March 3, 2017 — New York, New York
AJC will hold a gala in Warsaw on March 27 to celebrate the opening of Shapiro Silverberg AJC Central Europe, the global Jewish advocacy organization’s newest office in Europe. Hundreds of government officials, diplomats, and members of the media from across Europe are expected to attend the marquee event, to be held at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw.
"Establishing a permanent office in Warsaw builds upon decades of programming initiatives, marks AJC’s formal return to Poland, after an eight-year absence, and enables us to deepen our engagement with other significant countries in the region,” said AJC CEO David Harris, who first announced plans for the new office at the AJC Global Forum last June in Washington, D.C.
"We are thrilled that so many political and civil society leaders in Poland and the six other countries have warmly welcomed our initiative,” said Harris.
AJC Central Europe is AJC’s fifth office in Europe, and is dedicated to seven Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia. AJC also has offices in Berlin, Brussels, Paris, and Rome. AJC Central Europe is an integral part of the Paris-based AJC Europe.
Central European, American, and Israeli officials will address the gala.
Dr. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, President of Latvia (1999-2007), recipient of AJC’s Light Unto the Nations Award, and the current President of the Club of Madrid, will deliver the keynote address.
Minister Wojciech Kolarski, Undersecretary of State at the Chancellery of the President, will deliver remarks on behalf of President Andrzej Duda, who is unable to attend due to an official visit abroad. However, the president will meet the following day in Warsaw with an AJC leadership delegation.
Other confirmed speakers for the gala include U.S. Ambassador to Poland Paul Jones and Israeli Ambassador to Poland Anna Azari.
During the gala, AJC will present its prestigious Jan Karski Award to Andrzej Folwarczny, Founder and President of the Forum for Dialogue, an AJC partner organization. The Forum and AJC founded in 1995 a pioneering annual exchange program to deepen understanding between Poles and American Jews.
The March 27 gala is the centerpiece of a larger mission to Warsaw to mark the opening of AJC Central Europe. More than 130 AJC leaders from across the U.S. will travel to Poland to attend the celebratory event. The day after the gala, AJC leaders will travel to the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia to meet with senior officials and Jewish community leaders.
