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Man of Hope screening

The Embassy of Poland in Washington, DC is showing “Wałęsa. Man of Hope” by Andrzej Wajda at the AFI/EU Film Showcase at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland on Saturday, December 7th at 1pm.

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Oscar-winning Polish director Andrzej Wajda brings the story of Lech Wałęsa and the Solidarity movement to the big screen. Robert Więckiewicz (In Darkness) stars at Lech Wałęsa, while Agnieszka Grochowska shines as his loyal wife, Danuta. The sharp screenplay by Janusz Głowacki hinges on Wałęsa’s landmark 1981 interview, just months before Poland declared martial law, with Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, recounting in flashback the previous decade-and-a-half of activism; Wałęsa would be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.

On Wednesday, December 4th Lech Wałęsa returned to Capitol Hill and the U.S. Congress after 24 years and was greated by a full house of nearly 500 dignitaries. Wałęsa’s appearance coincided with the screening of the film “Wałęsa. Man of Hope” for members of Congress. The evening highlighted Solidarity’s contribution in bringing down Communism and ushering in freedom and Democracy to Central and Eastern Europe which lead to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

“This history happened in Poland first” emphasized Ambassador Ryszard Schnepf, adding that Poland and the Polish people, will never forget the word ‘Solidarity’ and the support we received, particularly from the United States in our greatest hour of need.

“I spoke at every public high school in Connecticut over the years … and I’d be asked by people, ‘Can one person change the world?’ and I used to constantly cite Lech Wałęsa, Eunice Shriver, Nelson Mandela as people who clearly changed the world,” former Senator from Connecticut and current MPAA President Christopher Dodd said during the course of the on-stage interview held before the movie screening.

“When Lech Wałęsa jumped over the wall at the Gdansk Shipyard, he took the whole world with him. The Solidarity movement brought hope and democracy to Poland, and inspired so many more around the globe, including Polish Americans in my hometown of Baltimore. The United States and Poland are united by our beliefs – in freedom, in people, and in speaking truth to power. Today, we are strong democracies, true allies, and steadfast friends.” said Senator Barbara Mikulski.

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Poland – bastion of educational success

Poland has showed marked success in education. The World Bank recently reported that Poland now ranks 9th among all countries in overall reading scores on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, the only transition country to go from being below the OECD average on PISA to above average. The most recent The Education First (EF) English Proficiency Index ranks Poland as 8th in the world (high proficiency) in English language skills among adults.

Several articles note the basis for this success. See Poland: Education’s superpowers have a new kid on the bloc from the Sydney Morning Herald; Wittmeyer: Want to find an education miracle? Look to Poland from Newsday; and Poland imparts lesson on education to U.S. from the The Coeur d’ Alene Press. Here’s any interesting take from the Dallas Morning News: Will Texas follow the Poland model?

I want to move to Poland.

Really.

The just-released PISA exam — the Program for International Student Assessment – shows that Polish students finished ninth among developed nations in science. They also finished 10th in reading.

And the U.S. finish in those subjects? 28th and 24th, respectively.

To be sure, all these rankings can wear you out. And Wendy Kopp, the who started Teach for America, was right to suggest in her Wall Street Journal piece this week that we should not use these particular rankings as a rallying cry to go clobber other countries. Instead, we should learn from each other.

What we could learn from Poland is this: The country’s schools once were in the dumps. But Poland started using standardized tests to assess students, elevated academic rigor, wouldn’t accept poverty as an excuse and gave local schools more autonomy.

None of those reforms were put into place easily, but over time Poland’s scores went up. That includes on the PISA exam, which the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development administers. The exam focuses on applying classroom knowledge to real world problems.

There certainly is a Texas element to this story about Poland’s success. As this newspaper reported this week, the state has a
troubling number of high school students who have failed one or more end-of-course exams. As an example, 182,000 students have yet to pass last year’s English I writing exam. They get one more chance to do so this month.

The question is, what should we do about perennially failing students? Or ones who just keep struggling?

By raising this, I don’t mean more tests. The Legislature has made it clear they aren’t interested in additional end-of-course exams.

Rather, how shall the state respond to a large number of students who are behind? And how can the state keep students in the future from ending up in the same spot, assuming they don’t have learning disabilities that keep them behind?

Poland’s answer is you don’t give up on kids. It faced enormous poverty after suffering through decades of deprivation under the reign of communism. But it didn’t accept the notion that kids born into poverty couldn’t meet higher academic standards.

Amanda Ripley, author of “The Smartest Kids in the World,” noted in a recent Point Person interview that “Of all the changes Polish officials made, the one that seemed to matter most was that they held all students to more rigorous academic standards for a longer time period.”

In other words, they didn’t lowball expectations, even though plenty of students were struggling. Polish authorities even tried to get more kids out of our equivalent of vocational education.

Of course, raising expectations requires adequate resources to help teachers best reach students. The Texas Legislature must make sure that it spends smartly but adequately on students. But as Ripley also noted, Poland spends about half of what U.S. schools spend on their students. So, money alone is not the answer.

And Poland isn’t the only nation to do better while raising expectations. “Globally, the longer students stay together in demanding classes,” Ripley observed, “the better the whole country seems to do.”

So, there’s a roadmap here for Texas, or at the least start of one. The state could ease up on expectations. As an example, we could suggest that more kids go into vocational education, as some legislators pushed for this year. On the other hand, the state could keep encouraging kids to set their sights higher, as in for college or at least a two-year degree.

Poland went the high-bar route when conditions suggested otherwise. Will we?

Christian Witness, Events, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

50th Anniversary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Żarki, Poland

From September 18th through the 24th the Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky and the Very Rev. Gregory Młudzik led a group of faithful and a delegation from the Polish National Union to Poland in observance of the 50th Anniversary of the organizing of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Żarki, Poland. Our Lady of Perpetual Help was established as a center of faith and also as a memorial of gratitude to the organizer of the Polish National Catholic Church, Most Rev. Francis Hodur. Żarki, Poland is the birthplace of Bishop Hodur.

The current church was built through the generosity of Polish National Catholics in the United States who channeled their support through the Polish National Union. The cornerstone for the church was blessed and laid by Prime Bishop Leon Grochowski in 1966 in the presence of the clergy and faithful from throughout Poland and the United States as well as representatives from the Polish National Union.

Christian Witness, Events, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia

Medical Bridge Donation to Polish Hospital

From September 18th through the 24th the Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky and the Very Rev. Gregory Młudzik led a group of faithful and a delegation from the Polish National Union to Poland in observance of the 50th Anniversary of the organizing of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Żarki, Poland. During their visit they presented a check for $25,000 to support the work of Regional Hospital System in Będzin, Poland. Funds were raised through the work of the Medical Bridge to Poland program.

The regional hospital system offers preventative, diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitative services through two hospitals with twenty departments and two specialty clinics with 35 specialists in occupational and primary health care.

Z USA do Będzina. Profesjonalny sprzęt dotarł do szpitala

Od Twoje Zagłębie

Funkcjonuje od miesiąca, jednak jego oficjalne przekazanie nastąpiło w poniedziałek. Do będzińskiego szpitala przybyli goście z USA, którzy przyczynili się do zakupu nowoczesnego sprzętu do badań serca.

Nowoczesna aparatura w będzińskiej placówce jest wykorzystywana już od kilku tygodni. – Mieliśmy okazję spotkać się z darczyńcami, pokazać im w jaki sposób funkcjonuje ten sprzęt i ile znaczy dla mieszkańców powiatu będzińskiego, bowiem faktycznie podnosi on jakość świadczonych usług medycznych przez nasz szpital – powiedział Rafał Adamczyk, wicestarosta będziński. – To działanie wpisuje się w naprawę programu ekonomicznego tej placówki – dodał Rafał Adamczyk.

Wartość całej aparatury wynosi 130 tys. zł, z czego kwotę w wysokości 52 tys. zł. pokrył sam szpital. – Pozostałe 78 tys. zł. przekazał nam z Kościół Polskokatolicki w Stanach Zjednoczonych, a konkretnie jeden z dekanatów, którego dziekanem jest ksiądz Grzegorz Młudzik, pochodzący z naszego terenu. To on zaproponował, aby przekazać te pieniądze na aparaturę do badań chorób serca – mówił Jacek Kołacz, dyrektor będzińskiego szpitala.

Niewykluczone, że nie była to ostatnia pomoc finansowa dla szpitala zza oceanu. – Bardzo się cieszymy, że z roku na rok w naszym szpitalu pojawiają się coraz bardziej specjalistyczne, profesjonalne urządzenia. Wszystko ma na celu to, aby mieszkańcy, którzy niestety korzystają ze służby zdrowia mogli być leczeni w jak najlepszych warunkach – podkreślił Łukasz Komoniewski, prezydent Będzina.

Poetry, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Xpost to PGF, , , , , ,

Poet Tadeusz Dąbrowski Gives Reading at UMass Amherst

From the University of Massachusetts – Amherst: To mark the beginning of Polish Culture Month, Polish poet Tadeusz Dąbrowski is presenting a bilingual reading at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in 301 Herter Hall. The reading is being hosted by the Amesbury Professorship in Polish Language, Literature and Culture at UMass Amherst.

Born in 1979, Dąbrowski has been called “an inheritor of the great metaphysical tradition in [Polish] poetry” and “an essential factor in the picture of contemporary [Polish] verse.” Critics have described his poetry, which has been published in numerous Polish and foreign journals, as “restlessly inventive, sharp-witted, and intent on raising mischief” and as “full of love, swagger, and linguistic excitement.”

Dąbrowski is the author of seven volumes of poetry, including the bilingual collection “Black Square,” with translations by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, published in 2011 by Zephyr Press in Boston.

The event is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in campus lots and at metered spaces after 5 p.m.

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Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , ,

When did this happen?

The Mel Brooks show features Mr. Brooks and his wife Anne Bancroft performing Sweet Georgia Brown in Polish. They had performed this piece in their film “To Be or Not to Be,” a 1983 remake of the 1942 Jack Benny comedy by the same name. The story centers on a Polish theatrical company that goes underground and takes on Nazi Germany during World War II.

This performance took place in the early 1980’s after marshall law was declared in Poland to suppress the Solidarity free Labor Union movement.

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Christian Witness, Events, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia,

Holy Synod of the Polish Catholic Church in Poland

Synod2013_06_18_1aThe Holy Synod of the Polish Catholic Church (Kościoł Polskokatolicki) was held of June 18th in Konstancin near Warsaw, Poland. The Holy Synod is the highest legislative authority of the Church and is held every five years. Delegates to the Holy Synod, two priests and two lay people, are elected from all the deaneries in the dioceses of the Church. Outgoing members of the Synodal Council are also delegates.

The Most Rev. Anthony Mikovsky, Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church in the United States and Canada attended the Holy Synod as a guest along with Rt. Rev. Paul Sobiechowski, Bishop Ordinary of the Eastern Diocese and the Very Rev. Gregory Młudzik.

Prime Bishop Mikovsky offered wishes for fruitful synodal discussions and reaffirmed the brotherly unity between the Polish National Catholic Church in the USA and Canada and the Polish Catholic Church in Poland. While each Church maintains independence of jurisdiction and a separate administration there is full communion between the Churches and a common understanding of faith and morals in complete fraternity. The Polish Catholic Church is the only Church in Poland recognized by and in union with the PNCC. Prime Bishop Mikovsky and Most Rev. Wiktor Wysoczański, head of the Polish Catholic Church, emphasized this unity in their speeches before the Holy Synod.

The Holy Synod elected new leadership for the Church for the term 2013-2018:

  1. Bp. prof. zw. dr. hab. Wiktor Wysoczański was unanimously elected to the office of President of the Church and Chairman of the Synodal Council;
  2. Members of the Synodal Council;
  3. The Audit Committee;
  4. The Bishop’s Court; and
  5. The Financial and Economic Commission.

godlo polskokatolickieThe Holy Synod failed to elect Bishops for the dioceses of Kraków-Częstochowa and Wrocław by the necessary two-thirds margin.

The Holy Synod adopted a policy paper on the pastoral and missionary nature of the Church presented by Very Rev. Antoni Norman as well as resolutions and provisions relating to the activities of Polish Catholic Church in Poland through June 2018.

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The Cosmopolitan Review – Summer Edition

The Cosmopolitan Review, A Transatlantic Review of Things Polish, in English has issued its Summer 2013 edition jam packed with books, art, poetry, events, and excellent information.

CR welcomes summer, as does Poland. And nowhere is the summer solstice more beautifully welcomed than in Poland, with the ancient festival of Wianki (wreaths), when barefoot girls in white dresses bring floral wreaths to a river’s edge, cast them in the water, and leave them to fate’s caprice.

The wianki, elaborate works of art involving branches, flowers and candles, float downriver to the delight of children and adults alike. More wreaths are fashioned into floral crowns embellished with figures of birds, butterflies and anything else the artistic imagination can come up with. Extravagance has no limits on this day; the hats of Ascot pale by comparison perhaps because wianki – as opposed to hats – is not a commercial enterprise. One can only hope that this festival will forever stay as it is, that Hallmark will never create Wianki greeting cards, and shopping malls will never have Wianki Day Specials. Though purveyors of food, drink and music are welcome. And we’ve just learned that there is a Wianki fest in Washington, D.C. Good to know in case you don’t make it to Kraków next year.

Luckily, “Poland” is wherever Polish people are, as is stated so eloquently in Hanka Ordonówna’s wonderful book about children when their Poland was just “two rooms.” For thousands of us, Poland has been, at one time or another, in India, Africa, New Zealand, Mexico and beyond.

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In this issue, we highlight India, mainly because of the marvelous book by Indian author Anuradha Bhattacharjee, The Second Homeland: Polish Refugees in India. That Polish landscape included elephants, exotic fruit, generous Maharajas and a superb cast of characters ranging from cabaret stars to theosophists.

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Books, as always. Michał Kasprzak weighs in on Marci Shore’s The Taste of Ashes; there’s a review of Magda Romanska’s new anthology of Bogusław Schaeffer’s works. And two writers have a problem with Agata Tuszyńska’s Vera Gran.

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On the light side, an Englishman’s adventures – misadventures? – begin with his future bride’s father saying “No.” He also notes that while English weddings are heavy on speeches, Polish weddings emphasize food and dancing. He indulges in the eternal rivalry between Kraków and Warsaw as well, so to cool that, CR puts the spotlight on enchanting Zamość.

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And now to food! As noted in The Guardian: No processed cheeses, no tinned fish, no just-add-water packets… think Provence, with beetroot. Which brings us to two new Polish cookbooks, Polish Classic Desserts and From a Polish Country Kitchen, both reviewed in this issue.

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Finally, as noted above, Poland is wherever Polish people are and for several summers they were in Canmore, Alberta, at Poland in the Rockies. There were fond hopes that a new cycle of this lively symposium would begin again in 2014 but fate decided otherwise. In this issue, CR bids a formal Farewell to Poland in the Rockies.

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‘My Mother’s Secret’ Bestseller Covers Heroic Acts to Safeguard Jews During WWII

From Christian Newswire: My Mother’s Secret, by J.L. Witterick, has been recognized by The Globe and Mail of Canada as a bestselling non-fiction book.

My Mother’s Secret honors two women who saved many Polish Jews from certain death. The book is based on the true story of Franciszka Halamajowa and her daughter Helena, who are honored as The Righteous Among the Nations, non-Jewish heroes who risked their lives to save the lives of Jewish citizens.

After 1939 when the Nazis invaded Poland and started the persecution of the Jewish population, Franciszka and her daughter provided shelter to Jewish individuals and families, as well as a German soldier, all acts punishable by death. With courage and cleverness, they outsmart the Nazi commander and their collaborating neighbors.

My Mother’s Secret is a powerfully written story and has been chosen to be used as curriculum in studies by Middle East exchange students. The book has also been awarded Rising Star stature by iUniverse.

Rabbi Chaim Boyarsky said, “In My Mother’s Secret, a new level of heroism is revealed … heroism where no ‘wow’ or admiration was given. True heroism is when no one sees or knows! A truly inspiring and breathtaking book.”

“My Mother’s Secret is heroism defined. It is just so much more cherishable because it is a story based on fact. We are indebted to Jenny Witterick for sharing this book with us,” says Grady Harp a Top 50 Amazon Reviewer.

“My Mother’s Secret has a strong message about finding good in the midst of the most unbelievable evil,” adds one reviewer.

The author, J.L. Witterick, encountered the true story of heroism during the Holocaust because of a chance viewing of a documentary about the Holocaust. Witterick is not the usual author; she is the President of Sky Investment Counsel, one of the largest international money managers in Canada, was President of the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts in 1995/1996 and is a Certified Financial Advisor Charterholder.

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Art, Poland - Polish - Polonia,

Tribute to Ray Manzarek

Famed Rock Musician Passes
By Raymond Rolak

CHICAGO — Ray Manzarek, the famed keyboard artist for The Doors, passed after a long battle with bile duct cancer. He was 74 and under treatment at a clinic in Rosenheim, Germany. He was surrounded by family. He became part of Rock-and-Roll history with his jazz influenced electric organ renditions for the historic band. It is reported that The Doors sold over 100 million albums.

Born of Polish decent and attending Chicago St. Rita’s High School, his first real passion was basketball.

Manzarek was responsible for the left handed bass keyboard sound that became the unique signature of The Doors. He was in film school in 1965 at UCLA when along with Jim Morrison, they started their historic band. They enlisted drummer John Densmore and another friend, guitarist Robby Krieger. Because Manzarek did double duty with the keyboard they never had a bass guitar player. He also did some vocals on The Doors hit recordings.

Ray Manzarek, performing in 2002. Manzarek had reunited with The Doors' guitarist Robby Krieger more than 30 years after the band's lead singer, Jim Morrison, died.
Ray Manzarek, performing in 2002. Manzarek had reunited with The Doors’ guitarist Robby Krieger more than 30 years after the band’s lead singer, Jim Morrison, died.

In 1966, The Doors started to find their niche as the house band at the famed Los Angeles Sunset Strip nightclub, Whisky a Go-Go. The band developed what was described as a unique new L. A. sound and released “Break On Through (to the Other Side)” in early 1967. Then “Light My Fire” shot to No. 1 just two months later. Manzarek will always be known for the opening riff on “Light My Fire.”

His silky keyboards on “Riders On the Storm” are now considered iconic and classic rock. His art set the distinctive musical sound of the Doors apart from everyone else. This L.A. underground sound made The Doors both national and global rock stars.

Manzarek had said in a 2011 interview, “We had auditioned at a club in Los Angeles, and I saw the Fender Rhodes keyboard bass onstage, which belonged to another band. And I thought, ‘Eureka, that’s it. I’ll play that.’” “It worked out fine because it’s basically the way I play the keyboard anyway, with my left hand playing the bass line. And it kept The Doors as a four-side diamond, rather than an evil pentagram, he added.”

Manzarek married Dorothy Fujikawa in Los Angeles on December 21, 1967.

The band carried the baggage of controversy because of Morrison’s alcohol and drug use. Their 1976 performance on the Ed Sullivan Show was mired in giant television dispute because of a censored lyric.

After Morrison’s death in 1971, the band eventually broke up. Manzarek and Krieger had a contentious lawsuit with Densmore about licensing The Doors’ name for commercial purposes. Manzarek also became an author, writing “Light My Fire: My Life with the Doors” in 1998 and “The Poet In Exile” in 2002. He also became a successful producer especially with Punk Music in California.

In a Rolling Stones Magazine article in 1974, Manzarek said, “The Doors’ success was so quick it frightened me. The adulation we received was ridiculous. Nobody was saying much about the music – it was just mystique. The Doors became so mythical in such a short time. It was too much too soon.”

The Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. Manzarek also reinvented himself playing jazz club dates and some Chicago style Blues. He last recorded in 2010, a blues album with slide guitarist Roy Rogers.

He was born Feb. 12, 1939 in Chicago and his real last name was Manczarek. He dropped the “c.” to simplify the spelling. He also had earned an Economics degree from DePaul University. In semi-retirement he had settled in Napa County. Manzarek is survived by his wife, Dorothy; a son, Pablo; three grandchildren and two brothers, Rick and James Manczarek.

Editor’s Note: Raymond Rolak was one of the producers for the recently released to DVD Hawaiian comedy, Get A Job.

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