial to the remarkable bear who fought so valiantly for the Allied forces and lived out his final days in Edinburgh Zoo.
Voytek was just a tiny bundle of fur when he was discovered wandering in the hills of Iran by the Second Polish Transport Company when they were driving through Persia towards Palestine in 1943.
Having lost his mother, he immediately attached himself to the men who fed him on condensed milk and gave him an old washing-up bowl to sleep in.
Voytek was found by soldiers when he was just a cub but he soon became attached to the troops
Voytek soon took on many human characteristics, including crying like a baby whenever his master left him and covering his eyes with his great paws when he was chastised.
Little wonder that the troops adopted him, and soon found he could be a useful addition. As he grew he was trained to carry heavy mortar rounds.
Story has it that in the heat of summer he learned to work the shower, and used it so often that the Nissen hut had to be locked to prevent him exhausting the water supply.
On one occasion, Voytek was delighted to find the door ajar. Entering the bear discovered a cowering Arab who had come to spy out the lie of the land for a raiding party, intending to steal all the weapons and ammunition.
The spy confessed all, the raiding party were rounded up, and Voytek became a hero. He was given two bottles of beer and allowed to spend all morning splashing happily in the bath hut.
Voytek the 'soldier bear' was a secret weapon used by the Polish troops in World War II When Polish forces were deployed to Europe the only way to take the bear with them was to enlist him. He was given a name, rank and number and when the Polish II Corps arrived in Italy in 1944 to supply their own and British frontline soldiers with desperately needed ammunition and food, Voytek was their secret weapon.
Despite almost constant heavy fire, Voytek travelled in the munitions trucks, his head hanging out of the window.
He helped the supply side by cradling 25lb shells or boxes of ammunition in his arms and passing them down the line.
Off-duty, he loved nothing more than a bottle of beer, a cigarette and to wrestle with the men - in between raids on the cookhouse.
By the end of the war, Voytek had become a symbol of ursine courage, but his country was under Soviet domination, so he travelled with other Polish troops to Scotland and the Berwickshire village of Hutton.
Soldiers who were stationed with him say that he was easy to get along with.
Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, 82, who still lives near the site of the camp in Berwickshire, said: 'He was like a big dog, no-one was scared of him.
"He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer - he drank a bottle of beer like any man."
When the troops were demobilised, Voytek spent his last days at Edinburgh Zoo, where died in 1963.
Mr Karolewski went back to see him on a couple of occasions and found he still responded to the Polish language.
He explained: "I went to Edinburgh Zoo once or twice when Voytek was there.
"As soon as I mentioned his name he would sit on his backside and shake his head wanting a cigarette. "It wasn't easy to throw a cigarette to him - all the attempts I made until he eventually got one."
Teacher Garry Paulin has written a book Voytek -The Soldier Bear, which will be published next month. Campaigner Aileen Orr, who lives in the village of Hutton, said she first heard about Voytek as a child from her grandfather who served with the King's Own Scottish Borderers.
She said: "I thought he had made it up to be quite honest but it was only when I got married and came here that I knew in fact he was here, Voytek was here.
"It is just amazing, the story is totally amazing and it would be good if we could have some memorial in Scotland, perhaps at Holyrood, to celebrate the bear's life."
Polityczna pornografia Grossa Prof. Bogusław Wolniewicz
Polityczna pornografia Grossa Nasz Dziennik, 2008-01-24 Nie miałem złudzeń co do rządów Tuska. Tu się różniłem z profesorem Jerzym Robertem Nowakiem, gdyż uważałem, że trzeba temu rządowi dać na początek kredyt zaufania. Żeby pokazał czynem, co naprawdę zamierza, bez tej przedwyborczej gadaniny. Otóż upłynęły dwa miesiące i ten rząd rzeczywiście już pokazał, co zamierza - muszę powiedzieć, że przeszedł moje najgorsze oczekiwania. Nie miałem złudzeń, ale tego się jednak nie spodziewałem. Wygląda na to, iż ten rząd ma dwa priorytety. Pierwszy to zniszczyć Radio Maryja - to już pokazał, od tego zaczął swą polityczną działalność. Zniszczyć Radio Maryja, czyli zagwarantować monopol medialny lewackiemu libertyństwu, który zakłóca Radio Maryja.
Drugi priorytet tego rządu nazwałbym kontrreformą. Czyli anulowanie, zlikwidowanie, wymazanie prób podjętych przez rząd poprzedniej koalicji, zmierzających - może nie zawsze najbardziej umiejętnie - w kierunku naprawy państwa. Po pierwsze, pan minister Ziobro dążył do przywrócenia w sądownictwie elementarnej praworządności. Obecny minister, pan Ćwiąkalski, staje na głowie, żeby wyrwać z korzeniami to, co Ziobro zdziałał. W szkolnictwie celem było przywrócenie dyscypliny ucznia - elementarny warunek wszelkiego wychowania - który słusznie forsował pan minister Giertych. Teraz chcą to wymazać do zera. W administracji rząd dążył do ograniczenia korupcji urzędniczej i miał na tym polu pewne sukcesy. Ograniczeniu korupcji przez możliwość szantażu, co jest śmiertelnym niebezpieczeństwem dla każdego państwa, służyć miała między innymi lustracja. A tu widzę, że może być tak, jak za Gierka: zielone światło dla korupcji. To, że kontrreforma idzie na całego, tego się nie spodziewałem, ale to jeszcze od biedy mogę sobie wytłumaczyć, bo wiem, jacy ludzie to robią. Jak obejrzałem tych ministrów, tę plejadę naszych nowych wodzów, mogłem sobie wyobrazić, czego się można po nich spodziewać. Ale nie mogę zrozumieć, dlaczego Polakom podoba się to, że niszczy się próby podjęte przez poprzedni rząd, zmierzające do naprawy państwa. Rozumiałbym, gdyby powiedziano: Ziobro zrobił tak, a można by to zrobić lepiej, albo: Giertych tak, a teraz Hall zrobi to lepiej. Ale nie, wszystko się anuluje i wykreśla. I Polakom, których, jak słyszę, połowa jest za Platformą Obywatelską, to się podoba. Można tylko powiedzieć: dziwny ten Naród. Tyle na temat rządu. A teraz co do sprawy wydania książki "Strach" Jana T. Grossa. To jest tylko jeden ruch, sztych wielkiej operacji politycznej, w której on jest jedynie gorliwym pionkiem. Nie o niego tu chodzi. Ta operacja ma dwa kierunki strategiczne: antychrześcijański i antypolski. Forsuje się propagandowo na cały świat dwie tezy, tak samo monstrualne, jak monstrualne było kłamstwo katyńskie, że to Niemcy mordowali naszych oficerów pod Smoleńskiem czy w Charkowie, czy w Miednoje. Teza pierwsza ma charakter właśnie antychrześcijański: próbuje się wmówić światu, że moralną odpowiedzialność za zagładę Żydów europejskich w czasie II wojny światowej ponosi chrześcijaństwo, a szczególnie Kościół katolicki. (Tak np. z głupia frant mówi się, że "wszyscy żydobójcy byli ochrzczeni" - jakby z tego coś wynikało.) Druga teza - antypolska - sformułowana bez ogródek, że bezpośrednimi sprawcami zagłady Żydów europejskich byli z jednej strony bliżej nieokreśleni naziści, a z drugiej bardzo dokładnie określeni narodowościowo Polacy. Żydów wymordowali naziści i Polacy - tak trąbi propaganda. I temu celowi służy także książka Grossa. Ale to jest tylko jeden ruch czy sztych w tej akcji. Książka Grossa i poparcie, jakie jej zostało udzielone, nawet zachwyt, z jakim została przyjęta przez wiele środowisk Żydów amerykańskich, tych z Brooklynu, pokazuje jedną rzecz. Może ojciec i pan profesor się ze mną nie zgodzą, ale przekonanie moje jest takie: książka Grossa i jej wzięcie w środowiskach żydowskich pokazują, że wielka, historyczna inicjatywa Jana Pawła II, by doprowadzić do istotnej poprawy w stosunkach chrześcijańsko-żydowskich przez wzajemne uznanie przez obie strony - chrześcijańską i żydowską - także pewnych racji drugiej strony, się nie powiodła. Ta inicjatywa spaliła na panewce z powodu braku wzajemności z drugiej strony. Książka Grossa jest tego tylko miniprzykładem. I tu mam jedną małą rozbieżność z panem profesorem Jerzym Robertem Nowakiem. Pan profesor w pierwszej części audycji powiedział, że Gross zaszkodził "dość owocnemu" dialogowi polsko-żydowskiemu. Ja sądzę, iż Gross żadnemu dialogowi nie zaszkodził, bo takiego dialogu nie było. Były tylko pozory. Strona żydowska chętnie przyjmowała pewne ustępstwa z naszej strony, sama nie czyniąc żadnych. Jeżeli ktoś uważa, że to nieprawda, co powiedziałem, to proszę o jeden przykład uznania z tamtej strony ich przewinień wobec strony chrześcijańskiej. Gross kilka dni temu twierdził na antenie radia TOK FM, przedstawiając stanowisko tamtej strony, że Żydzi "nikomu nic nie zawinili". To znaczy, oni mają tytuł do pretensji do wszystkich dookoła, ze świętym Kościołem rzymskokatolickim na czele, a oni nic nikomu nie zawinili. Przecież przy takim założeniu nie może być mowy o żadnym dialogu. W dialogu potrzebna jest wola porozumienia obu stron. Przepiękną ilustracją tego jest "produkt" Grossa. Tu nie ma woli porozumienia. Tu jest wola czy chęć postawienia nam nogi na twarz. Tak się ustawiwszy, mogą z nami rozmawiać. Tyle jeśli chodzi o tezę pierwszą - antychrześcijańską. Co do tezy drugiej, że Polacy są jakoby współwinowajcami, a nawet głównymi współwinowajcami zagłady Żydów europejskich, ojciec Dariusz powiedział nadzwyczaj trafnie: że wnosząc z książki Grossa, wygląda na to, iż to Polacy sprowokowali II wojnę światową po to, aby pozbyć się Żydów i wypędzić Niemców, i przejąć ich mienie. To właśnie chce się wmówić światu. Otóż książka Grossa, która tę tezę głosi, jest poznawczo bezwartościowa. Słyszałem, że jacyś Polacy ją kupują, i to podobno masowo. Nie wiem, po co ją kupują, chyba że kupują ją jako polityczną pornografię. Pornografia polityczna polega bowiem na tym, iż się szczuje przeciwko sobie dwa narody - Polaków na Żydów i Żydów na Polaków - przez drastyczne obrazy, którymi ekscytuje się wyobraźnię, nie troszcząc się o ich prawdziwość. To jest pornografia podobna do tej, jaka była w Streicherowskim "Stürmerze". Ten sam duch z tego wieje: ekscytowanie wyobraźni, tylko oczywiście w innym kierunku. Przykład tego ekscytowania bez dbałości, czy to jest prawda, czy nie, mieliśmy w owej audycji radia TOK FM z 16 stycznia. Redaktor, który prowadził audycję, zakwestionował u Grossa to, co on mówił o udziale Kurasia "Ognia" [Józef Kuraś - jeden z dowódców podziemia niepodległościowego po wojnie] i jego oddziału, a mianowicie, że Kuraś powiedział o Żydach coś, co by go kompromitowało: "Ależ proszę pana - powiedział prowadzący audycję dziennikarz - to, co pan tam cytuje jako historyczną wypowiedź, to jest zmyślenie Władysława Machejka z powieści ťWczoraj przeszedł tu huraganŤ". I na to Gross odpowiedział: "Jeżeli to nie jest prawdą, to zostało dobrze zmyślone. To jest nieprawda trafiona, bo Kuraś tak właśnie myślał". Gross wie, jak Kuraś myślał, lepiej niż sam Kuraś. Otóż to jest właśnie to, co nazywam polityczną pornografią. Niektórzy mówią, że wydanie takiej książki, złośliwie znieważającej Polaków i chrześcijan w ogóle, przez polskie i katolickie wydawnictwo Znak jest skandalem. To nie jest skandal, to jest łajdactwo. A tym, który się tego łajdactwa dopuścił, jest pan Henryk Woźniakowski z Krakowa. To nazwisko my, Polacy, powinniśmy zapamiętać. Antypolska i antykatolicka działalność takiego wydawnictwa jak Znak jest trudna do pojęcia, ale jeszcze trudniejsze do pojęcia jest dla mnie to, co usłyszałem dzisiaj od pana profesora Nowaka. A mianowicie, że rektor Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, samego serca polskiej kultury, organizuje spotkanie z tym hochsztaplerem i naszym wrogiem Janem Tomaszem Grossem, i tak go chce nobilitować. Publikacja Grossa w Polsce miała i ma jeden podstawowy cel: uwierzytelnić tę książkę w oczach Zachodu. Powiedzą przecież: "Patrzcie, wydali ją sami Polacy, katolicy. Czyżby jakikolwiek naród był na tyle nierozumny, by wydawać taką książkę o sobie samym, gdyby jej nie akceptował?". To wydanie posłuży za dowód prawdziwości. Poza wszystkim innym dowód ten to cios w plecy zadany przez Polaków amerykańskiej Polonii. Amerykańska Polonia to nie są wprawdzie już nasi rodacy, bo to nie są Polacy, lecz Amerykanie polskiego pochodzenia. Uznajemy to, tak powinno być. Ale to są nasi pobratymcy, którzy stoją pod stałym obstrzałem tych z Brooklynu. Te wszystkie kawały o Polakach, tzw. polish jokes, które przedstawiają Polaków jako ostatnich głupców i prymitywów, stamtąd przecież wychodzą. Polonia, która jest pod takim obstrzałem propagandowym, próbuje się jakoś bronić przed krzywdzącymi ją zarzutami, że Polacy są tacy, jak ich przedstawia Gross. A tu wydawnictwo Znak i rektor Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego chcą im wytrącić broń z ręki. Naszym pobratymcom jesteśmy winni wsparcie, a nie dywersję. Już raz zrobiliśmy im dywersję, pan profesor pamięta, jak polskie MSZ w styczniu wydało tę haniebną pro-Grossowską książczynę. I teraz my się znowu do tego ataku na Polonię przyłączamy! Gdybym był Amerykaninem polskiego pochodzenia, tego bym nie darował. Wypowiedź w audycji "Minął miesiąc" z udziałem prof. Jerzego Roberta Nowaka, Radio Maryja, 19 stycznia 2008 r.
Special Operations Command, More Miltary Aid for Beirut
By RIAD KAHWAJI
DUBAI, UAE — The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has begun to establish a joint Special Operations command to group the military’s elite units. “The Lebanese Special Operations Command is being structured, and staffing has started after a commander was selected to head the job,” a senior Lebanese military official said. Lebanese Special Operations forces will include the airborne brigade, the Commandos Regiment, the Sea Commandos Regiment and the military intelligence Counter-Sabotage Regiment, which also handles terrorism, the official said. “The initial size of the force will be around 5,000 troops, which is just under the strength of two brigades,” he said. “But the ultimate goal is to build the force to be two to three brigades within few years.” Lebanese defense analysts hailed the move as necessary and overdue. “The threats facing Lebanon are mostly asymmetrical in nature involving armed militias and extremists entrenched in Palestinian refugee camps,” said Ahmed Temsah, a Beirut defense analyst and retired Lebanese Air Force brigadier general. “So the elite units would be better suited and properly armed to confront such challenges than regular troops.” Operationally, the LAF has been relatively unaffected by the country’s political turmoil, going about its business professionally, the senior Lebanese military official said. Yet the LAF chief, Lt. Gen. Michel Suleiman, may soon become embroiled in politics. After President Emile Lahoud’s term ended Nov. 24, rival Lebanese political factions and the League of Arab States nominated Suleiman to take the job. But the Lebanese constitution forbids a senior civil service employee and military officers to run for elections. The factions behind Suleiman’s nomination have yet to agree on the political process that would amend the constitution and bring him into office. Suleiman paid a Jan. 14 visit to the Special Operations training base in Roumieh, watching a joint exercise by troops from the Commandos Regiments and the Counter-Sabotage Regiment. “The LAF today is more unified and more immune to internal divisions than before because of the sacrifices in blood its troops made in battles with terrorism last year,” he told the troops afterwards. Suleiman was referring to the three-month battles between the LAF and al-Qaida-affiliated extremists of Fatah Al-Islam at the Palestinian Nahr Al-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon. More Aid Poland became the latest of several Western and Arab countries to pledge military aid to Lebanon with a promise to deliver by March $12 million in ammunition, including some for the LAF’s Soviet-built T-54/55 tanks, 130mm guns, 120mm mortars and multiple-rocket launchers, the military official said. A Belgian promise to sell 40 Leopard 1 tanks and 32 YPR armored infantry fighting vehicles to Beirut is expected to become reality soon, now that a government needed to endorse the deal has formed in Brussels. The latest batch of U.S. materiel, 100 two-and-half-ton trucks, arrived on Dec. 22. “By the end of January 2008, the U.S. will have provided 200 cargo trucks with more expected throughout 2008,” said a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. “In addition, the U.S. recently provided to the LAF ammunition worth more than $3.5 million, fulfilling a request made by the government of Lebanon. In the past two years, the U.S. has provided more than $271 million dollars in grant assistance to the LAF.” Sources at the LAF expect the U.S. aid to continue as strong in 2008 and anticipate the value of the new aid package to be in the range of $200 million. U.S. Embassy officials could not confirm this figure or say how much would be given. Wojciech Winnik was born in Poland on 1st October 1917.
When the war broke out I was a farmer married to Anna (1938) and working on my family’s land. In February 1940 my wife and I and the rest of our family were transported to Russia.
In April 1942 we were released and made our way with others to Persia (Iran). Here I was called up to join the Polish Free Army. The army went on to Palestine and Iraq to be trained by the Allies, mainly British and then took part in the fighting in Italy at Monte Cassino, Bolognia and Ancora.
The families and dependants of the soldiers and others released from internment by the Russians were sent on to East Africa, India, Lebanon and Palestine, wherever there were places offered by those countries. The British dispersed these people to safe places.
At the end of the war I went to England in 1946 with the rest of the 2nd Corps, 3rd Division, Carpathian Rifle Brigade.
I was demobbed in 1947, found work and was then reunited with my wife Anna who had been in South Africa. We were housed with our first born in 1948 at a resettlement camp near Colchester. The families and dependants were brought over to join the soldiers returning from duty in Europe or ending their service in the Army.
I was awarded medals for fighting during the war and hold the Defence Medal with Silver Laurel Leaves with the Kings Commendation for brave conduct.
From here I moved to Marsworth Camp near Tring, where I found work and settled in Dunstable where I eventually bought a house. I am an active member of the Polish community today. CONFERENCE ON "FORCED MIGRATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AFTER WWII " IN WARSAW, 19 MAY 2007
On 19 May 2007, "Collegium Civitas" and "Ibn Khaldun Institute" organized a Conference on Forced Migration in the Middle East after World War II in which many officials and scholars participated. The Embassy of Lebanon was represented by the Charge d'Affaires Mr. Kabalan Frangieh who gave a speech about the Lebanese experience in this field. The Conference was organized to shed the light on issues of migration in the Middle East and namely the migration of Polish people to the Middle East during and after World War II. Below is the text of the speech given by Mr. Frangieh on this occasion.
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Conference on Forced Migration in the Middle East after WW II
Speech BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES a.i. of Lebanon KABALAN FRANGIEH IN "COLLEGIUM CIVITAS" 19 May 2007
Distinguished President of Collegium Civitas,
Distinguished Director of Ibn Khaldoun Istitute
Distinguished Professors and Students of the Collegium,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to have been invited today by Ibn Khaldoun Institute and Collegium Civitas to speak about the migration in the Middle East and Lebanon in particular. Allow me first to thank Professor Zagórski and his entire staff for organizing this conference which will shed the light on the problems of migration in the Middle East.
Raising the consciousness on problems has always been part of the solution. I will first speak on the Migration from Lebanon and the different waves of emigrants from it and then of the migration to Lebanon, namely the polish immigrants who came to Lebanon during and after World War II.
Lebanon's image in the world, especially in the aftermath of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005 has not been a bright one.
This tragedy and the resulting political upheaval are indicative of Lebanon's continued transition after a prolonged civil war. The current political events overshadow a naturally open, beautiful, hospitable and historic country, the small size of which is not at all related to the accomplishments it has achieved over time.
Lebanon has made significant contributions to world civilization.
Our forefathers the Phoenicians are very well known for developing navigational skills more than four thousand years ago that allowed them at the time to reach areas far away from their bases.
Throughout history, Lebanese people were known to have migrated extensively both under the form of voluntary migration and involuntary migration. Indeed that explains why the population of Lebanon is now about 3.750.000 while there are more than 12.000.000 people of Lebanese origin living abroad.
IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT THE LEBANESE EMIGRATION IS A PHENOMENON IN ITSELF.
In fact, Lebanon has witnessed four main waves of emigration:
1_ The first one was in the late 1800s, during the rule of the Ottoman Empire which occupied Lebanon and the whole Middle East from the 16th century until the end of World War I in the 20th century, when many thousands of Lebanese Christians began their emigration from the Middle East to the Americas and to West Africa and Australia in order to escape the persecution and oppression.
2_The second wave was due to the hard economic conditions imposed on the region before and during World War I which prompted Lebanese from all religions to emigrate. And then The new favorable conditions of life encountered by the emigrants encouraged more to emigrate to the new world.
3- The third one was after the end of World War II, when a new wave of emigration took place because of economic hardships and especially because of the creation of Israel in 1948 and the wars launched by Israel and the political instability throughout the region. It is estimated that in the first half of the 20th century, almost one third of the population of Lebanon left. And Lebanese people now constitute an integral component of the populations of Latin America, the United States, Canada and Australia.
4_ The fourth wave was due to the civil war that occurred in Lebanon between 1975 and 1990 which caused a new flow of Lebanese emigration which included people from all religious affiliations. The Arab Gulf and Saudi Arabia in particular were the favorite destination for tens of thousands of Lebanese emigrants.
Thanks to their remittances, the balance of payements of Lebanon was always positive throughout the civil war and the Lebanese economy was and still is able to overcome a lot of its hardships.
Today, every country in the world has Lebanese or people of Lebanese origin living on its soil, be it in Europe, Africa, America or the most remote island. And as I speak there are a lot of young Lebanese men and women thinking or planning to emigrate to one of the corners of this world.
Of course there are a few hundred Lebanese community members who live now in Poland. Most of those are graduates of Polish universities and are married to Polish women. They are well integrated in the Polish society and they also are an important pillar in the relations between our two nations.
On the other hand, Lebanon has also received immigrants throughout history who have settled down and formed communities that constitute now the diverse social and religious tissue of Lebanon which is considered for some the country of minorities living together side by side.
In the last century most immigrants to Lebanon came from countries in the Middle East such as Palestine and Syria and from more far away countries such as Armenia and Poland.
Lebanon has been known to Polish travelers and pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land since the Middle Ages. Among them were Polish Princes and Poets the likes of the famous poet Juliusz Słowacki .They all wrote on how they were well received by the people in Lebanon.
Lebanon has also well received Polish immigrants.
In 1939 at the start of the Second World War when Poland was occupied, the Soviet army deported millions of Polish people to Siberia. The survivors of these deportation camps, who were released when the Soviet Union joined the Allies, were led by the Free Polish Army to many countries including Lebanon.
The most enduring and significant influx of Poles to Lebanon occurred between 1942-1952.
First to arrive were Polish students who attended various academic institutions and later in 1945-46, at the end of World War 2, polish families coming from Iran arrived in Lebanon. All in all, about 5000 Polish nationals took refuge in Lebanon. They were soon integrated into the Lebanese society. The Polish community comprised scientists, professors, artists and musicians who enriched Lebanese cultural life. Many of them achieved prominent posts in the Lebanese administration. Today there is an active and integrated Polish community in Lebanon and it constitutes an excellent bridge between our two countries.
To give you an idea on how well polish immigrants were received in Lebanon,
I will read you an extract from Irena Juchniewicz memoir: a polish student who migrated to Lebanon
"There is no greater tragedy for a child than to loose its home, its country, all the things safe and familiar and to be uprooted and taken across the wilderness, taigas and steps to barren and hostile lands. I lost both my parents and sister there. The whole world of a child came about to an end.
And then, as if by a miracle, I found myself in an oasis, in paradise, where people were kind, hospitable and friendly; the sea was blue and warm; the orchads full of familiar and exotic fruit. Peace and harmony everywhere. It was almost unreal especially because I knew that in my own country and right across Europe, in contrast to Lebanon, the war was raging and there was devastation and ruins everywhere.
Lebanon gave us, the orphans of war, a much needed solid foundation of a civilized family life and believe in human kindness and generosity of heart".
From the eyes of this little girl I want you to see the hospitable and warm Lebanon that I know, this is one example on how Lebanon has made significant contributions to humanity.
I wish to conclude by reiterating my sincere congratulations to the organizers of this conference and by stating that, with the long list of important participants in this event, the Conference will no doubt constitute a significant contribution to the discussions about the problems emmigrants are facing with the hope that no migration in the world be a forced migration.
Thank you for your attention. On February 5, 2007 at 9 am from the Military Airport "Okęcie" Polish military plane with humanitarian aid on board will depart to Lebanon. It will carry transport of blankets, which were purchased by the Development Co-operation Department of the Polish MFA. Blankets will be distributed among NGO`s active in Lebanon through the State Agency (High Relief Commission). Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Poland is securing the operation from the logistic side by sending military plane on the route Warsaw-Beirut-Warsaw.
The situation of Lebanese citizens remains insecure, even though Lebanese government and international organizations spare no effort to restore the infrastructure. Therefore, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Half of These Holocaust Victims Were Non-Jewish. On August 22, 1939, a few days before the official start of World War II, Hitler authorized his commanders, with these infamous words, to kill "without pity or mercy, all men, women, and children of Polish descent or language. Only in this way can we obtain the living space [lebensraum] we need". Heinrich Himmler echoed Hitler's decree: "All Poles will disappear from the world.... It is essential that the great German people should consider it as its major task to destroy all Poles." On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland from three directions. Hitler's invincible troops attacked from the west, the north and the south. Poland never had a chance. By October 8, 1939, Polish Jews and non-Jews were stripped of all rights and, were subject to special legislation. Rationing, which allowed for only bare sustenance of food and medicine was quickly set up. Young Polish men were forcibly drafted into the German army. The Polish language was forbidden. Only the German language was allowed. All secondary schools and colleges were closed. The Polish press was liquidated. Libraries and bookshops were burned. Polish art and culture were destroyed. Polish churches and snyagogues were burned. Most of the priests were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Street signs were either destroyed or changed to new German names. Polish cities and towns were renamed in German. Ruthless obliteration of all traces of Polish history and culture. Hitler's Goal: Terrorize Polish People Into Subservience. Hundreds of Polish community leaders, mayors, local officials, priests, teachers, lawyers, judges, senators, doctors were executed in public. Much of the rest of the so-called Intelligentsia, the Polish leading class, was sent to concentration camps where they later died.The first mass execution of World War II took place in Wawer, a town near Warsaw, Poland on December 27, 1939 when 107 Polish non-Jewish men were taken from their homes in the middle of the night and shot. This was just the beginning of the street roundups and mass executions that continued throughout the war. At the same time, on the eastern border of Poland, the Soviet Union invaded and quickly conquered. Germany and the Soviet Union divided Poland in half. The western half, occupied by the Nazis, became a new German territory: "General Gouvernment". The eastern half was incorporated within the adjoining Russian border by Soviet "elections". This new border "realignment" conferred Soviet citizenship on its new Polish inhabitants. And all young Polish men were subject to being drafted into the Soviet army.Just like the Nazis the Soviets also reigned terror in Poland. The Soviets took over Polish businesses, Polish factories and destroyed churches and religious buildings. The Polish currency (zloty) was removed from circulation. All Polish banks were closed and savings accounts were blocked. During the period of the Holocaust of World War II, Poland lost: 45% of her doctors, 57% of her attorneys 40% of her professors, 30% of her technicians, more than 18% of her clergy most of her journalists. Poland's educated class was purposely targeted because the Nazis knew that this would make it easier to control the country. Non-Jews of Polish descent suffered over 100,000 deaths at Auschwitz. The Germans forcibly deported approximately 2,000,000 Polish Gentiles into slave labor for the Third Reich. The Russians deported almost 1,700,000 Polish non-Jews to Siberia. Men, women and children were forced from their homes with no warning. Transferred in cattle cars in freezing weather, many died on the way. Polish children who possessed Aryan-looking characteristics were wrenched from their mother's arms and placed in German homes to be raised as Germans. The Polish people were classified by the Nazis according to their racial characteristics. The ones who appeared Aryan were deported to Lodz for further racial examination. Most of the others were sent to the Reich to work in slave labor camps. The rest were sent to Auschwitz to die. Polish Christians and Catholics were actually the first victims of the notorious German death camp. For the first 21 months after it began in 1940, Auschwitz was inhabited almost exclusively by Polish non-Jews. The first ethnic Pole died in June 1940 and the first Jew died in October 1942. Because of the obliteration of the Polish press by the Nazis, most of the world was not aware, including many parts of Nazi-occupied Poland, of the atrocities going on. Even to this day, much documentation of the Holocaust is not available. The entire records of Auschwitz were stolen by the Soviets and not returned. It was Hitler's goal to rewrite history. The Nazis destroyed books, monuments, historical inscriptions. They began a forceful campaign of propaganda to convince the world of the inferiority and weakness of the Polish people and likewise, their invincible superiority and power.
