Ambassador Ashe Visits Malopolska, Speaks in Oswiecim

May 14, 2008

Ambassador Ashe and Consul General Anne Hall with Tomasz Lachowicz, editor-in-chief and Bernadetta Podlińska (left), President of the Board of Gazeta Krakowska (photo Marcin Makówka/GAZETA KRAKOWSKA)

Ambassador Victor Ashe spoke in Oswiecim to an international audience on the topic of genocide prevention and the Polish experience on May 14.  The presentation was part of the inaugural Raphael Lemkin Genocide Prevention Seminar organized by American philanthropist Fred Schwartz.  The Raphael Lemkin Genocide Prevention Seminar is set against the backdrop of Auschwitz-Birkenau and attracts government officials from Europe, Africa, and Asia as well as leading scholars and legal authorities.  Ambassador Ashe's speech emphasized the scale of the Nazi genocide that took place on Polish soil and the profound influence of the war on the Polish national experience.  Poland's geographical position between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union and the destruction of the large Jewish community on Polish territory were unique elements in Poland’s experience of the Holocaust.  Ambassador Ashe exhorted the audience to do all that it could to learn from the Polish experience and prevent future genocide.

During his visit in Malopolska, Ambassador Ashe also visited the offices of Gazeta Krakowska and gave an interview.  He then visited the town of Libiaz and met with Mayor Jacek Latko.  During the visit, the two discussed the development of the city and Libiaz’s unique position as one of the youngest cities in Malopolska.