On 16 September 2005, World Jewish Congress Vice President Kalman Sultanik was presented with the Commanders Cross of the Order of Service of the Republic of Poland by Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, at a reception in New York City. Mr. Sultanik was awarded the order for his groundbreaking work in protecting the remembrance of the Holocaust and the conservation and preservation of the former concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Upon accepting the award Mr. Sultanik stated that the histories of Poland and the Jewish People have been so intertwined that it is impossible to understand Poland without the contribution of its Jews, and it is impossible to understand Jewry without Poland. He called upon the Polish Government to facilitate the return of private Jewish properties which were confiscated from Polish Jews during the Holocaust and nationalized by the Polish Communist Government after the end of World War II.

In addressing the Polish President, Mr. Sultanik stated that his moral voice will be heard and have an impact on the new Polish Parliament when it convenes to legislate on the topic of Restitution of Private Properties. “Restitution of private properties in not only a monetary issue, but is a democratic moral obligation of every civilized country. It’s especially urgent because of the advanced age of Holocaust survivors”, Sultanik concluded.

Mr. Sultanik was born in Miechow, Poland in 1917. Before World War II he was active in Jewish communal and Zionist activities. During the war he participated in the underground activities against the Nazis and was deported to a concentration camp in Plaszow, Poland. He was subsequently transferred to a camp in Dresden, Germany, and then sent on a death march to Therezinstadt, from where he was liberated in 1945.

The Commanders Cross is awarded to distinguished political leaders and leaders in the fields of culture, art, and science. The Order of Service is given to foreigners and to Polish citizens permanently resident abroad for distinguished service in support of cooperation between nations.

From www.worldjewishcongress.org

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