Bożena Gąsiorowska

The aim of the “Righteous Pose a Challenge to Us” (2012) was to raise interest among the school and local communities in the stories of those who saved Jews as well as to present the history of the title Righteous Among the Nations. Additionally, participation in the competition “Youth Meet the Righteous” was encouraged through organizing a meeting of students with a family of one of the Righteous (a former school principal in the 1940s-60s), and the woman he had saved as well as a son of another survivor – participants were to prepare an interesting presentation reflecting on the event. The project involved 18 students (from first “D” and third “B” grades) and was addressed to the school community and 6 guests from Żyrardów. Project organizers worked with the Righteous family of Langiewicz, who participated in meetings and lent family souvenirs as well as with the son of one the saved – Michał Marek – who wrote about Jan Langiewicz.

Students also managed to contact Ms.Halina Świerczyńska, another survivor saved by the Righteous, who shared her manuscript copy of an article about Jan Langiewicz. The project involved high school teachers: Elżbieta Żaboklicka was responsible for project evaluation, Anna Kamińska – for contacts with Yad Vashem, and Ewa Matuszewska – supervised the work on the event’s poster. Project participants prepared a school exhibition about the medal of the Righteous Among Nations, stories of some of the righteous and life story of Mr. Jan Michał Langiewicz. One of the results of the project was a postulate to commemorate Mr.Langiewicz with a plaque, presentation of his life story on a new poster in the school’s memorial gallery and a prize in the competition “Youth Meet the Righteous” (by The Polish Society of the Righteous Among the Nations).