Polish
Doubly Forgotten: Jewish Officers of the Polish Army Among the Victims of the Katyn Massacre
At the beginning of September, the educational exhibition Doubly Forgotten: Jewish Officers of the Polish Army Among the Victims of the Katyn Massacre arrived at Marshal Józef Piłsudski Primary School No. 2 in Kutno.
About the Exhibition
The exhibition was produced by the Foundation "Friends and Jewish Families of the City of Kutno" as part of the public initiative Zachor Means Remember!, made possible through financial support from the Mayor of Kutno.
The exhibition was authored by Luc Albinski, with graphic design by Jacqui Meyer and consultation by Andrzej Olewnik.
Comprising nine exhibition panels, it was displayed at educational institutions throughout Kutno from May to June, followed by a summer presentation at the Kutno Cultural Centre.
Since September, the exhibition has once again been touring primary and secondary schools in Kutno, spending five days at each institution, from Monday to Friday.
Exhibition Partners and Honorary Patrons
The exhibition's partner is the Foundation of Katyn Families of Jewish Origin, founded by Luc Albinski.
Website: https://zydzikatynscy.pl/
The Katyn Museum has granted its Honorary Patronage to the exhibition, and in recent days, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews has also granted us its Honorary Patronage.
We are immensely proud to have these distinguished institutions as Honorary Patrons of our exhibition.
A Few Words About the Exhibition
In the spring of 1940, officers of the Soviet NKVD murdered nearly 22,000 citizens of the Second Polish Republic. Among the victims were officers of the Polish Army, police officers, civil servants and members of the intelligentsia. It was a premeditated crime directed against the elites of the Polish state.
Among those murdered were also Poles of Jewish origin. Historians estimate that more than 500 Jewish officers of the Polish Army were among the victims. The majority were reserve officers who, in civilian life, worked as doctors, pharmacists, engineers and lawyers.
The mobilisation system of the Second Polish Republic relied heavily on precisely such people: educated professionals who worked in their respective fields during peacetime and answered the call to military service when their country was threatened. This is why the Katyn lists contain so many names of members of the professions.
Following the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939, thousands of Polish officers were taken prisoner. They were held primarily in NKVD camps at Kozelsk, Starobelsk and Ostashkov. In the spring of 1940, all of them were murdered.
The fate of the Jewish officers of the Polish Army forms part of the shared history of Poles and Jews and stands as testimony to the deliberate destruction of the elites of the Second Polish Republic.
Particular attention should be given to the exhibition panel dedicated to Jakub Landesberg, a doctor from Kutno who was murdered at Katyn.
Honorary Patronage and Project Partners
The public initiative Zachor Means Remember! is held under the Honorary Patronage of Mariusz Sikora, Mayor of Kutno, the Kutno Council for National Remembrance, and the Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland.
The Kutno Cultural Centre is a partner in the initiative.
Exhibition Opening
The official opening of the educational exhibition Doubly Forgotten: Jewish Officers of the Polish Army Among the Victims of the Katyn Massacre took place on 21 May 2026 in the entrance hall of Władysław Jagiełło Primary School No. 9 in Kutno.
The exhibition was officially opened by Luc Albinski, President of the Foundation "Friends and Jewish Families of the City of Kutno"; Zbigniew Wdowiak, Deputy Mayor of Kutno; Wanda Albinska, Chair of the Foundation Council; and Andrzej Olewnik, a regional historian specialising in the Katyn Massacre.
We extend our sincere thanks to Iwona Pietrzak, Headteacher of Primary School No. 9, for inviting us to hold the exhibition opening at the school.
The exhibition has also been presented at Jan Kasprowicz Secondary School No. 2 in Kutno and Dr A. Troczewski Vocational School Complex No. 2 in Kutno.
Luc Albinski
President of the Management Board
Foundation "Friends and Jewish Families of the City of Kutno"
‘Doubly Forgotten’ Exhibition at School Complex No. 1 in Kutno
On 30 September 2026, fourth-year pupils from Secondary School No. 3 at the Stanisław Staszic School Complex No. 1 in Kutno visited the educational exhibition Doubly Forgotten: Jewish Officers of the Polish Army Among the Victims of the Katyn Massacre, accompanied by their form teacher, Izabela Pawłowska.
On 2 October 2026, pupils from the Technical School and first-year pupils from the General Secondary School at the Stanisław Staszic School Complex No. 1 in Kutno also visited the exhibition, accompanied by their history teacher, Aneta Urbańska-Matczak.
Bożena Gajewska, an educator from the Foundation, spoke to the pupils about the exhibition and the Katyn Massacre.
Jakub Landesberg – Reserve Second Lieutenant of the Polish Army
One of the exhibition panels tells the story of Jakub Landesberg, a reserve second lieutenant of the Polish Army and a physician specialising in internal medicine who had close ties to Kutno and was murdered at Katyn.
Jakub Landesberg was born on 9 June 1899 in Tarnopol. He was the son of Maurycy (Moses Josel) Landesberg and Fryderyka (Freude), née Bretsztejn. He studied medicine at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lwów, where he obtained his medical degree.
He served in the Polish Army from November 1918 and held the rank of reserve second lieutenant from 1926. He served in the 10th Medical Battalion and, following reserve training exercises in 1930 and 1932, was assigned to the rolls of the 37th Infantry Regiment in Kutno.
Kutno became the centre of his life. He lived at 3 Narutowicza Street, later at 115 Kilińskiego Street, and eventually built his own home on Długosza Street. He married Maria (Małka), née Goldman.
He worked as a physician for the social insurance institution and maintained a private medical practice. He was a respected specialist in internal medicine, deeply connected to Kutno and its community.
On 1 September 1939, following the German invasion of Poland, he was called up for military service and was probably assigned to Grodno. He was subsequently taken prisoner by the Soviets and held at the Kozelsk camp.
His name appears on transport list L.W. 035/2 of April 1940, reference AM 3739. He was murdered at Katyn in April 1940.
In 1943, the newspaper Nowy Kurier Warszawski published a notice in its "Victims of Katyn" column confirming his death. The exhumation lists and documents of the Main Board of the Polish Red Cross from 1943–1944 contain the following entry:
"03739. Landesberg Jakub – military officer – doctor of medicine, medical diploma from Jan Kazimierz University, officer's booklet, postcard from sender: Maria Landesberg, Kutno, Narutowicza 3, prescription book."
A prescription book and a letter from his wife Małka were found with his remains. These are among the most poignant traces left by a man who served his country and never returned to the city he had made his home.
In 2007, he was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant by the President of the Republic of Poland.
About the Exhibition
The exhibition was produced by the Foundation "Friends and Jewish Families of the City of Kutno" as part of the public initiative Zachor Means Remember!, made possible through financial support from the Mayor of Kutno.
The exhibition was authored by Luc Albinski, with graphic design by Jacqui Meyer and consultation by Andrzej Olewnik.
Comprising nine exhibition panels, it was displayed at educational institutions throughout Kutno from May to June, followed by a summer presentation at the Kutno Cultural Centre.
Since September, the exhibition has once again been touring primary and secondary schools in Kutno, spending five days at each institution, from Monday to Friday.
Exhibition Partners and Honorary Patrons
The exhibition's partner is the Foundation of Katyn Families of Jewish Origin.
Website: https://zydzikatynscy.pl/
The exhibition is held under the Honorary Patronage of the Katyn Museum and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
We are immensely proud to have these distinguished institutions as Honorary Patrons of our exhibition.
The public initiative Zachor Means Remember!, under which the exhibition was produced, is held under the Honorary Patronage of Mariusz Sikora, Mayor of Kutno, the Kutno Council for National Remembrance, and the Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland.
The Kutno Cultural Centre is a partner in the initiative.
‘Doubly Forgotten’ Exhibition Presented at a Primary School in Kutno
Last week, the educational exhibition Doubly Forgotten: Jewish Officers of the Polish Army Among the Victims of the Katyn Massacre was presented at Tadeusz Kościuszko Primary School No. 1 in Kutno.
Pupils explored the history of the Katyn Massacre in discussions led by their history teacher, Robert Małachowski. One pupil who demonstrated outstanding knowledge received a commemorative Katyn Button.
The Institute of National Remembrance provides the following information about the Katyn Button:
The Katyn Button
The Katyn Button was created as part of the social and educational campaign I Remember. Katyn 1940, initiated in April 2007 by the National Centre for Culture. This was the period leading up to the premiere of Andrzej Wajda's film Katyn, as well as the posthumous promotion by the President of the Republic of Poland of officers murdered in the Katyn Massacre. The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) was a partner in the campaign from the outset.
The IPN's National Education Office prepared a new edition of the Katyn Button to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet genocide in 2020.
The Katyn Button is a commemorative pin whose shape and design symbolise the buttons from Polish military greatcoats recovered from burial sites at Katyn near Smolensk, Miednoje near Tver, Bykivnia near Kyiv, and Piatykhatky on the outskirts of Kharkiv.
Nearly 22,000 Poles, including military personnel, police officers and civilians, were murdered by the Soviet NKVD in April and May 1940. Their bodies were buried anonymously in mass graves in forests, with the intention that they would never be discovered.
The buttons, bearing the emblem of the Second Polish Republic, played a significant role in identifying the victims. Thus, an ordinary part of a soldier's greatcoat and uniform, a silent witness to the crime, came to speak in its own way, becoming a tangible symbol of remembrance.
It is fitting here to quote an excerpt from Zbigniew Herbert's poem Buttons, dedicated to his relative, Captain Edward Herbert, an officer of the Kraków Cavalry Brigade who was murdered at Katyn:
"Only the unyielding buttons
survived death, witnesses to the crime
from the depths they rise to the surface
the only monument upon their graves (...)"
Translated from the Polish original.
About the Exhibition
The exhibition was produced by the Foundation "Friends and Jewish Families of the City of Kutno" as part of the public initiative Zachor Means Remember!, made possible through financial support from the Mayor of Kutno.
The exhibition was authored by Luc Albinski, with graphic design by Jacqui Meyer and consultation by Andrzej Olewnik.
Comprising nine exhibition panels, it was displayed at educational institutions throughout Kutno from May to June, followed by a summer presentation at the Kutno Cultural Centre.
Since September, the exhibition has once again been touring primary and secondary schools in Kutno, spending five days at each institution, from Monday to Friday.
Exhibition Partners and Honorary Patrons
The exhibition's partner is the Foundation of Katyn Families of Jewish Origin.
Website: https://zydzikatynscy.pl/
The exhibition is held under the Honorary Patronage of the Katyn Museum and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
We are immensely proud to have these distinguished institutions as Honorary Patrons of our exhibition.
The public initiative Zachor Means Remember!, under which the exhibition was produced, is held under the Honorary Patronage of:
- Mariusz Sikora, Mayor of Kutno
- Kutno Council for National Remembrance
- Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland
The Kutno Cultural Centre is a partner in the initiative.
‘Doubly Forgotten’ Exhibition at School Complex No. 4 in Kutno-Azory
From Monday to Friday last week, the educational exhibition Doubly Forgotten: Jewish Officers of the Polish Army Among the Victims of the Katyn Massacre was hosted by Zygmunt Balicki School Complex No. 4 in Kutno-Azory.
It is worth mentioning that this school has a remarkable namesake. Although Zygmunt Balicki had no personal connections to Kutno or the surrounding region, the school, which has a history spanning almost 80 years and has educated hundreds of railway workers and professionals in other fields, was named in his honour.
On 14 January 1985, Zygmunt Balicki, his wife Jadwiga and their daughter Helena were awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations.
This is not a widely known fact, but it deserves recognition. Having such an honourable figure as its namesake is a great distinction for the school and its entire community, as well as for us, the residents of Kutno.
The following is an excerpt about the Balicki family from the Righteous Among the Nations website.
First Exhibition Dedicated to the Polish-Jewish Victims of the Katyn Massacre Is Unveiled in Kutno
On 21 May 2026, Primary School No. 9 in Kutno hosted the official opening of the first exhibition in Poland dedicated to the Polish-Jewish officers of the Polish Army murdered by the Soviet NKVD in the Katyn Massacre.
The exhibition was made possible through the support of the Municipality of Kutno, under the Honorary Patronage of the Katyn Museum in Warsaw, in cooperation with the Katyn Jewish Families Foundation and the Friends and Jewish Families of the City of Kutno Foundation.
Among those attending were Deputy Mayor Zbigniew Wdowiak, School Principal Iwona Lidia Pietrzak, representatives of local government, teachers, students and members of the local community.
Special guests included Wanda Albinska, born in Kutno and the daughter of Dr Halina Rotstein, a physician in the Warsaw Ghetto who chose to remain with her patients until her deportation to the Treblinka death camp, and her son Luc Albinski, President of the Katyn Jewish Families Foundation.
The exhibition tells the stories of Polish‑Jewish officers murdered at Katyn, Kharkiv and Mednoye and highlights the often-overlooked fact that hundreds of Polish citizens of Jewish origin were among the victims of the Katyn Massacre.
An important partner in the project was the Friends and Jewish Families of the City of Kutno Foundation, which has long been engaged in preserving and promoting Kutno’s multicultural heritage. Special recognition is due to Bożena Gajewska, whose commitment, energy and determination played a central role in organising the exhibition and accompanying events.
The visit to Kutno also included a screening of the documentary “Nobody Told Me”, telling the story of Dr Halina Rotstein and her family.
The project was made possible through the efforts of many dedicated individuals, including Bożena Gajewska, Andrzej Olewnik and Jacqui Meyer.
The exhibition represents another stage in the work of the Katyn Jewish Families Foundation to document and commemorate more than 500 Polish‑Jewish officers murdered by the NKVD in 1940. The Foundation maintains an online memorial cemetery at www.zydzikatynscy.pl.
It is hoped that the exhibition will travel to other cities in Poland.
Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Katyn Massacre in Johannesburg
A solemn wreath-laying ceremony was held on Sunday, 12 April 2026, at the Katyn Memorial in Johannesburg, bringing together representatives of the Polish diplomatic corps, the Polish community, and survivor organisations to honour the victims of the 1940 Katyn Massacre.
The ceremony took place at the memorial in James and Ethel Gray Park in Melrose, a site long regarded as the focal point of Katyn remembrance in South Africa. Erected in 1981, the monument commemorates more than 22,000 Polish officers, police, and members of the intelligentsia murdered by the Soviet NKVD during World War II.
Leading the commemoration was the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to South Africa, Jacek Chodorowicz, joined by members of the Polish diplomatic mission, including Consul Robert Rusiecki. Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland as part of the annual observance.
They were joined by representatives of the Polish community in Johannesburg, alongside cultural and historical organisations that continue to preserve the memory of Katyn within the diaspora.
Also in attendance were members of the Association of Siberian Deportees in South Africa (often referred to as the Siberian Association), whose members laid a wreath in remembrance of those deported to Soviet labour camps during the same period.
The ceremony included prayers, moments of silence, and reflections on the enduring legacy of Katyn. Speakers recalled not only the scale of the atrocity but also the decades during which responsibility for the massacre was denied, underscoring the importance of historical truth.
A further dimension of the commemoration was the remembrance of the hundreds of Polish Jewish officers who were among the victims of Katyn. Representatives of the Katyn Foundation for Jewish Families noted that more than 500 Jewish officers—doctors, lawyers, engineers and reservists drawn from across Polish society—were murdered alongside their fellow officers. Their stories, long underrepresented in broader narratives of Katyn, form an integral part of the tragedy and its legacy. The Foundation continues to work to document these lives and ensure that their memory is preserved within both Polish and Jewish historical consciousness.
The Johannesburg Katyn Memorial holds a unique place among international commemorative sites. In addition to honouring the victims of Katyn, it also recognises South African airmen who participated in Allied supply missions to Warsaw during the 1944 uprising, symbolising a shared wartime connection between Poland and South Africa.
As wreaths were laid and candles lit, the gathering reaffirmed a simple but enduring message: that remembrance remains both a duty and a form of justice.
Katyn Memorial Commemoration on 28 April 2025
On 28 April 2025, Luc Albinski represented the Katyn Foundation for Jewish Families at the annual Katyn memorial commemoration that took place at the Katyn monument in the Judean Hills outside Jerusalem. The event was attended by the Polish Ambassador to Israel, Maciej Hunia, the Polish defence attaché, Colonel Adam Godlewski, as well as several members of the Polish embassy staff. A representative from the Ukrainian military Serhii Samborskyi, also attended the event. Giora Bar Nir represented the families at the event and delivered a moving speech.
Ceremony at the Katyn Monument in Johannesburg on May 20, 2024
A ceremony took place at the Katyn Memorial at the James and Ethel Gray Park in Johannesburg to commemorate the Katyn massacre in the presence of the Polish Ambassador to South Africa, Adam Burakowski, representatives of the Polish Association of Siberian Deportees and Aimee Mica Ntuli, the representative of the Katyn Foundation for Families of Jewish Origin. Aimee Goldsmith laid a wreath on behalf of the Foundation.
The monument was designed by Andrzej Romanowicz and Adam Snopek as the architects and Leonard Rynkiewicz as the structural engineer. Bishop Szczepan Wesoły consecrated the completed Memorial on 9 May 1981. The central stand contains soil from Katyn; on the left soil from the Polish Home Army insurgents’ graves in the Powązki Cemetery; and on the right from the place of the crash of Jack van Eyssen’s Liberator of the South African Airforce in Michalin near Warsaw.
Ceremony at the Katyn Memorial in the Judean Hills outside Jerusalem on April 13, 2023
A short rain swept ceremony was held today at the Katyn Memorial in the Judean Hills outside Jerusalem to mark Katyn Day, a day of remembrance of the Katyn massacres committed by the Soviet secret police in April-May 1940 during which almost 22,000 Polish officers were murdered whilst prisoners of war. Amongst the murdered officers, were several hundred Polish Jewish officers. Present at the ceremony were representatives of the Polish embassy in Tel Aviv including the First Secretary and the Defense Attache as well as Giora Bar Nir, who lost a father, Lieutenant Emanuel Rabiner, in Katyn and Luc Albinski, the President of the Katyn Foundation for Jewish Families.