The 8^th National Leaders of Dialogue Conference, an annual gathering of activists from all over Poland took place in Wiązowna on June 10-12, 2020. It was a fantastic educational and networking opportunity, as well as a very moving get-together of friends, activists from all over the country dedicated to the preservation, commemoration and documentation of their communities’ Jewish history who had to wait for the Conference for three years due to Covid-19 pandemic. The first day we commenced the Conference with an address by our special guest, Marian Turski, a Holocaust Survivor, historian, and journalist who thanked the participants for the work they do to preserve the memory of Jews all over Poland: “You have no idea how grateful I am for all that you do. If the memory of my ancestors, my family, my generation is to survive, it is solely thanks to you. Before Jewish life is fully restored in Poland, who knows, maybe it’s you who are going to teach my descendants about Jewish life. I have no words to express my gratitude.”

The second day of the Conference started with Forum’s Director General Olga Kaczmarek presentation of new directions in Forum’s work with the members of the Leaders of Dialogue network, followed by a workshop by Izabela Meyza focused on diversities and shared values of the network. After the break, the Chair of Forum’s Scholarly Advisory Board, Michał Bilewicz, discussed his findings on the responses of Poles to refugees and migrants coming to Poland in the aftermath of global conflicts, while activists Katarzyna Winiarska, a member of the Leaders of Dialogue network working in Białowieża, and Marcin Piotrowski of Folkowisko foundation, took part in a panel on the war in Ukraine and the refugee crisis on the Polish-Belarussian border.

In the afternoon, within the two sets of three thematic blocks each, the participants had an opportunity to participate in meetings and workshops of a more practical kind, moderated by their fellow members of the network. With Inga Marczyńska and Anna Brzyska we talked about the formal ramifications of maintenance works conducted at Jewish cemeteries. The challenges and opportunities that come with the cooperation of Leaders of Dialogue network members with representatives of the local authorities discussion was moderated by Katarzyna Łaziuk and Artur Franczak. How to efficiently apply for funding of commemorative projects panel was led by Bożena Gajewska and Mirosław Skrzypczyk. Discussion about the challenges caused by the refugee crisis on Polish-Belarussian border as well as the war in Ukraine was moderated by Katarzyna Winiarska and Agnieszka Pollak-Olszowska. The best ways of engaging the descendants of local Jewish community panel was presided by Klaudia Kwiecińska and Justyna Biernat, while the creative methods of organizing commemorative events workshop was conducted by Kamil Mrozowicz.

photo: W. Dobrogojski

On the third, last day of the Conference the participants had an opportunity to take part in three workshops: a session of methods of dealing with burnout and exhaustion conducted by Natalia Sarata, a workshop on effective communication by Izabela Meyza, and a discussion on social polarization by Tomasz Stawiszyński.

The 8^th National Conference of Leaders of Dialogue ended with a tour of the Otwock Jewish heritage led by Monika Czub, a member of the Leaders of dialogue network active in Otwock and Karczew.

photo: W. Dobrogojski

You have no idea how grateful I am for all that you do. If the memory of my ancestors, my family, my generation is to survive, it is solely thanks to you. Before Jewish life is fully restored in Poland, who knows, maybe it’s you who are going to teach my descendants about Jewish life. I have no words to express my gratitude.

Marian Turski, a Holocaust Survivor and a famous Polish historian and journalist

Contributors

In 2022, the Leaders of Dialogue program is financed thanks to the generosity of Friends of the Forum, Ledor Wador Foundation, Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, and individual donors and institutions from Poland and abroad supporting Forum for Dialogue.

In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this educator training program. Through recovering the assets of the victims of the Holocaust, the Claims Conference enables organizations around the world to provide education about the Shoah and to preserve the memory of those who perished.