19 April marked the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. This was an extraordinary demonstration of heroism by a small group of Jewish resistance fighters against overwhelming odds. For nearly a month, they held out against some 2000 German soldiers with heavy weapons. Remarkably, a small group of the resistance fighters survived.
The commemoration of this anniversary was truly moving. Together with the Head of the UK delegation, Don Foster, a Minister in the Department of Communities and Local Government , I participated in a series of events beginning with a concert at the Great Theatre by the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. Fittingly the loudest applause was not for the superb performance but for Simha Rotem, one of the few remaining survivors of the Uprising.
Simha Rotem spoke at the commemoration ceremony itself along with President Komorowski and the Mayor of Warsaw. I was struck by his quote from the late Marek Edelman, deputy leader of the resistance, to the effect that while defeat was inevitable, simply accepting their fate was not an option. It is impossible for us to imagine the sacrifices of those who fought in the burning Ghetto but we owe it to them not only to honour their memory but also to teach future generations the terrible consequences of war and intolerance. Nor can we forget the shared suffering of all Poles during World War Two. Next year of course, we will be commemorating 70 years of the Warsaw Uprising.
The new Museum of Jewish History in Poland, which will open properly in 2014, will both serve as a reminder of man’s inhumanity to man and celebrate a thousand years of Jewish life in Poland. The Jewish community has contributed much to life here throughout that time, as was acknowledged during the ceremony. I look forward to visiting the Museum next year.
I also received a honorary medal on behalf of the UK at the Jewish Theatre recognising our contribution as part of the Wartime Coalition that defeated the Nazis. This was followed by a special production of the play “A Night of the Whole Life”, directed by Szymon Szurmiej, which truly brought home the dilemmas and challenges of occupation and the Holocaust, as well as the quiet courage of so many Jews and Poles, who fought tyranny together. A fitting end to an emotional couple of days.