The World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust 23rd annual conference was held in Warsaw, Poland this past week. Our good friend, Stephanie Seltzer, President of the Conference, and Rene Lichtman from Detroit (who has been a part of several projects with Life in a Jar) helped organize this powerful time. Norm Conard presented a panel and joined in activities.
Also present at the conference was Renata Zajdman of Montreal, who earlier in the week received the Bene Merito award from the Government of Poland for ‘good in the world.’ Also attending the conference was the Israeli Ambassador to Poland, Zvi Rav-Ner, the U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Lee Feinstein, the Mayor of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, and the assistant to the President of Poland. The President, Bronislaw Komorowski, sponsored a dinner on the first night. Long time friend of the program, Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich, was involved in the conference and the Irena Sendler Award. Pitor Zettinger, of Sweden, was saved by Irena and also attended the conference. Renata Zajdman and Elzbieta Ficowska, both saved by Irena, were involved in many events. Both are great friends of Life in a Jar & Irena Sendler Project.
The 5th recipient of the Irena Sendler Award was awarded on Thursday, August 18th, in the Palace of the Foreign Ministry. Grazyna Ferenc, was the winner of this years award. She is a history teacher in Katowice and extremely active in Holocaust education. The ceremony was organized by Elzbieta Ficowska and Iga Kazimierczyk, of the Center For Citizenship Education. The Children of the Holocaust Association also participated.
Last, but not least, Elizabeth Cambers Hutton and her husband Graham had a baby girl on August 22nd. Lydia Michael Hutton weighed 8lbs 14oz and is the first child of Elizabeth and Graham. Elizabeth is the latest of the four ‘Sendlerowa girls’ to be blessed with a child.
Attention: be watching for new information on the childhood of Irena Sendler. Research was done and is being done in Poland on her childhood family hometown of Otwock, Poland.