tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post4596313492032533219..comments2024-03-11T08:31:04.022-04:00Comments on Bieganski the Blog: The Brute Polak Stereotype on Display at Pier 21: Canada's Immigration MuseumD Goskahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-36744852057547336732012-03-10T10:36:50.234-05:002012-03-10T10:36:50.234-05:00mt, you wrote:
"The multimedia theater play ...mt, you wrote:<br /><br />"The multimedia theater play contributes well to strengthen anti-Polish sentiment and stereotypes. Why is such anti-Polonism acceptable?"<br /><br />fwiw, I don't care much at this point about "anti-Polonism." <br /><br />I'm not a chauvinist. I don't think that Poland is the best country in the world. <br /><br />My concern is the Bieganski stereotype.<br /><br />The Bieganski stereotype is very much not the same thing as "anti-Polonism." <br /><br />The Bieganski stereotype is a very big lie that affects everyone, not just Poles or Polish Americans. <br /><br />It is used to rewrite immigration history, WW II history, and Holocaust history.<br /><br />The focus on anti-Polonism is narrow and is mostly for chauvinists.<br /><br />The focus on the Bieganski stereotype is much larger, and concerns all decent, right-minded people. <br /><br />I encourage committed Polonians to get beyond a narrow, chauvinist focus on "anti-Polonism" and to educate themselves, to prepare themselves intellectually to talk about, the Bieganski stereotype.D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-29446509109853265752012-03-10T10:28:17.924-05:002012-03-10T10:28:17.924-05:00I did not respond to Sofia Dochmacka-Bain's co...I did not respond to Sofia Dochmacka-Bain's comment because it is barely coherent. <br /><br />What does this mean: "But its easier to pick on Pier 21. Get real, life isn't all lilly white, keep praying that it doesn't get worse - we should be glad to be living free and away from what was World War II."<br /><br />Really, I see no coherent point in that diatribe to address. <br /><br />How does one respond to "Get real"? <br /><br />Um, I am real. <br /><br />How does one respond to "we should be glad to be living free"? <br /><br />Uh, yes, I am quite glad to be living free. <br /><br />How do we respond to the charge that we are "picking on Pier 21"? <br /><br />Has Pier 21 suffered any ill effects from our protest? No. None. So? What do we respond to? <br /><br />I also did not respond to Ms Bain's post because of this false and ugly smear: "Just because someone didn't like a story that was written by a girl who happened to be Jewish."<br /><br />Had Ms. Bain actually read the blog post she is responding to, she would see that no one has objected to "Oceans of Hope" because it depicts a Jewish character.<br /><br />No one. Not one person. Not even close. <br /><br />Ms. Bain never even read the post she is responding to. She has not even glanced at "Bieganski" -- a book that has been endorsed by rabbis, by the Jewish son of a Holocaust survivor, and well reviewed in a Jewish scholarly journal. Ms. Bain has not read other posts on this blog, including at least two entitled "Stop Blaming the Jews," and one of which was written by my close friend and supporter, Don Freidkin, a Jewish American filmmaker. <br /><br />I have no respect for Ms. Bain's post. If she wants a reply from me, she should post a coherent and honest message. <br /><br />I understand that writing is difficult for some people. I understand that Ms. Bain is a senior citizen whose family did great things during WW II. I respect what Ms. Bain's relatives did. <br /><br />I don't respect lying, especially about something as important as the Bieganski stereotype, which is as revisionist as the lie that the Holocaust never happened.D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-57234619564294981482012-03-10T09:42:52.079-05:002012-03-10T09:42:52.079-05:00If I understand right, the last 2 comments rather ...If I understand right, the last 2 comments rather accuse us of fighting against the concept of this museum and of ignoring its importance. It is not true. We fight against the movie Oceans of Hope and ignorance of Museum's staff and management. We fight because we think Pier 21 as the national museum should present stories in objective way, with historical context. This Canadian Crown Corporation is responsible for educating people and should be objective and professional. <br /><br />We have rights to express our critics. <br /><br />I wish other people could watch this movie and then share their opinion and join discussion.<br /><br />Canadians did not liberate Poland. The episode about the Canadian soldier shows a big newspaper headline “CANADA DECLARES”, while this time it was only Sitzkrieg. In the same time the Polish episode with Jewish suffering did not even mention there was a war and did not explain why the Jewish girl had to hide, why she moved from home to home, why she was to be a ”good girl”, why and what “police” and “authorities” she was scared of. All blame is on Polish Christians. Is this objective way to present history? <br />The multimedia theater play (amalgams of not defined memoirs) contributes well to strengthen anti-Polish sentiment and stereotypes. Why is such anti-Polonism acceptable? Is it consistent with the Museum’s mission and mandate? The national museum is a place for documentaries, not theater shows. The Museum has no right to praise Canada at the expense of Poland. We lost enough and we fought enough to get a little respect, or at least - to get unbiased and true media coverage. Why not make a historical movie, where they could explain the DPs’ experiences and point out who is to blame for DPs’ tragedy. Poland and Poles were not perfect, but presenting half of true – makes it a lie. <br />There are a few memoirs at Pier 21 archives about bad treatment of orphans by their new Canadian families after they arrived in Canada. You can find examples of shameful actions in each country. EACH – including the USA and Canada. Have anybody heard about ship St. Louis? There were countries whose government cooperated with Nazi Germany in its policy against Jews. Poland never did. Why then singling out Polish Christians? Why does the movie blame the whole religion and one nationality? Is this what the national museum is to teach? <br />I am sure thousands of DPs are grateful to Canada for finding new home, but on the other hand, thousands who left loved Poland and still love it. Millions who suffered stayed in Poland. The movie portrayed Poland as “just a terrible place”, while Canada is the land of “safe heaven”. Dialog in the movie contrasts these two countries. Why? Was Germany a better place? France? Romania? <br />This is what our critics is about.Malgorzatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02627065167576221730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-88420428443325594642012-03-10T09:37:50.835-05:002012-03-10T09:37:50.835-05:00Dear Ms Sofia Dochmacka-Bain,
I would like to expr...Dear Ms Sofia Dochmacka-Bain,<br />I would like to express my highest respect for you and your family. I am grateful for what you and your family have done. <br />MalgorzataMalgorzatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02627065167576221730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-23334024550840136362012-03-06T20:51:35.496-05:002012-03-06T20:51:35.496-05:00Pier 21 is Canada's Museum who has opened thei...Pier 21 is Canada's Museum who has opened their hearts and Country to let the displaced and downtrodden people have a life.<br /><br />Just because someone didn't like a story that was written by a girl who happened to be Jewish, it is her story. <br /><br />Why don't you find another subject, for instance, what did the Russians do for Poland before and after, i.e. Stalin, then Hitler, then Stalin. When the Russian soldiers stood on the other side of the river and watched the Germans kill as many Poles as possible. <br /><br />But its easier to pick on Pier 21. Get real, life isn't all lilly white, keep praying that it doesn't get worse - we should be glad to be living free and away from what was World War II.<br />I don't even know where my families bones are in the blood shed of Poland, and never having a family. My Mother and I found our home, and the first place was the warm welcome at Pier 21.<br /><br />Sofia Dochmacka-BainSofia Dochmacka Bainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-81958799664247659982012-03-02T16:01:21.486-05:002012-03-02T16:01:21.486-05:00I feel sorry for people not understanding this mus...I feel sorry for people not understanding this museum is for the displaced people who lost everything in Europe and found home in Canada. Pier 21, is a Museum we are proud of. My Mother and I found home.<br />However, we cannot dismiss the stories that are the true experiences of people who survived. Many other more horror stories will never appear.<br />But let's face the truth. <br />We have seen ourselves how people behaved towards the Jews before, during, and after the war. Yes, many many helped,and many died for their heroic efforts to save them. My family is one of them.<br />Let's not belittle Pier 21, it was and is home of soldiers going to war, coming back from war liberting places like Poland and such, a little respect, and not so much wounded pride.<br /><br />Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-43172147900793736962012-01-15T08:49:49.186-05:002012-01-15T08:49:49.186-05:00Small success?
Those who have joined our protest ...Small success?<br /><br />Those who have joined our protest and have recently sent a letter of complaint to the Museum, are receiving the following answer:<br /><br />Extract from the letter received on December 22, 2011:<br /><br />“ (…) Since receiving your letter and those of others with similar concerns, The Museum has contacted the technology firm that helps maintain the multimedia presentation to look at the possibility of adding to or altering the presentation. Through working with a technician, we were able to add a line of text to provide more context to the Displaced Person vignette. The following line now appears next to the 1947 date that introduces that vignette: “After Germany’s wartime occupation of Poland (…)”.<br /><br />We take it as a sign that the Museum has finally heard our voice. However, after we had analyzed the movie in details, we decided to continue our protest. It is a disgrace of Canadian national museum to present to its visitors the theater play, which is not a documentary, but amalgams of memoirs and experiences, which (supported by manipulative language and phrases) offend Poles and Christians.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-21064748994610537312011-12-23T03:59:37.056-05:002011-12-23T03:59:37.056-05:00I hope you enjoy being here I look forward to seei...I hope you enjoy being here I look forward to seeing your posts :)suzainhttp://www.migrationpk.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-91041465138424398532011-11-06T11:20:18.108-05:002011-11-06T11:20:18.108-05:00In Polish:
Oto fragment artykułu, który ukazał si...In Polish: <br />Oto fragment artykułu, który ukazał się w „Głosie Polskim” w Kanadzie”<br />http://www.polishnationalunion.ca/glospolski/kongres-polonii-kanadyjskie...<br /><br />Podczas wystąpień i wspólnej dyskusji, największą znajomością „spraw polskich” i interesów Polaków, zamieszkałych w Kanadzie, wykazał się ze „strony rządowej” minister Jason Kenney, który przypomniał nasze wysiłki w celu zniesienia wiz dla Polaków, „walkę” polskich kombatantów o zrównanie ich praw z weteranami kanadyjskimi, wspomniał o inicjatywie budowy pomnika ofiar komunizmu na Wzgórzu Parlamentarnym, podkreślał doniosłość wizyt Papieża Jana Pawła II w Kanadzie, mówił o konieczności usunięcia filmu, prezentowanego w Muzeum w Halifaksie, gdzie sugeruje się odbiorcom, iż to Polacy byli oprawcami Żydów w czasie II wojny światowej, a nie Niemcy, obiecał, że będzie reagował na wciąż pojawiające się w mainstreamowych mediach kanadyjskich, urągające nam Polakom określenie „Polish concentration camps” (tu zwrócił się do posła Teda Opitza, który ostatnio w tej sprawie interweniował na forum kanadyjskiego parlamentu).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-82054533704135241092011-10-09T11:00:47.912-04:002011-10-09T11:00:47.912-04:00The Polish Embassy in Ottawa will take further act...The Polish Embassy in Ottawa will take further actions: <br />http://intra-ak.pl/skany/ambasada-rp--w-kanadzie-oceans-of-hope-odpowiedz-ottawa-06.10.2011.jpgAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-54723762827127210062011-09-30T10:14:46.156-04:002011-09-30T10:14:46.156-04:00I comment on this in a new blog post posted today,...I comment on this in a new blog post posted today, September 30.D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-1350262353206040532011-09-30T09:08:12.960-04:002011-09-30T09:08:12.960-04:00Update:
We received a copy of the response from th...Update:<br />We received a copy of the response from the Canadian Immigration Museum in Halifax (Pier 21 ) to the Polish Embassy in Ottawa. <br />It is a shame that the Museum responded to the Embassy with the standard template, adding only 1 paragraph about Canadian soldier’s episode, claiming this is an introduction to the war context. I have watched his movie hundred times. These episodes are in time order (soldier 1942, Polish episode 1947), but there is nothing that would connect these episodes directly (and there is one other episode between these two). In addition, there is a difference when talking about war: a soldier fighting against enemy and a Jewish girl suffering in Poland without the context of Nazi’s extermination policy against Jews, what ghettos were for etc. This episode IS MEANT to dishonour Polish people. In the dialog: "they” are Polish Christians who hid the girl and also those who "rounded up Jews like cattle” and said "to be a Jew is to be dead". Without any differentiations! The words “authorities” or “police” are used instead of “Gestapo” or “Germans” – just in order to associate all the atrocities to Poland and Polish people. Apart from it, there is a lot of other disturbing content in the movie e.g. appraising Canada at the expense of Poland at the end of the episode. <br /><br />The portal Blogmedia24 received the following letter from the Embassy, quoting the Museum’s response. <br />***<br />Szanowni Państwo,<br />W odpowiedzi na poniższą korespondencję informuję, że w wyniku naszej interwencji, w dniu 7 września br. otrzymaliśmy odpowiedź z Muzeum Imigracji w Halifaxie.<br />Zgodnie z uzyskaną informacją, w najbliższym czasie mają być prowadzone prace nad nową ekspozycją stałą w muzeum. Prace te, zgodnie z zapewnieniami, mają być prowadzone we współpracy ze społecznościami, których wystawa będzie dotyczyć. <br />W załączeniu przesyłam scan pisma otrzymanego z muzeum w tej sprawie.<br />Z poważaniem, <br />Andrzej Fąfara<br /><br />First Secretary<br />Embassy of the Republic of Poland<br />443 Daly Avenue<br />Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6H3<br />***<br /><br />The movie has been on display since 2003. Mr Fafara did not properly translate the response. The Museum did not say “in nearest time= w najblizszym czasie”, but “in the next few years”. This makes a huge difference, especially taking into account similar responses received by individuals in 2008. Till now - nothing has changed.<br /><br />I understand that the Museum’s response was accepted by the Embassy and no steps will follow. I hope I am wrong though. <br />We will send a response letter to the Embassy. Soon, after elections in Poland, we will prepare an official petition to the Ministry of Foreign affairs and Prime Minister and we will continue fighting against this libel. We will not give up. <br /><br />We need Canadians to complain to Honourable James Moore (Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages) who supervises the Museum. There should be no place for such “theatre show” in the national museum. The exhibition in the museum should educate visitors and present the “general portrait of the time”. <br /><br />I would also like to ask someone from Canada (KPK?) to request the copy of Nova Scotia Human Right Commission’s assessment of “Oceans of Hope” (2003). My request remains unanswered. This commission is not meant to asses historical facts. We need Canadians to appeal against the assessment or submit it to the Canadian Human Right Commission or any other official bodies for re-assessment. <br /><br />I am sending this letter to all of you, who supported the action so far, asking not to give up, to send your individual letter of complaint to Museum, to MPs – Wladyslaw Lizon and Ted Opitz, to Embassy and wherever you feel appropriate. <br /><br />I will be informing you about the progress and further actions. <br />And, if we do not succeed soon, I hope to see you all in front of Pier 21 in spring 2012.<br /><br />Regards<br />MalgorzataAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-84189410890448719292011-08-01T16:41:34.133-04:002011-08-01T16:41:34.133-04:00Poster, thank you for posting Pier 21's letter...Poster, thank you for posting Pier 21's letter by Steven Schwinghamer. It is shameless obfuscation -- in plain English -- BS. Steven Schwinghamer never addresses the pertinent points. Of course Jewish people suffered and died during the Holocaust. Of course people lived in fear. What has that got to do with Pier 21's film that rewrites history, that never so much as mentions the words "German" or "Nazi" or "Gestapo"? That rather repeats as the main antagonist of the Holocaust: "Polish Christian"? That, further, turns Slavic peasant immigrants into clowns? Shame, shame, shame.D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-59665689409750229602011-08-01T14:57:30.650-04:002011-08-01T14:57:30.650-04:00this is a response from Dr Czekajewski
July 27, 2...this is a response from Dr Czekajewski<br /><br />July 27, 2008<br />Mr. Steven Schwinghamer <br />Research Co-ordinator <br />Pier 21 Museum Halifax, Canada.<br /><br />Dear Mr Steven Schwinghamer <br />Thank you for responding to my letter with promising news, that Museum Pier 21 will revise insulting to Christian Poles and Poland segment in Multimedia Presentation "Ocean of Hope" depicting "composite history" of an immigrant Jewish girl, who was tormented by her Christian saviors and apparently developed hate and fear of Poland. If Museum Pier 21 fails to do that you will damage its reputation as historical authority for convenience of some biased anti-Polish agenda. I have to repeat that my personal impressions from viewing this presentation could be biased by my own war experiences, but my much younger wife, born in America, who has never seen Poland before she met me, had similar to mine impression. We both left Museum with an impression, that this sly and insulting portraying of Christian Poles was not just accidental, but intentional. It is troubling that your Museum allowed this to happen in spite of Museum's vast knowledge of real history, to which you refer in your letter. Your explanation that Museum assumes that the visitors have prior knowledge of history of the World War II is not convincing. Young people who should learn about history of their emigrant grand parents are already from the third generation after the war. They know nothing or very little about War, Germans, Holocaust and especially Poland's role in this terrible war. To this generation you have obligation to be truthful and not biased. You should do it for your own good and conscience. In your letter to me you refer to authority of British historian and testimonies of immigrants from Poland available in your archives. This effort was completely unnecessary, as I have seen Holocaust with my own eyes ( I am 74 years old) and I have a close friend, now a Professor at Michigan Technological University, who lived through this period with "adopted" Jewish "cousin girl" saved by his mother. His story you can find on Internet at the address: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/breaking/2001/pelc.html I may also suggest that when redoing this segment on emigrant child from Poland you could give credit to brave Catholic priests who provided false birth and baptism certificates to Jewish children to save their lives. In addition you could also offer a story of blond Polish, Catholic boy with blue eyes, who was torn from the arms of Polish peasants and send to Germany to supplement the Arian Master Race. More than 200,000 Polish children were captured in only one region of Zamosc and sent to Germany. After the war thousands of these Polish Catholic "arian" children could not find their own parents who were either lost or killed. Some may have come to Canada as orphans. After all, numerically, 50% of Poland WW II causalities were Catholics. They deserve some respect and attention too.<br />Sincerely yours,<br />Jan Czekajewski, Ph.D.<br />janczek@aol.com<br />PS Because my original letter to the Pier 21 Museum on this subject found wide interest in Polish, Canadian and US media, I take liberty of sending your letter and my reply to all interested parties.<br />***Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-53631031950518564132011-08-01T14:53:41.457-04:002011-08-01T14:53:41.457-04:00....continued
As a museum, we offer our visitors .......continued<br /><br />As a museum, we offer our visitors a tour and an introduction to the film, "Oceans of Hope", both of which give specific context for the content of the film. We know our audience will have access to that information, and in particular that they will understand the effect of the German and Russian occupations during and after the Second World War. We also discuss the history of Jewish war orphans directly in the museum, where a large photo of some of the orphans is featured at the very entrance of the display. It is a panel that provokes discussion of the broad topic, including Canada's own anti-Semitic practices in the years before the war. Our guides deal with this challenging subject, the content of the segment of the film which has provoked your concern, as a regular and detailed part of their tour. If one proceeds from the museum to the Research Centre, our archival holdings include stories and interviews, such as that of Bains quoted above, that expand on the lived experience of those in occupied countries, including rescuing families, Holocaust survivors, and more. All of these resources foster in our visitors an accurate historical understanding of that segment of the film in the context of Nazi German occupation, and not as crimes perpetrated by an independent Poland. Beyond these specific educational aspects of the museum, which prepare our audience to view the experience of a Jewish war orphan from Poland in context, we do feel confident that the background knowledge of our visitors on the war is sufficient that they will understand the episode to be derived from the immense suffering of Jewish victims under the Nazi-perpetrated Holocaust, and that they would not associate it first with Polish agency or responsibility. This distinction is underscored by one historical item shown in "Oceans of Hope" during the segments on the Second World War: a newspaper headline that clearly indicates that Poland had been invaded and occupied - and therefore had fallen under Nazi authority. We are always grateful for feedback and will take suggestions into consideration. I am pleased to say that as a result of consultation with members of the Research and Education Advisory Committee of our Board of Directors pursuant to your comments, we are looking into adding a more detailed introduction to the presentation that would provide even more supporting information. We do hope that you and your wife will be able to visit us again so that you can experience this addition to the film together with the museum tour and the related archival holdings. <br /><br />My thanks for your letter, <br />Steven Schwinghamer <br />Research Co-ordinator, Pier 21Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-60930203085150430572011-08-01T14:52:13.366-04:002011-08-01T14:52:13.366-04:00Dr Jan Czekajewski
July 26, 2008
Dear Dr Czekaje...Dr Jan Czekajewski <br />July 26, 2008 <br />Dear Dr Czekajewski, <br />I have reviewed your message regarding our multimedia presentation, "Oceans of Hope", and hope my response will address your concerns. "Oceans of Hope" is a presentation that uses sample narratives to sketch an impression of the scope of heritage related to Pier 21 as a National Historic Site of Canada. The episodes are interpretive, composite accounts, drawn from many sources, including personal memoirs and recollections. The resulting narratives in the film are evocative, even emotional. The story of a young Jewish girl from Poland, orphaned by the violence of the Nazis, is difficult to hear. It is a reminder of a time of organized and massive brutality, of the de-humanization of entire groups of people. Dealing with that era is hard for any of us who have empathy for the past - and many of us have personal connections with those who suffered through this period, and so can feel the deep hurt as it still extends into the present. The story that has provoked your concern is based on a large body of evidence which clearly indicates that both rescued children and their rescuers lived in a climate of fear and oppression. You correctly cite the threat of death against the many heroic people who chose to attempt to shelter Jews and others from persecution by the Nazis in your letter. Sir Martin Gilbert, in his recent popular history of the Holocaust, Never Again, wrote of the Jewish Hidden Children, "All of those in hiding had to make daily efforts to hide the fact that they were Jewish. One slip could mean betrayal, arrest and deportation." This was an abiding reality, and so the rescued person, especially if a hidden child, was often sternly instructed to do nothing to endanger themselves or their rescuers. This was not unkind or overly harsh. This was a reasonable precaution taken by the rescuers, people who extended the vital gift of life instead of death, while endangering themselves. The exhibit, "Life in the Shadows", of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, describes the environment as follows: "Theirs was a life in shadows, where a careless remark, a denunciation, or the murmurings of inquisitive neighbours could lead to discovery and death." Many personal memoirs from the war years reveal the conflicted nature of the act of rescuing a victim from the Nazis - of hiding a Jewish child, for example. Sofia Dochmacka Bain was a young Polish girl during the Second World War. Her account, a unique part of Pier 21's own story collection, includes a description of how her family risked their lives to help save a Jewish man in wartime Poland: "The Gestapo arrived to search for Jews. My sister was at home at this time and managed to place the rug over the cellar entrance, with the dog and her puppies. Here is a 12 year old girl, telling them, 'she hated the Jews, and if they were here, she would give them to the Gestapo.' They searched the house, but somehow avoided the dog area, and finally gave up and left. When my mother returned, my sister told her to leave with me. She was worried the Gestapo would come back for her. My mother left and hid out with me the night, watching for a van to arrive at the house. None did, and we finally went home." Pier 21 is a museum of living history. We operate by gathering and sharing the stories of our immigrants. We feel a responsibility to gather all kinds of stories - not just those that celebrate success in Canada, but also those that look honestly at every manner of difficulty faced by immigrants, from discrimination in Canada to the horrors of the Holocaust in Europe, from famine and poverty abroad to the barriers of language and culture when they finally arrive. To do anything less would be a profound disservice to the immigrants whose heritage we are privileged to share. It would be dishonest to our histories. <br />....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-79902325232885855662011-08-01T14:49:21.095-04:002011-08-01T14:49:21.095-04:00Dear Readers,
I would like to share with you the r...Dear Readers,<br />I would like to share with you the response from the museum to Dr Jan Czekajewski's letter from July 2008. As you can read, despite of promises, the Museum DID NOTHING to amend the movie. The movie is as it was. It blames Polish Christians for Nazis crimes. There is no explanation and historical context in the movie itself and - contrary to the response from the museum - the exhibition does not give any sufficient background of the war context in Poland either. This movie is watched by children and adults and is on sale in the Museums shop. Nothing has changed…<br /><br />http://polandcanada.blogspot.com/search?q=pier+21<br /><br />see below postsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-70449294317498527342011-07-26T00:42:19.216-04:002011-07-26T00:42:19.216-04:00Yeah. "Polonia needs to look to itself on th...Yeah. "Polonia needs to look to itself on this matter" -- and everyone else gets public funding and freebies for their cultural capital, but your advice to the Polaks is they have to look to themselves, while in reality they are already always funding everyone else's? <br /> If THEY get the libraries to buy THEIR stuff for them, WHY NOT US? Our taxes, their books. Our books, our own wallets. This is the stuff of which cultural genocide is made. Disappearance, erasure. I'd like a little better for my kids than that. Maybe even - - a little equality.<br /><br /> Are you sure you want to be part of validating as normal or acceptable THEM keep on keeping on with their usual version of sharing ---- What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine?<br /><br />Your book, an excellent one, is highly pricey. Twice as expensive as most books of similar size (but meaty though). I bought a copy myself. Well, two copies, and downloaded one for free. Especially in this economy, it's priced out of range of most working class Polonians -- a steep price for taking a chance on who knows what, unread? Fewer bucks, you look to be sure to get more bang for the buck, especially if you have a family, or are paying your own way through the U. But you know that of course, I know.<br /> <br /> My experience, noted in a previous post, shows that your hope that "when Polish Americans ... ask for it at their local libraries it will succeed" is not supported by data. I asked. It "wasn't consistent with their collections policy". <br /> Add to that the data from WorldCat. None of this supports your view that when they ask for it, the library will buy it. Sorry. Perhaps I have less faith in the intelligentsia than you do.<br /><br />NemoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-67911933145306096862011-07-25T04:52:38.234-04:002011-07-25T04:52:38.234-04:00When Polish Americans buy "Bieganski" an...When Polish Americans buy "Bieganski" and ask for it at their local libraries it will succeed. So far, that has not happened. Polonia needs to look to itself on this matter.D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-74160005223795079102011-07-24T10:09:31.298-04:002011-07-24T10:09:31.298-04:00For those interested, as of 7/24/11, a search of W...For those interested, as of 7/24/11, a search of WorldCat, the OCLC catalog of international library holdings, there are 94 copies of Dr. Goska's book in libraries and museums on the planet, only *maybe* one of these in a general non academic library. 3 electronic copies are in universities in what looks like German institutions.<br /><br /> My attempt to get a local, non academic library to acquire "Bieganski", led to being told it was not consistent with their collections policy, or something like that. This is a not small city, and has many Polonians.<br /><br /> Other groups seem to get their materials bought with public funds. <br /><br />Occasionally, libraries will put on shows about attempts at censoring library acquistions, mostly focused on public complaints regarding libraries' acquisitions of "controversial" books, and making much of libraries as great defenders of intellectual freedom. Such chest beating distracts from the more real, significant, and hidden censorship imposed by libraries not buying certain books, and publishers not publishing them.<br /> Thus the tendency here is to bury "Bieganski" in the enclaves of the elites, probably most of whom will read it as a response to threat, rather than an education in shared humanity.<br /><br />NemoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-34909942493676444602011-05-11T11:26:57.340-04:002011-05-11T11:26:57.340-04:00As I have said on the Facebook site, the Canadian ...As I have said on the Facebook site, the Canadian Polish Congress was made aware of this and we are initiating a letter writing campaign by our member organizations and branches. It is a shame that a country who fought so hard against an evil oppressor (or two), lost everything, and yet helped the West win and retain freedom, gets so little recognition of its role and even gets malicious misinformation printed/filmed about it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-46863355994531369832011-03-19T14:15:28.460-04:002011-03-19T14:15:28.460-04:00"I am going to “move the Earth” until the mov..."I am going to “move the Earth” until the movie disappears from the museum’s display."<br /><br />Yay, Gosia! I love to read this! I love your determination and your action. <br /><br />I'm going to send my own email as soon as I finish this post.D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-19941959462706918512011-03-19T14:15:05.928-04:002011-03-19T14:15:05.928-04:00"I am going to “move the Earth” until the mov..."I am going to “move the Earth” until the movie disappears from the museum’s display."<br /><br />Yay, Gosia! I love to read this! I love your determination and your action. <br /><br />I'm going to send my own email as soon as I finish this post.D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-63157698983111978172011-03-19T08:35:28.138-04:002011-03-19T08:35:28.138-04:00Dear Americans, Canadians, Poles - readers of this...Dear Americans, Canadians, Poles - readers of this blog,<br />I would like to inform you that I have sent the letter to Board of Directors of Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Some of my friends watched the movie too, and are going to complain. If we do not get any satisfactory response, I am going to “move the Earth” until the movie disappears from the museum’s display.<br /><br />If you do not believe what is described here, you can order the movie “Oceans of Hope” under the following e-mail address: giftshop@pier21.ca or by phone at (902) 425-7770 ext. 227. <br />Unfortunately, this 24- minute show costs 29,95 $ + sales tax + shipping costs. The Customer Guarantee says: “should anything you order from the Pier 21 Museum Gift Shop not meet your expectations, it can be returned for replacement or a refund”.<br /><br />If you do believe what Danusha described, please send the letter of complaint to Board of Directors addressed to the Office Manager Sylvie Lagacé: slagace@pier21.ca. <br />Please join me. Please do not call me naive. We can change it. I know we can!<br />Thank you,<br />MalgorzataMalgorzatanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8471082069031980581.post-86347694473690198942011-02-14T08:36:09.092-05:002011-02-14T08:36:09.092-05:00Michal:
"it comes across as a good way not t...Michal:<br /><br />"it comes across as a good way not to answer a straightforward question." <br /><br />If you want to conclude that, that's okay with me. OTOH, I've published an entire book addressing the question, so I don't see how I can be accused of ducking the question when I've attempted to answer it at length.<br /><br />Of course I discuss some matters on the blog. <br /><br />Example: I receive a fair amount of email saying, for example, "JT Gross is not Polish."<br /><br />It's easy to address a point like that on a blog. I don't address it in the book. It's not important to the book. <br /><br />But the reasons for the invention of this stereotype and its deployment are much more complex than "JT Gross is not really Polish."<br /><br />One point can be adequately covered in a blog post, another cannot. <br /><br />Finally, for me, in my value system, it is of utmost importance, in this discussion, not to misstate others' points, and not to attempt to summarize the points of others whose works I have not yet read -- for whatever reason.D Goskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353495585591945881noreply@blogger.com