A new exhibit about Jan Karski’s life will be on display at the Oak Park Library.
Karski was part of the Polish resistance during World War II, and risked his life to bring information about Nazi atrocities in Poland to the exiled Polish government in London.
Karski was on a train bound for a POW camp in 1939, when he escaped and fled to Warsaw, where he joined the resistance. Beginning in 1940, he acted as a courier, making several trips in secret to the exiled Polish government, then located in Paris. He was caught and tortured by the Gestapo in 1940 and hospitalized, but was smuggled out and returned to his resistance work. Beginning in 1942, Karski made reports about the situation in Poland to the U.S., British and Polish governments.
The traveling exhibit about Karski's life and resistance work comprises 22 panels and is entitled “The World Knew: Jan Karski's Mission for Humanity”. The work will be on display at the library from today, Spetember 29, until October 14, and there is a reception scheduled for this Thursday, October 1, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
Library officials could work with a leaflet or flyer printing company on a mailer for the village's residents, announcing the opening and hours during which they can see this important exhibit.
