Consul General Anne Hall and Tomasz Kuncewicz, Director of the Auschwitz Jewish Museum at the opening of the exhibition

Consul General Anne Hall and Tomasz Kuncewicz, Director of the Auschwitz Jewish Museum opened the exhibition “Living On / Którzy przeżyli” at the Auschwitz Jewish Center on October 17.  "Living On" delivers an inspiring message of the victory of life over death by telling the stories of Holocaust survivors, liberators, prisoners of war, and witnesses who came from or moved to the state of Tennessee.  Most of the photographs being shown feature individuals born within the borders of pre-World War II Poland or whose major experience of the war was on Polish soil.  Each photograph is accompanied by the person’s story in Polish and English.  "Living On" shows how deeply this dark part in history continues to touch on all of us in ways that link us, Poles and Americans alike – even in just one of the fifty states of the United States of America. The American Embassy and American Consulate brought the exhibition to Poland from the United States in cooperation with the Tennessee Holocaust Commission. 

When discussing the exhibition, Ambassador Victor Ashe commented, "As a Tennessean I feel pride at the success of this project, but there is also a deeper sense of satisfaction knowing that the exhibit will reach a broader audience because of our efforts to bring it "home" to Poland.  Of the individuals depicted, I have had the privilege of meeting Mira Ryczke Kimmelman, who was born in Gdańsk and survived Majdanek, Auschwitz, and Bergen-Belsen.  She now resides in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and spoke at the synagogue in Knoxville when I was mayor.  I was especially touched by her explanation that she finds her healing ‘in writing and telling my story.’  I think those words summarize beautifully what this exhibit is all about.”

 “Living On / Którzy przeżyli” will be shown at the Auschwitz Jewish Museum until the end of November.