Category Archives: Poland

From Der Spiegel: “We have become citizens of the world. We are no longer the victims.”

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Poland, once a backward agricultural country, is quickly becoming an economic powerhouse in Central Europe. The Poles are strongly pro-European, and even their relationship with the Germans is no longer as tense as it was just a few years ago. … Continue reading →

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Wladyslaw Bartoszewski: member of the “decent” race, turned 89!

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

UPDATE:  On February 19th was Mr. Bartoszewski’s 89th birthday! Almost 4 years ago, I wrote briefly about him.  I repost: There are few of us who can truly be categorized as heroically unique, an inspiration to others, a person to … Continue reading →

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Rutka Laskier: the “Polish Anne Frank”.

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

The diary of 14-year-old Rutka Laskier only lasts 3 months. She describes the horrors she witnessed in a Jewish ghetto before she and her family were sent to Auschwitz. “I simply can’t believe that one day I will be allowed … Continue reading →

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Avraham Carmi’s story.

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

“[T]he Master of the Universe has a sense of humour.”  So says a Holocaust survivor, who spent time in Warsaw, during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and was caught and sent to Treblinka.  His is a story of horror, audacity, tenacity, … Continue reading →

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A new city: Warsaw.

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Check out “Warsaw on the Rise” at the Smithsonian Magazine.

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Loving classical music.

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Classical music, Chopin, Nelson Mandela, a few jokes, a beautiful performance, and a poignant story about an Auschwitz survivor: worth the 20 minutes!

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The French orphans of the Holocaust.

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

A baby born in the Rivesaltes internment camp south of France, in 1940, is today a 70 year old man, who still lives in France.  Camp Joffre in Rivesaltes was a destination for “undesirables” during World War II in the … Continue reading →

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Coming face to face with the Holocaust.

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

When I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau a few years back, an official at the death camp remarked that they never really had any visitors from the Muslim world. At the time, I thought it was a terrible sign of the times, that … Continue reading →

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“The Museum of the History of Polish Jews…

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

… is dedicated to preserving the lasting legacy of Jewish life in Poland and of the civilization created by Polish Jews.” For more information on the Museum go here.

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For dog lovers: Jimmy Stewart’s ode to his Beau.

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Watching this video, it is so obvious we have lost giants in the film industry that have never been replaced! My sister found this Polish proverb: “The greater love is a mother’s; then comes a dog’s; then a sweetheart’s.”

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Cristóbal Colón, polaco! Christopher Columbus, a Pole!

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

He is celebrated as the humble Italian weaver who ended up discovering the Americas. But the conventional wisdom relating to Christopher Columbus is under threat after academics concluded the explorer was actually a Polish immigrant. An international team of distinguished … Continue reading →

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Witness at the beginning of Warsaw’s destruction.

Posted on October 31, 2010 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Also at the Smithsonian Magazine, you will meet Paul Bryan, the sole foreign correspondent left in Warsaw at the time of the German invasion of Poland.  The author of the article, Mike Edwards, opens a window into a witness’  accidental … Continue reading →

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Wojtek, the Polish bear.

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I love learning something new…and today I found out about “Wojtek, the Polish bear soldier”: Wojtek’s greatest moment may have come when he voluntarily braved Nazi fire to help soldiers unload artillery shells at the Battle of Monte Cassino in … Continue reading →

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Poland, a mystical land.

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

I am humbled by the honor bestowed:   my thoughts on Poland appear in the Polish Foreign Ministry’s portal. They still hold true.

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Anglers’ delight, redux…

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Barbara Dillon Hillas

Reading about our new “Carp Czar” reminded me of an old blog entry of Kenneth’s, when he was in Iraq: March 20, 2008 Anglers delight! Fish farming in Babil? Sgt. Terry Alan Horn with his 50 lb. Iraqi carp. Today … Continue reading →

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