Following the Friday business sessions, the ACPC board members were invited to attend a testimonial reception honoring Eugene Bak, the Executive Director of the Polish American Cultural Center who was a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for his work in promoting Polish Culture, History and Arts. The presentation was made by Polish Consul General, Krzysztof Kasprzyk. The Board Members were impressed by the large crowd, the table laden with delectable hors d’oeurves and a splendid musical interlude by pianist Jacek Sobieski and singer Dorota Sobieski who presented Moniuszko’s “Znaszli ten Kraj” and a lilting Mazurka by Chopin.
The Saturday morning session was spent on extensive committee reports revealing progress and successes in the many programs and functions of the Council. The meeting terminated in time for the members to attend Saturday 5:00 o’clock Mass at the beautiful St. Stanislaus Church. Everyone had an opportunity to pay homage and pray before the newly installed icon depicting St. Stanislaus and Pope John Paul II.
That evening the Board members were wined and dined at the Cultural Center where a delectable Polish cuisine dinner was served. The after dinner speaker, Dr. Thaddeus Radzilowski, Founder and President of the Piast Institute-Hamtramck, MI stirred the listeners’ intellectual faculties with his interesting, provocative and well-researched talk on Polish American culture in the U.S.
The 59th Annual ACPC Convention, hosted by the Friends of Polish Art-Detroit, will take place July 10-14 at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dearborn, MI

Thed Cooke

Forum, 5/2007

We had a successful year in 2009 and we continue to be optimistic about our future. We had a number of events such as celebrations of Polish Constitution and Independence Days. Our biggest event of the year was the reception held to honor our living veterans of the Polish Armed Forces in World War II.. We hosted several receptions and a number of dinners including one for Kościuszko Foundation, Ohio Section. Our celebration of Wigilia and the showing of Jasełka by the children of the Polish school were a big hit with the public. We sponsored the appearance of Eleni and Ich Troje, the artistic groups from Poland. We also held First Polish Youth Talent Show. We continue to have Sunday lunches which have become very popular among Polanians as a Sunday get together.

Our plans for 2010 are as always ambitious growth with fiscal restraint. We will continue to sponsor social, cultural and artistic events and provide a home for Opera Circle, Polonia youth activities, Syrena dancers, and Polish language classes. And we will continue to publish Forum, the Center’s newsletter. We intend to acquire additional properties adjacent to the Center for a court yard to be built in the back of the Center and the museum and we plan to expand our parking lot. We have already secured Federal Funds to help us with these projects.

Financially we continue to be sound. Last year, thanks to the generous donations from several individuals, we were able to reduce our debt to $35,000 and eliminate almost the entire accrued interest. We have also established an Endowment Fund administered be the Cleveland Foundation. Now people will be able to donate funds to the Foundation in our name that will be used exclusively for the upkeep of the museum.

The membership dues cover about half of the Center’s operating expenses. The other half comes from donations and funds earned by holding social events. We are very fortunate to have a core of dedicated people who work tirelessly and without remuneration to make these events profitable. We owe them our gratitude for their help.

We appreciate the fact that not all members can devote the time and energy as our volunteers do, however you can show your appreciation and support by renewing your membership, becoming a member or making a donation for our special projects.

Thank you

The deportations were a complete shock. Nobody knew why or where they were being taken. For some, the deportations meant a quick death; for others, they meant several years, or forever, living on this „inhuman land”. In his book The Soviet Treatment of Poles in the Eastern Lands of the Second Republic, 1939-1941, Albin Głowacki writes, „The temperature dropped as far as -42 degrees Celsius. Armed functionaries of the NKVD banged on the doors of the apartments of those on the list to be deported. Once inside, they gathered the residents, torn away from their sleep, into one place, allowed them to get dressed,  confirmed their identities, and began a detailed search of the home, ostensibly in search of weapons but finding people in hiding (at times they were able to take the most valuable objects, documents, or photographs, etc.). The men, under armed guard, stood immobile, unable to openly oppose such chaos. The decision about resettlement, which could not be cancelled, was read. To the question where, the response was generally vague; it was usually dismissed or answered with a lie about some other region or district or perhaps the birthplace of the parents of those about to be deported.

According to the NKVD, 220,000 settlers and foresters, together with their families, were resettled during the first deportations; they were taken to twenty-one different Soviet regions and districts. The majority of them worked in the People’s Commissariat of the Forest Industry or the People’s Commisariat of Transportation, and the People’s Commissariat of the Mining of Colored Metals. Others were sent to other Commissariats, for Manufacturing, Iron and Steel Mills, Construction, Weapons, or Building Materials, or sent to the camps of the NKVD.

The dry names of commissariats mask the tragic fates of those in the camps. The deported worked in heavy snow, in old, deep mines, in the worst sanitary conditions and in the worst weather (terribly cold winters and brutally hot summers with mosquitoes), without even minimal concern for their health. They died or suffered from exhaustion, cold, and hunger. Poles were treated as people of the lowest category - deprived of all rights as „enemies of the people” and as „bourgeouis”. At each step along the way NKVD officials repeated: „There will never be another Poland.”

Today we know that Poland has not yet perished. The nation’s lasting determination and strength has been greater than Soviet cruelty. Now we can speak openly about this period, recalling with pride the heroism of our ancestors and wishing that their experiences will ignite the spark of patriotism in the hearts of younger generations of Poles.

A Kresy-Siberia discussion group was started online in 2001, attracting more than 850 members from around the world, mainly members of Polonia in the West, whose families had roots in the former kresy of the Second Republic. As a result of the events of the Second World War, and, not least, Soviet repression, the families of many in Polonia met the tragic fate of deportation and exile and had to fight for survival in foreign lands. For more information, see:

http://www.kresy-siberia.org/.

Red. Translated by Sean Martin

http://blog.cleveland.com/poland/2008/04/dr_jerzy_maciuszko_the_most_se.html

From “Saving Private Ryan” to “Inglourious Basterds”, there have been plenty of tales told in our popular culture about the exploits of World War II soldiers, as portrayed by stars such as Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt. Much less well-known is the story of a humble Northeast Ohio witness to the very start of the Second World War, seventy years ago. 96-year-old Jerzy Maciuszko recently shared some of his harrowing experiences with ideastream®’s David C. Barnett, who has produced a sound portrait that captures the fear along the front lines and the joy of playing violin in a prisoner-of-war orchestra.

http://www.wcpn.org/WCPN/news/28051/

BEGINNING POLISH - The best part - for anyone 60 years of age or older - IT’S FREE

The full tuition rate is $1320.00

Classes will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays   From 6:00 pm to 7:50 pm - In Rhodes Tower.

Registration for this program is on two days only:   August 21 - 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and August 22 - 9:00 am to 1:00 pm   10 Reasons why you should register?

1. Learn the Polish language!
2. If you already know some Polish, learn more!
3. Learn history, customs and traditions of Poland!
4. Meet people who have the same interest as you!
5. Stimulate your mind! It’s the way to stay young!
6. Support efforts to keep the Polish language alive!
7. Surprise your kids with your new “CSU” sweat shirt!
8. Repeat the fun and challenge of “good old college days!”
9. Enjoy two nights out each week with like-minded people!
10. Experience new educational technology called “e-learning!”

Mitch Bienia is coordinating this registration effort for Polonia. Call for more info: (216) 641- 7633

Read More: Cleveland.com - Music & Dance

Many of us remember another, better known event in this history, when, again, Polish mathematicians played the main role. This is the Enigma Secret. And here’s how it all started. In 1927, or at the beginning of 1928, an innocent package has arrived from the German Reich at a customs office in Warsaw. According to the customs declaration, the package was supposed to be radio equipment. A representative of a German company demanded the return of the package prior to the customs inspection. This awakened a suspicion among the Polish customs officers who instantly contacted the Cipher Bureau of the II Department of the Main Headquarters. This institution was interested in new developments in the area of radio equipment. Since it was Saturday, the officers of the Cipher Office had enough time to examine the package in detail. The package contained a machine, which was subsequently dismantled and reassembled. Yes, it was a trade version of the Enigma ciphering machine patented by Arthur Scherbius. Its military analogue did not exist at that time. What is interesting is that this machine (a trade version) was available on the market.

The first ciphered dispatches were sent into the air space by military broadcasting stations on July 28, 1928. The efforts to decode these dispatches were fruitless. Major F. Pokorny, the head of the Cipher Bureau did not give up and in 1928-29, in Poznan, he organized cryptology lectures for students who spoke fluent German and had graduated in mathematics. Among these students were Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Rozycki, and Henryk Zygalski. After the completion of this course, a division of the Cipher Bureau in Poznan was organized. Starting September 1, 1932, the division was moved to the building of the Main Military Headquarters near Saski Square in Warsaw (since destroyed).

On cylinders, sheets and…beautiful women

As Mr. M. Rejewski recalls, “the military version of the Enigma had the shape of a portable typewriter. It had 26 keys marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet. Instead of individual characters it had a small board with 26 bulbs marked the same way as the keys. It was supplied by a normal battery. Enigma’s most important parts were ciphering cylinders mounted on one axis. A non-moving inverting cylinder was also installed. Each of the cylinders was equipped with a ring with 26 alphabet letters. From a distance it looked like a switch-over mechanism in a racing bicycle. When one was pattering the letters of the text, then the letters of consecutively lit bulbs were creating the coded text, or a cipher. Not going into the details of the construction of Enigma let us remark, that one could create 26! =403291461126605635564000000 different connections .The “Enigma” Secret between ciphering cylinders, adding to this also 7905853580025 possibilities of various invertible cylinders In this way the factory producing the Enigma could deliver to each recipient a machine with unique, non-repeating connections of the cylinders.

In this way the factory producing the Enigma could deliver to each recipient a machine with unique, non-repeating connections of the cylinders.

In contrast, all military versions of the Enigma had the same connections, so that the officers working on ciphers in various military units could easily communicate. This was possible provided these officers had the same key, along with the cylinder connection, the secret of Enigma.

It is estimated that during World War II between 100,000 and 200,000 Enigma machines like this were used.

In order to explain, even in general terms, the details pertaining to the role of the connections of the cylinders, and hence to understand what is happening inside the machine, one has to apply combinatorics, especially permutations. Rejewski and his colleagues were borrowing heavily from the theory of permutations , cycles, transpositions, etc.

Let me now explain the connection to Polish women. Well, our cryptologists noticed certain combinatorial regularities. For example in the following 9-letter long message, FDW KRM KSA, it happens that the fourth and the seventh letter is the same. When the fourth and the seventh letters, or the fifth and the eighth or the sixth and the ninth letters are the same – these situations were termed women. Apparently, 11 or 12 messages out of 100 are women. And why beautiful women? How could it be otherwise? One also has to mention Zygulski’s sheets, genius though time-consuming perforated sheets which were helpful in the determination of the sequence of rotors.

World War II and the Fate of our Cryptologists

With this complex situation, one has to be astonished at the arrogance of the German engineers who were certain that the Enigma codes were unbreakable. Remember, though, that cryptology was still in its infancy and as my colleague, Dr. Tom Korner of Cambridge University writes, even in 1996, Cambridge University Library stores its cryptology acquisitions in the paleography division, between stenography and ancient Greek. It turned out, as Marian Rejewski remarks, that in order to break the Enigma codes, one did not need to know the connections of the cylinders, nor the daily keys; what was needed was a certain number of these dispatches sent the given day – about 60 of them. With such a sample, one could recover the given password. In 1934, in Warsaw, the first (Polish) replica of the Enigma was built, by the company AVA. In July 1939, after a dinner in the restaurant of the Bristol Hotel, there was a secret meeting between French, British, and Polish cryptologists. The meeting took place in Kabackie Lasy, near the village Pyry, south of Warsaw. After a pleasant conversation in German (this was the language common to all the parties involved), the guests saw the Polish copies of the German Enigma. The French and the British could not believe that the Poles had prepared such gifts. Each of the cryptologists received one copy of the Enigma code along with the complete set of the related information.

On the 16th of August 1939, French General Gustave Bertrand carried one Enigma copy from Paris to London and personally delivered it to the head of British Intelligence, Commander Stewart Menzies. Less than two weeks later the German Army invaded Poland. The Polish Cipher Bureau and its employees were evacuated to Romania, whence they were transported to France, where they worked constantly to improve the German Enigma.

After the German invasion of France, our cryptologists tried to evacuate to Great Britain. However, while crossing the Spanish border, some of them fell into German captivity. Major Ciezki and engineer Palluth were arrested. Langner, Ciezki, and Palluth lectured at Adam Mickiewicz University to Rejewski, Zygalski, and Rozycki at the end of the 1920s. The engineer Palluth died on April 19, 1944, hit by a splinter of an Allied bomb during the air raid of the labor camp. Langner and Ciezki were placed in German camps as POWs and were released by the Allies. Jerzy Rozycki, the third of Wroclaw cryptologists was killed even earlier – on January 9th 1942 when the ship that he was on drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. Only Marian Rejewski and Henryk Zygalski made it to Great Britain. There they joined Polish military units. They were working on some German codes, but the British did not assign them to constantly improved Enigma codes. In light of Russian- British agreements even their unit was dismantled. After the war Marian Rejewski returned to Poland.

Before coming to the United States, as a young assistant professor at the Wroclaw University I took part in the meeting of the Polish Mathematical Society in Lodz. The honorary guest of that meeting was Mgr Marian Rejewski. The hall, filled with mathematicians, loudly applauded the modest Mr. Rejewski. He died in 1980. Dr. Zbigniew Piotrowski Translated by Sean Martin

Mr. Storozynski said,

With the 70th anniversary of World War II approaching, the Kosciuszko Foundation wants to encourage students to study and comment about the events of 1939 that changed the lives of their parents and grandparents. Many of these Polish-American students were born in America because their forefathers were refugees from a horrible war waged on humanity by the Nazi dictator of Germany, Adolf Hitler, and the dictator of the Soviet Union Jozef Stalin.”

World War II was the deadliest war in history. Approximately 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust by the German SS Einsatzgruppen commandos and in German Nazi concentration camps. By some estimates, 70 million soldiers and civilians were killed during the reign of terror begun by Hitler and Stalin. After the war, the map of Europe was redrawn and millions of refugees were forced from their homes.

The contest will be spearheaded by Maria Szonert-Binienda, Esq., with co-judges Professor Donald E. Pienkos, University of Wisconsin, and Professor Thaddeus V. Gromada, President of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America.

For more information call: The Kosciuszko Foundation, Inc. (330) 666-7251

2009 Historical Essay Contest

International Significance of the Nazi-Soviet - Invasion of Poland in September 1939

After waging a propaganda war against Poland and staging the Gleiwitz provocation, Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939.  While the Polish Army was locked in dramatic combat with the German forces on its Western Front, on September 17, 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Poland from the East with seven armies, without any declaration of war, and in violation of the non-aggression pact that it had with Poland.

Please analyze the Nazi-Soviet attack on Poland in September 1939 by addressing the following issues: i) Nazi propaganda war against Poland, ii) Gleiwitz Provocation, iii) German attack on Poland on September 1, 1939, and its political objectives, iv) Soviet propaganda war against Poland, v) Soviet attack on Poland on September 17, 1939, and its political objectives, vi) the impact of the coordinated Nazi-Soviet attack on Poland on the international community.

Essay Requirements:

The essay shall reflect contestant’s own research and original thinking. The paper shall not exceed 10 typed pages (excluding bibliography), shall be typed in 12-point font, double-spaced with 1″ margins; pages shall be numbered. All entries become the property of the Kosciuszko Foundation and will not be returned. Essay excerpts may be used in future publications, newsletters and other materials.

Eligibility:

The 2009 Historical Essay Contest is open to all residents of the United States of America between ages 18 and 22 as of July 1, 2009. Proof of age is required. A copy of a valid document showing a date of birth is acceptable.

Deadline:

July 1, 2009 (postmark date). Results will be announced by September 1, 2009.

Awards:

$1,000 award will be offered.  Additional essays may be considered for recognition and publication. For more information call (330) 666-7251.

Procedure:

The Application Form can be found at: http://www.kosciuszkofoundation.org/educational.html

Attach the Application Form and proof of age to the essay and mail to:

The same day in the evening, our editor in chief called:

“Did you hear about Professor Binienda?”

“Of course, I did. He received an award from NASA. And not only just a paper. The award was rather measurable…”

“Then you have a job to do. He will be our next representative of Polonia featured in the Forum.” I started to stumble that I have no clue about engineering, not to even mention some composite materials.

“That’s even better,” he replied. “Most of our readers don’t have a Ph.D. in science either. It’s going to be easier for you to write about it in the language of a regular person.”

And that is how, almost coerced, I found myself in the office of the Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Akron.  Professor Binienda began by modestly arguing that his achievements were no different than those of others; that in the United States, engineering is the easiest field in which we can be successful; and that there are many Polish professors. Of course, there are. But not all research brings about exceptional results. Professor Binienda works on the application of composite materials to jet engines. This technology can revolutionize the entire aeronautic industry.

To illustrate and to make the scientific idea easier to grasp, here is how it works: in the airplane engine, fan blades rotate at the speed of sound. The entire external enclosure of the engine serves as a containment of these blades in case one of them accidentally separates. Such separation easily destroys the entire engine and can cause an airplane to crash. This sequence of events was responsible for the airplane crash in which our widely admired singer, Anna Jantar, was killed. A blade separated from the twin engine, damaging three engines and a hydraulic system. As a result, the pilot had only one engine left and was unable to land. The rest we know. Heavy and strong engine enclosures are made of steel. Professor Binienda works on an engine enclosure made of very light material called graphite fiber that is stronger than steel. This innovation promises greater security and significant economic benefits for the airline industry. A lighter airplane means less fuel and more cargo. I had a hard time believing in graphite fiber’s exceptional strength, which to the untrained eye looks like a strip of carpet. However NASA not only accepted Professor Binienda’s proposal but also honored him with an award for achievements in applying composite materials in jet engines. The army also expressed interest in his work for armor application in airplanes and vehicles.

Professor Binienda’s path to the University of Akron had not been easy, and the NASA award honoring Professor Binienda does not decorate his office wall by coincidence. All this is the result of hard work and dedication, not only his own but also his entire family. He emphasizes the role of his wife who always supported him in his academic endeavors with her hard work and understanding.

“In December of 1982,” Professor Binienda recalls,” guilty of innocence as it was back then during Martial Law, we found ourselves on the plane destined for Montreal pursuant to some summary proceedings.  New York was next.”  With a light smile, he recalls holding his three-year-old daughter in one hand, ski and horseback riding shoes in the other hand while standing together with his wife on the foreign soil, utterly at a loss, without a clue what to do next.

At the time he was asked to leave Poland, Professor Binienda was in the middle of his doctoral program at the Warsaw Polytechnic, in the Department of Automobiles and Heavy Duty Machines. As many of his friends, he joined the Solidarity and from that moment on the events started to unfold without his control. He was accused of stealing weapons. Until today he doesn’t know what weapons and from whom, but in the climate of those days no one was audacious enough to look for answers to such questions. The charges were never dropped. Thus considering the well-being of his family, he accepted the “suggestion” to leave the country. Today the University of Akron, NASA, and American technology make good use of his engineering talent.

His first contact with the American reality was, like for most of us, shocking. He painted walls and his wife also worked very hard. They quickly set aside some money for his first semester to resume studies. He began studying at Drexel University in Philadelphia and immediately proved to be worthy of financial support. He completed his Ph.D., received an academic position at the University of Akron, and subsequently was granted tenure. Four years ago, he was appointed a Chairman of the Civil Engineering Department. To succeed in engineering is not that difficult in his opinion because engineering schools in Poland represent very high standards.   Thus, he encourages young Polonia engineers to challenge themselves against the common wisdom that says: “Why? For what? This is America, and only dollars excite us.”

“I would like to help Polonia youth to get a good education,” says Professor Binienda. “At first the feeling of putting time off to study and going into debt for a higher education is uncomfortable. It is important to overcome this fear and to realize it’s worth the effort. A Polish engineer is better educated than many Americans. For those interested in the doctoral program, a Master Degree from Poland is a prerequisite. Then all you need is to pass the English language exam, and you are off! The rest—the diagrams, numbers, computer projects are the same, whether you are in Poland or the United States.” All those interested in continuing their engineering education are welcome to contact Professor Binienda for advice, opinion, and help. He can be reached at (330) 666-7251. Dear prospective engineers, don’t miss this opportunity! I can’t resist whispering the hint…

When asked about the contact with his students, Professor Binienda admits with regret that there is never enough time. Throughout the first part of the semester he learns the names of the students. By the time he masters the names, the semester is over. He recalls a funny incident a couple years ago. At the New Year Eve Ball in a remote and not very well known place, the orchestra suddenly stopped and the leader of the band dedicated a song to Professor Binienda. Completely surprised, Professor Binienda strained his eyes to finally recognize his former student.  “It was a very pleasant surprise,” he confesses.

Professor Binienda loves his work, his students, and his inventions. His day is more than full. Getting up at 6:30 AM, first coffee, than he takes his son to school and begins his day at the university: meetings, lectures, etc. He also travels to NASA for meetings, usually returning home late in the evening. He guards rather closely the details of his private life. I didn’t learn much about it.  Although… I did find out that as a wedding present, he gave his daughter a sixty-hour recording of his reading of Teutonic Knights and With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkiewicz.

“Where did this idea come from?” I asked.

“I hope the younger generation will preserve their Polish roots,” he replies. “Had I been a child, I would like to listen to my grandfather. Maybe my future grandchild will also want to listen to their grandfather and think: Since Grandpa recorded this, maybe he wanted to tell me something.”

Professor Binienda does not have a positive opinion about Polonia, unfortunately. “It’s divided, constantly fighting, lacking any sense of solidarity and community.  Everybody wants to be the President, only the soldiers are missing.” No need for any comment, right…? We can examine our conscience.

Thank you, Professor Binienda for talking with me, for your patience in listening to my illogical questions about the engines, and for your thorough and tolerant answers. On behalf of the Forum and on my own, I wish you further success in your work, further recognition in the American scientific community, more great inventions, a lot of satisfaction, and many smiles.

Jan Nowak-Jeziorański is a representative of the first generation born in a resurrected Poland. He was a graduate of the Adam Mickiewicz Gimnazium in Warsaw. He was a soldier in the September 1939 Defense Campaign and legendary courier of the Main Command of the Home Army. He participated in the Warsaw Uprising. He was director of the Polish Section of Radio Free Europe. He was a great leader who helped pave the way for Poland into NATO.

With his departure, Poland loses a man of steel. He was a man who fought tirelessly for Poland’s appropriate position in the world. In recent years, he was our voice of conscience. He frequently reinforcing his message that we must not squander our miraculously regained freedom for which many generations sacrificed so many lives. In August of 2002 he wrote,

Even for a second, we must not lose sight of the fact that the present balance of power, which offers a blissful sense of security, can fall apart as unexpectedly as it emerged.

Jan Nowak Jezioranski

We will greatly miss his voice of wisdom calling upon us to treasure our greatest common good -Poland. We are indebted to the legendary “Courier from Warsaw” for his determination and sacrifice in fighting for Poland, and for his unshakable belief in ultimate victory. With reverence, we bid farewell and pay homage to Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, the remarkable son of the greatest generation.