News

This year the  Jozef Pilsudski Institute of America awarded prizes to outstanding individuals in recognition of their achievements in five areas.

Józef Pilsudski Achievement and Leadership Award

– Jan Czekajewski

Jan Czekajewski is a scholar and specialist in the field of medical research. he is the owner of  "Columbus Instruments”, a firm exporting over seventy different scientific instruments to more than fifty countries around the world. John Czekajewski is involved in Polish communities, is a member of Polonia Technica and of PIASA. He is is active in journalism,  in defense of the good name of Poland and of Poles.

Wacław Jędrzejewicz History Medal

– Krzysztof Szwagrzyk

Doc. dr. Krzysztof Szwagrzyk, historian, head of the Office of Public Education in Wroclaw; he is a researcher specializing in the structures of the communist repression apparatus in Poland and the underground resistance in the years 1945-1956. He leads a team of scientists searching for the remains of victims of the communist regime buried in the Warsaw Powązki Cemetery .

Joseph Conrad-Korzeniowski Literature Medal

– Tadeusz Płużański

Tadeusz Pluzanski is the author of " Beasts: Murderers of Poles" that includes records of investigative reporting of officers handing out court sentences during the  Stalin years after the war. He publishes in a number of magazines and heads the review section  in " Super Express" .

Marie Skłodowska – Curie Science Medal 

- Tadeusz Massalski

Professor T. Massalski is an outstanding scientist in the field of metal physics, professor emeritus at  Carnegie Mellon University, who holds honorary doctorates from the Technical University of Warsaw (1973) and Technical University of Turin (2011).

Ignacy Paderewski Art and Music Medal

– Janusz Skowron

Janusz Skowron is an artist covering painting, drawing, and graphics. To date he has participated in over 100 exhibitions in the U.S., Europe and Asia . He is a member of several arts-related organizations and organizes cultural programs for senior Poles living in New York.

Congratulations !

The "Marshal Jozef Pilsudski Leadership and Achievement Award" was awarded to Bogdan Chmielewski, President and CEO of the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union. With this award Pilsudski Institute of America appreciates Bogdan Chmielewski's achievements of in the Polish banking in the United States and in support for the Polish-American institutions.

The "Waclaw Jedrzejewicz History Medal" has been awarded to professor Wojciech Roszkowski, historian and economist, for contributions to research in the history of the twentieth century Poland and for historical education of the young generation.

The "Ignacy Paderewski Art and Music Medal" has been awarded to Alina Czerniakowska, filmmaker and television journalist, for achievements in the creation of films documenting the communist regime in Poland, biographies of prominent politicians and Polish patriots and important historical events.

The award ceremony will take place during the annual Pilsudski Institute Awards Gala on 30 October 2015.

Instytut Piłsudskiego w Ameryce pomagał w organizacji pierwszego nowojorskiego Dnia Przyjaźni Polsko-Węgierskiej, którego celebracja odbyła się 23 marca 2014 o godzinie16:00 w Hungarian House przy 213 East 82nd Street.  Uroczystość zgromadziła bardzo liczne grono Polaków i Węgrów mieszkających w Ameryce. Niezwykle bogaty program artystyczny rozpoczął się polsko-węgierskim przywitaniem i wystąpieniem dyplomatów reprezentujących polski i węgierski konsulat. Następnie zgromadzeni goście obejrzeli film o 1000-letniej historii stosunków między obu krajami oraz występy tancerzy węgierskich oraz Polish American Folk Dance Company, a także polskich i węgierskich harcerzy. Po części oficjalnej zaproszono wszystkich na poczęstunek składający się z narodowych potraw i trunków.

W niedzielę 23 marca 2014 roku w godzinach od 10.00 do 14.00 w Konsulacie Generalnym Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w Nowym Jorku odbyła się trzecia edycja Targów Edukacyjnych Uczelni Polskich, w których brał udział także Instytut Józefa Piłsudskiego w Ameryce, reprezentowany przez prezes Magdę Kapuścińską i asystent prezesa Jolantę Szczepkowską.  Działalnością Instytutu zainteresowani byli nauczyciele szkół polonijnych, studenci i młodzież szkolna wraz z rodzicami. Zasięgali oni informacji na temat możliwości uczestniczenia w oferowanych przez Instytut programach edukacyjnych. Z zainteresowaniem sięgali po materiały reklamowe, wiele osób zadeklarowało swoje członkostwo oraz chęć otrzymywania elektronicznych biuletynów oraz zaproszeń na organizowane przez Instytut spotkania.

For over half a century, the Józef Pilsudski Institute of America, apolitical and beholden to no one, has dedicated itself to guard the truth about Poland’s history in order to protect Poland’s image in the world, and to acquaint Americans with Poland’s cultural heritage and its contribution to our common American heritage. The Institute continues to be an active research center for the modern history of Poland and as an archive and museum of Polish history and culture, subsequently enriching many lives.

Due to the circumstances regarding our current headquarters, the Institute is taking proactive steps to ensure our long-term stability and our immediate step is to find a new permanent headquarters.  Our goal is that the new space be representative of both our superb history while also dynamic enough to accommodate our future aspirations.

Fortunately two special teams have been created to undertake the search for a new location for the Institute and to spearhead the fundraising effort associated with it. First team is called The Real Estate Search Advisory and consists of: Halina Koralewska, Bożena Massey, Zena Diop-Zielinski and Jerzy Leśniak in addition to the members of the Executive Committee.

While the “Campaign for the Future” team is led by the new Director of Development, Patrycja Bury. Patrycja works closely with the Executive Committee and an external fundraising counsel, Greenvale Strategies, LLC.  You will soon see formal correspondence detailing the campaign and its phases.

We are proud to announce that our “Campaign for the Future” will ensure that our programs thrive for years to come.  Toward that end, today we are writing to Thank You for your past philanthropic support and commitment to our vision. 

As we embark on this exciting campaign, we are asking all those who value the importance of the Institute to Poles in the United States, Poland and the world at large, for help in finding a permanent home for us in the New York area and for financial support associated with this project.  Please join our efforts to ensure the long term sustainability of the Institute.  You can help the “Campaign for the Future” by either making a financial donation or by making an introduction to a donor, corporation or foundation which may be interested in supporting the organization. 

The Institute is a non-profit organization and therefore membership dues and donations are tax deductible.  Please make your check or money order payable to The Pilsudski Institute of America or make a gift online.  If you have any questions about the campaign please contact the Institute by telephone or email.  Thank you!

The Institute has a new Wikipedian In Residence: Piotr Puchalski, our volunteer, a student of history and European studies, the author of the book "Relics". Piotr is responsible for the WikiProject GLAM / Pilsudski Institute, adding information to articles in Wikipedia, organization of work of the members of the project and other activities related to the presence of the Institute and its accumulated knowledge in Wikipedia. Our consultant in matters of Wikipedia is wikipedian of the Metropolitan Library Council, Dorothy Howard.

The partnership with the Wikimedia Commons, thanks to the help of an experienced Wikimedia Commons administrator Jarek Tuszyński resulted in donating to Wikimedia more than 500 documents from the collection of Józef Piłsudski, which are used in an increasing number of articles.

We invite all interested in history to join the project, on site in New York or remotely.