Katyn Forest Massacre

Right at Exchange Place in Jersey City, literally a block away from our new building stands the Katyn Forest Massacre monument. In 1940, the NKVD, which later on became the KGB murdered thousands of Polish military officers, intellectuals, and civilian prisoners of war. According to Wikipedia, over 22,000 hidden graves were discovered, ironically by Nazi Germany in 1943.

“An investigation by the Prosecutor’s General Office of the Russian Federation has confirmed Soviet responsibility for the massacres, yet does not classify this action as a war crime or as an act of genocide. This acknowledgement would have necessitated the prosecution of surviving perpetrators, which is what the Polish government had requested.” – Wikipedia.org

The Soviet Union denied the massacre until the 1990s according to other articles I’ve dug up online. I’m not trying to stir anything up, I was just shocked and appalled by what I was reading. Yet, having been born in Poland, I felt proud that this event was acknowledged and amazed by the monuments symbolism and backdrop; the skyline of Manhattan. The monument stands just a few feet away from the WTC 911 memorial.

In 2008, Polish born Andrzej Wajda directed “Katyn” the movie, which was nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Film in 2008. I’ll have to rent it this week.