Sirens sounded at noon yesterday in Warsaw to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which began April 19, 1943, and lasted until May 16th of the same year. Established in 1940, the Warsaw Ghetto was home to nearly some 450,000 Jews, roughly 30% of the population of the capital at that time. Over 250,000 of them were deported to the Treblinka concentration camp in the summer of 1942, spurring the remaining residents of the ghetto to prepare for armed resistance, knowing full well they had little chance of survival.

It was the first uprising in Nazi-occupied Europe and the largest act of armed resistance by Jews during World War II. An estimated 13,000 insurgents died during the revolt, with some of the surviving combatants later fighting alongside the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) in the Warsaw Uprising in August of the following year.

As part of yesterday’s commemorations, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Zygmunt Stępiński, head of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, laid wreaths at the Warsaw Ghetto Heroes Memorial in central Warsaw while the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich, offered prayers for the dead.

The events of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising have been depicted in numerous films, most notably the Oscar-winning biopic The Pianist, based on the memoirs of Władysław Szpilman, and the 2018 docu-drama “Who Will Write Our History,” which detailed the efforts of the underground Oyneg Shabes group in documenting and preserving the truth about the horrors of life in the Jewish ghetto.

Source: Radio Poland

Government begins to ease lockdown restrictions

After weeks at home, Poles are celebrating today as parks, forests, and beaches across the country officially reopen as part of a phased relaxation of lockdown measures designed to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Under Phase I of new rules announced last week, more customers are allowed into shops, national parks and forests have reopened to the public, and children above 13 can move around in public without being in the company by an adult. Restrictions will be relaxed in four progressive stages, but the timing will depend on the progress of the disease.

Residents are reminded that they are still required to wear masks and practice social distancing in public, rules Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski has stated will likely stay in effect until a vaccine against COVID-19 is widely available.

As of 10:00 on April 20, 9,453 people in Poland have been diagnosed with COVID-19, of which 362 have died and 1,133 have recovered.

Source: Radio Poland, PAP

Morawiecki issues holiday wishes on Orthodox Easter

In a message on Sunday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki expressed his wishes for a peaceful and healthy holiday to the estimated half-million Eastern-rite Christians in Poland celebrating Orthodox Easter this week.
“Orthodox and Greek Catholics have always been and will remain an integral part of Polish multi-ethnic history,” stated Morawiecki, going on to extend his best holiday wishes to “representatives of minorities living permanently in Poland or staying with us temporarily.”

According to the Central Statistical Office, some 500,000 Poles identify as Orthodox Christians, making them the second-largest religious group in Poland after Roman Catholics.

Source: Radio Poland

Gdańsk choir gives immigrants a taste of home during the holidays

In celebration of Orthodox Easter, the Gdańsk-based Ukrainian choir “Vyriy” performed a special version of the traditional hymn “Christos Voskres” or “Christ has Risen” from their individual homes, releasing the completed version as a video online.

On the facebook page of the Ukrainian cultural center “Domiwka Gdańsk,” choir members expressed their sincere hope that their music would “let light into the soul of every person and let each of us become a little kinder and merciful.”

The performance was a welcome reminder of home for many Ukrainians who were unable to travel home for Easter this year due to the borders being closed.

Vyriy’s performance of “Christos Voskres” can be viewed online here: https://bit.ly/Vyrij_Gdansk

Source: Radio Gdańsk

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Weather

Today will be mostly sunny and mild with a light breeze coming in from the north. Temperatures will peak around a high of 11°C, or 52°F with only a slight drop to 4°C or 40°F overnight. Similar sunny weather is set to persist throughout the week, with little to no chance or rain.

RGEN/pb