The Markowa Project. An Invitation to Polonia.

Wiktoria Ulma and her children, as photographed by Jozef Ulma.
From Mateusz Szpytma, The Risk of Survival, The Institute of National Remembrance 2009. With permission of the author

I've been lucky enough to travel the world. When I visited Markowa, in July, 2011, I knew I had happened upon a very special place. I am very grateful to Malgorzata, Mateusz Szpytma and the citizens of Markowa for making the visit possible.

Markowa is where the Ulma family, during WW II, were massacred by Nazis for helping Jews.

When I prayed in Saint Dorothy's church, when I visited Ulma family homes, and when I stood beside memorials, I felt a transcendent, spiritual peace.

I wanted to contribute to making the Ulma family story better known in the wider world. I wanted to engage the current conversation in the US on multiculturalism, tolerance, and peace. I envisioned a documentary that would take the microphone away from extremists on both sides in the Polish-Jewish dialogue and put it into the hands of good, everyday people on both sides of the Atlantic. I wanted to engage, not identity politicians, ready to hate, with an ax to grind and a zero-sum game to "win," but experts in win-win, civil discourse. Dialogue facilitators would be compassionate professionals from the field of conflict resolution who would ensure that both sides were respected and heard.

I wanted to tell this story in a manner that would emphasize its universal appeal, not its value only to a narrow, parochial audience of chauvinists on either side. I wanted a final product that would communicate profoundly to Poles and Jews and also to the African American, Muslim, and Hispanic kids I teach and live among. Poland has much to teach the wider world.

Thus, the Markowa Project.

I returned from Poland and got to work writing up a project proposal. I presented the proposal to university personnel experienced in the kind of material that is likely to be funded.

They were excited. The proposal had the markings of a project that would likely pick up significant funding.

Problem: the year and a half since I return from Markowa has been an excessively eventful one for me. I (and the rest of New Jersey) was stricken by two hurricanes which meant evacuation, living in emergency shelter, and going without heat, power, electricity, or even potable water. There have also been health crises severe enough that for the past year and a half, there has not been a single month that I have not had several hospital visits.

During the periods when I was indisposed, I sought help, support, guidance, and team members from within Polonia. I didn't want to see the Markowa Project die.

I heard the same answers I heard when I was working on "Bieganski."

"It's impossible! There is no money! No one has any money! There's barely enough money these days for simple scholarships! Help you meet a deadline with research or grant writing? I'm too busy! It's impossible!"

For the most part "Bieganski" was a one-woman show. The price I paid to do it all myself was very high.

The Markowa Project could not be a one-woman show. It would require teamwork from committed, reliable team members. I've worked with teams on projects for education, for gay rights, for peace activism. That kind of teamwork is required here.

I don't see any of these on the horizon.

Maybe a Polonian will read this and realize that something valuable is being lost and decide to change that.

Maybe someone who wants to see something done to combat the Brute Polak stereotype would jump in and contribute skills to building this project: research, grant writing, networking. Contacting possible funders like Martha Stewart, Barbara Piasecka Johnson and Steve Wozniak. Maybe someone who wants actually to do something – would actually do something.

Polonians insist: "We want more books telling our story on library shelves! We want more books telling our story on course syllabi! We want more documentaries on television and in movie theaters telling our story! We want more speakers and events telling our story!"

In fact, Polonia is richly blessed with storytellers.

Poet Christina Pacosz told the story of the Leadwood anti-Polish riot. She told that story here. Mishael Porembski made a terrific documentary about her Polish dad's experience of World War II. A review is here.

And of course there is "Bieganski."

Polonia, you have been richly blessed with storytellers, filmmakers, researchers, poets and scholars. It's up to you, Polonia, to put our books on library shelves, on course syllabi, to purchase tickets for these documentaries, to invite us to speak and sponsor and advertise our events. Hire us to teach your children.

***

I have a picture of the Ulma family taped to my refrigerator. It's been there since I returned from Poland in 2011. I "promised" the Ulma family that I would do what I could to make their story more widely known.

I think, in this tumultuous year, I've done all I can, and, with great sorrow, I have to give up.

Ulma family, I am sorry I was unable to get the Markowa Project off the ground. I tried. Perhaps this blog post will pave the way for a miracle.

***

I'm hesitant to say this, because no one knows what the future will bring, but chances are this will be my final substantive post in Bieganski the blog.

I hope to continue to post the occasional brief post about manifestations of Bieganski the Brute Polak, or significant to Bieganski.

I would love to post guest blog posts. If you'd like to see your writing posted here, please contact me.

For reasons the perceptive reader will understand, I think this may be the final substantive post.

Letting Go. Banksy