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2010 Consular Report
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2010 REPORT OF HONORARY CONSUL
FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
Submitted by
THADDEUS N. TAUBE
January 12, 2011

Preface
I am proud to report on my third year of service in the post of Honorary Consul for the Republic of Poland. It is truly a privilege to serve the country of my birth and my adoptive home. Both of my parents and their ancestors lived in Poland, with family lineages reaching back several centuries in time. My parents brought me to the United States on the eve of World War II. It is here in America that I have spent the majority of my life. But both countries have always been special to me, and I am proud to act as a conduit between the two nations.

This report includes:

Overview of 2010 major goals and activities accomplished
Month-by-month report on the most important Consular activities
Projected goals and activities for 2011

Overview
The year 2010 marked the 21st anniversary of the fall of Communism and the victory of democracy in Poland and throughout East and Central Europe. Poland's political and economic development in one generation's time is phenomenal. In my travels between the United States and Poland, I am proud to witness a growing willingness on the part of Americans to reconsider their perceptions of Poland and its progress as a diplomatic ally of the United States. Many Americans had written Poland off in the aftermath of the Holocaust and during the Communist era, but today, there is a noticeable shift in American opinion and an interest in visiting the country and experiencing its culture. More than 200,000 Americans are now making the journey to Poland. I aim, in my role as Honorary Consul, to further this positive shift in public attitudes and also to help interested individuals and groups to visit there.

Hence, my goals as Honorary Consul are to:

Advocate the economic and cultural interests of the Polish people, the Polish government and Polonia with respect to the U.S. government, state and local governments and the greater diplomatic community of the San Francisco Bay Area, and between American people and their enterprises.
Promote Polish culture and celebrate Polish historical anniversaries in the United States.
Serve the Polish American community in my designated region and in the United States in general.
Strengthen relationships between Polish and Jewish Americans and Christian and Jewish Poles.
Aid visiting Polish citizens who may have legal or medical problems due to, for example, loss of documents, being a victim of theft or having a physical accident while traveling.

Office and Administration
Our office is established at 1050 Ralston Avenue, in Belmont. Here, in San Francisco and elsewhere in the Bay Area, I meet with community members, diplomats and Polish visitors to the area.

My Consular office cooperates closely with Christopher Kerosky, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in San Francisco, with whom we coordinate and cosponsor a number of activities.

Polish studies scholar Shana Penn, who oversees my family foundation and has a well established reputation in both the Polish American community and Polish society, handles academic, educational, cultural and some diplomatic matters for my Consular office. She also networks with the Polish community in the Bay Area and throughout the US. Ms. Penn's research and involvements with PAHA, PIAST, AAASS, and other professional associations enable her to stay abreast of major intellectual and social currents that may influence or inform the Bay Area's Polish community.

Stephanie Fullen, who holds an Education degree from Stanford, was selected to be a deputy representing my consulate. She is extremely knowledgeable about Poland, diplomacy, protocols, is a fluent speaker of the Polish language, and comes from a prominent Bay Area Polish American family. She worked for the US Embassy in Poland and for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. In her volunteer capacity, she assists in our networking and outreach efforts, helping to raise public awareness of Polish history, culture and society among the Bay Area’s diverse communities.

Summary of Activities

1. Relations with the Consulate in Los Angeles
I am in regular communication with the Hon. Joanna Kozińska-Frybes, Polish Consul General in Los Angeles, and her staff, including Cultural Attaché Malgorzata Cup. With their invaluable guidance, my Consular office and I carry out our goals and activities in the Bay Area and in service of sister activities in Los Angeles.

2. Relations with the Consular Corps and Local Government Officials
My staff and I attend the meetings of the Consular Corps. I also attend meetings of the Consular Corps with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. In that regard, I arranged a special reception for Deputy Mayor of Krakow Kazimierz Bujakowski at the Mayor’s Office in December.

3. Relations with US Government Offices
I am actively involved in a communications campaign to encourage the US Senate to approve House legislation to allocate minimum $5 million to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, currently being constructed in Warsaw.

Honorary Consul Kerosky and I are working on a campaign whereby the US Government would eliminate the visa requirements for Polish citizens to enter the US.

My relationships with outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom and his staff, particularly Chief of Protocol Charlotte Shultz, are strong. My office co-organizes the annual Polish national flag-raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, which is attended by diverse members of the Bay Area community.

In July I met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Hannah Rosenthal, the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, at a press conference in Krakow’s new Oskar Schindler Museum. Secretary Clinton announced a $15 million US Congressional allocation toward preservation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camps.

4. Sister Cities Initiative
I am very proud to report that in collaboration with Honorary Consul Christopher Kerosky, we actively promote the one and one-half year old Sister Cities relationship between Krakow and San Francisco. The relationship, which I initiated in July 2007, was discussed between the two Mayors, their offices and our Consular offices over 18 months. In May 2009, the agreements were prepared and were officially signed in Krakow by Mayor Jacek Majchrowski and, representing Mayor Gavin Newsom, Consul Kerosky and myself, on July 1st, 2009.

In October 2009, Mayor Gavin Newsom and Chief of Protocol Charlotte Mailliard Shultz hosted a reception in San Francisco City Hall honoring the new Sister Cities relationship with Honorary Consul Christopher Kerosky, myself and about 100 other notable San Francisco community leaders. Special guest speakers were Consul General Joanna Kozińska-Frybes and Secretary of State George Shultz. The San Francisco-Krakow Sister Cities relationship is the first such Eastern European relationship for San Francisco.

In July 2010 we held an official celebration of the one-year anniversary of our Sister Cities partnership with a Gala Celebration in Krakow City Hall hosted by Krakow Deputy Mayor Elzbieta Lecznarowicz and attended by Allen Greenberg, US Consul General in Krakow, and Michael Yarne, Economic Development Advisor to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Ninety guests from Krakow and the San Francisco Bay Area attended the reception and dinner.

Consul Kerosky and I have formed a nonprofit organization, called the San Francisco-Krakow Sister Cities Association, which we are co-chairing. We have created a Board, Advisory Council and Committees on Media and Community Relations, Advanced Technologies, Education, Commerce, Art and Culture, Traditional Art, Religious Affairs, and Political and Legal Affairs. We co-hosted several events in 2010 including a Tour of Krakow and Warsaw in July and an Information Technology Conference in December.

Our Sister Cities Arts and Culture Committee helped arrange a December trip to Krakow’s International Theater Festival for the directors of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.). The visit was the first step in setting up an exchange between A.C.T.’s Masters acting program and the programs of the Drama Academy in Krakow. Arrangements were aided by the Polish Cultural Institute in New York, an arm of the Polish Ministry of Culture that brings the best Polish arts to venues throughout the US.

December also marked the opening of a 4-month exhibition of the drawings and illustrations of Arthur Szyk at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco. Szyk, a native of Łódź, is a renowned artist in both the US and Poland, celebrated for the political and social commitment in his work and his attention to coloristic effects and details. I was pleased to participate in the support of this important exhibit.
In December, we launched our official Sister Cities Website at http://sfkrakow.org.

5. Media relations
I continue to publish Opinion Editorials in mainstream, Polish and Jewish press in the Bay Area and internationally including the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and the Jewish Weekly of Northern California on a range of topics that promote the New Poland.

On April 10, as soon as the news broke of the tragic plane crash in the region of Smolensk, Russia, that took the life of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and First Lady Maria Kaczynska and 94 Polish political leaders and loyal patriots, my office immediately responded. We opened a condolence book in the Consulate and sent out email announcements inviting the community to come in to sign their messages of sorrow and support. We placed a major ad in a Northern California newspaper publicly joining with all those in mourning and honoring President Kaczynski, especially in relation to his support of the Jewish renaissance in Poland.

On April 13 we helped organize and host a gathering of remembrance for the deceased Polish leaders in the Stanford Memorial Church. The well-attended interfaith ceremony featured opening remarks by Reverend Scotty McLennan, a prayer by Father Nathan Castle of the Catholic Community, tributes by myself, Professor Norman Naimark, and members of the community, followed by a candle lighting by Rabbi Patricia Karlin-Neumann.

In May, our two area Honorary Consulates sponsored a premiere Bay Area screening of an excellent documentary film about the life of Irena Sendler, “In the Name of Their Mothers,” produced by local filmmaker Mary Skinner. Shown at the JCC San Francisco, the film was very well attended and highly lauded. On the basis of the film’s importance and strength, I arranged to present it to the San Francisco Public Broadcasting Station. After their internal review, they agreed with us that it was worthy of national exposure. The film is now scheduled to be broadcast nationwide on PBS on May 1, 2011, the official National Day of Holocaust Remembrance.

In December, with the support of my Foundation, the Hoover Institution opened the touring exhibition “Katyn: Politics, Massacre, Morality.” The exhibition, produced by Poland’s Council for the Protection of the Memory of Struggle and Martyrdom, chronicles the genocide of Poland’s elites carried out by the Soviet security service in the spring of 1940. The exhibit consists of 43 panels of images and text. Additionally, while at the Hoover Institution, the exhibit has been augmented with selected documents from the Hoover Institution Library and Archives, home to the largest and most comprehensive holdings on modern Poland outside Poland. The exhibit will be free and open to the public through January 29, 2011.

7. Community Building
I support a diverse range of cultural, civic and educational activities in the Bay Area that help promote Polish history, culture and society. Events include art exhibitions, academic symposia, publishing and the arts, and local government agencies. For example, in November I co-sponsored a very well attended academic conference at the Graduate Theological Union entitled “Polin: Historical Perspectives/Contemporary Visions” (see November entry, below).

8. Enhance Jewish-Polish relations
I am committed to strengthening relations between Polish and Jewish Americans and between Christian and Jewish Poles, working closely with the Honorary Consul of San Francisco, and engaging the cooperation of the Hoover Institution, Graduate Theological Union, Polish Radio, the Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco to help cosponsor public events.

In July, I was pleased to be able to present my Foundation’s annual Irena Sendler Memorial Award, in person, to former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski at a gala dinner in Warsaw. The award is granted to a non-Jewish Pole who has worked to preserve Jewish heritage in Poland, and is made in memory of the late Irena Sendlerowa, a “Righteous Gentile” who courageously saved over 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. President Kwaśniewski’s bold and historic leadership in Polish-Jewish relations signaled a new chapter in Poland’s political maturation as a democratic nation. Not only did he endeavor reconciliation with Poland’s Holocaust past, he set unprecedented forward-looking policy in establishing federal government support for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, now nearing completion of construction in Warsaw.

In December, in recognition of my “distinguished contributions to the Polish culture and people’s heritage” I was honored with the Gloria Artis Medal, presented to me by Consul General Joanna Kozińska-Frybes on behalf of Poland’s Minister of Culture Bogdan Zdrojewski (see December entry, below).

Next Chapter Project

The Next Chapter Project brings together Bay Area high school students with Holocaust survivors born in Poland in collaboration with genealogy researchers from Warsaw in an innovative learning program that connects young and old, the past and the present, and family birthplaces with their contemporary communities. Students interview survivors from Poland, while Warsaw genealogists provide documentation on 1) each survivor’s family lineage and birthplace in Poland; 2) how the memory of each survivor’s prewar Jewish community is being preserved today; and 3) whether Jewish communities have come back to life in these given cities and towns. The oral histories and documents are assembled and published as individual albums for each of the survivor and student participants; additionally, master collections are archived at Yad Vashem and the Warsaw Jewish Historical Institute, and presented at the annual California Day of Holocaust Remembrance in Sacramento.

The Next Chapter Project is co-organized by Taube Foundation and Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, along with the Jewish Historical Institute and the Jewish Genealogy & Family Heritage Center in Warsaw, in collaboration with Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco and the Holocaust Center for Northern California.

Poland Jewish Heritage Tours

My Consulate is proud to participate in Poland Jewish Heritage Tours (www.polandjewishheritagetours.com), which commenced in Spring 2008. Poland Jewish Heritage Tours offers customized itineraries, intellectually stimulating experiences and spiritually uplifting heritage tours of Jewish Poland to people of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in learning more about Polish Jewish heritage, their own family histories, and the current revival of Jewish life and culture in Poland. Tours include visits to Poland’s historical sites such as Wawel Castle and the Salt Mines; participation in genealogical field research about family histories; celebrations of religious and secular traditions; meetings with Polish politicians, community leaders and the media; and outings to cultural events and historic commemorations such as the annual April 19th ceremony honoring the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Jewish Genealogy & Family Heritage Center at the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw

The Jewish Genealogy & Family Heritage Center is of critical importance to the Polish and Jewish Diasporas. A complex database for the Center was released this year that makes all JHI collections accessible for the first time in 62 years. It has been designed with special features to locate any information held in JHI’s collections—from archival documents to books, from photos to painted portraits—about a given individual. Family trees will also be included. Our newly created and continually expanding database combines the vast collections of the Institute with other genealogical resources, providing a new tool for individual and academic research. The database, together with the proposed interactive website, will provide never before available materials to online users.

The Center is interactive. Not only do clients get answers to their questions, they are encouraged to share their own materials with the Center. The sole evidence of a family, event or institution is often not found in archives, but in private hands. Such items reflect the fate of families, teaching us in an intimate way about the major trends in Polish Jewish history and bringing that history to life. Thus, the Center also helps recover Polish Jewry’s and Poland’s lost memory.

This is a valuable educational resource for diaspora communities to learn about and connect with their family histories and heritage in Poland, and I actively encourage use of it by my Bay Area constituency.

9. Publications/Educational Resources

Journal: The Fall of the Wall and the Rebirth of Jewish Life in Poland: 1989-2009
This collection of personal essays by twelve leading Jewish thinkers and activists in Poland, representing four generations, provides invaluable insights into modern Polish Jewish history. Each contributor reflects, from their individual generational standpoints and personal experiences, on how their nation’s democratic aspirations made the reclamation of Jewish life possible. It enables us to learn about Poland’s past, present and future from inside the culture, which today is free, democratic and a member of NATO and the European Union, an ally of the U.S. and Israel, and protective of its ethnic minorities.

The journal is available on our websites and is now being sold at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, and at select bookstores in Poland. (A pdf version is attached for your reference.) A Polish-language version is being prepared for release in 2011.

Historical Timeline Brochure: 1,000 Years of Jewish Life in Poland
In appreciation of the millennium of Jewish history and accomplishments in Poland, the Taube Foundation asked Konstanty Gebert, scholar-in-residence of Centrum Taubego in Warsaw (the Polish office of the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture), to assemble an authoritative timeline of the significant events of Jewish life in Poland, so often limited in modern-day sensibilities as the site of the Holocaust. Beginning with the arrival of Abraham ben Yaakov in the year 960, the timeline follows the rich and complex Jewish history in Poland through the centuries up to the present day. This timeline is available on our website and is now being sold at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, and at select bookstores in Poland. (A pdf version is attached for your reference.) A Polish-language version is being prepared for release in 2011.

Gazeta, Quarterly Newsletter of the American Association for Polish-Jewish Studies
The American Association for Polish-Jewish Studies (AAPJS) is a sister organization of the Institute for Polish -Jewish Studies in Oxford, England. They were established in 1984 to preserve the history of Polish Jewry on an international basis; disseminate the results of this research by means of publications, lectures, conferences, seminars and documentary films; and focus attention of the American and world public on what is most significant and precious in this legacy of Polish Jewry.

Gazeta, the quarterly newsletter of the AAPJS, is supported by the Taube Foundation in three ways: contribution of articles about activities of the Foundation and of Consul Taube that foster our ongoing and rich connection with Poland; submission of names of friends and associates in the Bay Area for enlarging their subscription outreach; direct support of the publication through an annual grant. Activities of the Honorary Consul are regularly reported in the publication, including activities of the San Francisco-Krakow Sister Cities Association. We disseminate the publication both to Polonia and to American Jewish community leaders.

MONTH-BY-MONTH REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2010
JANUARY

January—Development of the San Francisco-Krakow Sister Cities Association committees and recruitment of community participants to each.

FEBRUARY

February 1-4—Janusz Makuch, director of the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival, met with academic and community groups in the Bay Area and promoted the 20th anniversary Festival that would take place in the summer.

APRIL

April 10—Tragic plane crash in the region of Smolensk, Russia, that took the life of President Lech Kaczynski and First Lady Maria Kaczynska and 94 political leaders and loyal patriots. My office immediately responded. We opened a condolence book in the Consulate and sent out email announcements inviting all in our community to come in to sign their messages of sorrow and support. We placed a major ad in a Northern California newspaper publicly joining with all those in mourning and honoring President Kaczynski, especially in relation to his support of the Jewish renaissance in Poland.

April 13—Memorial Service at Stanford Memorial Church for Polish President Lech Kaczynski and First Lady Maria Kaczynska and the 94 political leaders and loyal patriots who perished in the tragic plane crash on April 10th in the region of Smolensk, Russia. The interfaith ceremony featured opening remarks by Reverend Scotty McLennan, a prayer by Father Nathan Castle of the Catholic Community, tributes by myself, Professor Norman Naimark, and members of the community, followed by a candle lighting by Rabbi Patricia Karlin-Neumann.

April 16—Shabbat Dinner honoring the participants in the Next Chapter Project, a program linking Bay Area Holocaust survivors with teenagers, creating a bridge between the Bay Area and contemporary Poland through research provided by the Warsaw Jewish Historical Institute, the Jewish Genealogy & Family Heritage Center and the Taube Foundation’s Jewish Heritage Initiative in Poland.

MAY

May 3—Flag Raising Ceremony and Polish Constitution Day at City Hall in San Francisco. Mayor Gavin Newsom, Chief of Staff Steven Kawa and Chief of Protocol Charlotte Shultz hosted the ceremony. The event was co-organized by Honorary Consul Christopher Kerosky and my Consular office, and the Bay Area leaders of Polish groups. More than 30 people attended the morning program.

May 4—Screening of Mary Skinner’s film on Irena Sendler, “In the Name of Their Mothers” was presented at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center with a question and answer forum with the director. More than 200 people filled the auditorium and gave the film a resounding positive reception. Through my philanthropic foundation, I have arranged for the film to have nationwide dissemination through PBS on Holocaust Remembrance Day, May 1, 2011.

May 12—Announcement of the third annual Irena Sendlerowa Memorial Award on the anniversary of her death in 2008. The award “honors Polish men and women who, in the spirit of Irena Sendlerowa, protect Jewish life and promote Jewish cultural renewal in Poland.”

The award is granted to a non-Jewish Pole who has worked to preserve Jewish heritage in Poland, in memory of the late Irena Sendlerowa, a “Righteous Gentile” who courageously saved over 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. This year’s recipient was former President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who was presented the award by Consul Taube at a ceremony and celebration in Warsaw on June 30.

JUNE

From June 29–July 5, 2009, Consul Taube and the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture led a distinguished group of American civic leaders on a heritage tour of Poland to mark the 20th anniversary of the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival, the 21st anniversary of the 1989 fall of Communism, the birth of democracy, and the renewal of Jewish life. There was much to celebrate on this journey: the first anniversary of the Sister Cities relationship between Krakow and San Francisco (San Francisco’s first Sister City in Eastern Europe); the continued progress in the construction of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews on the sacred site where the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was valiantly fought in 1943; and a half decade of intellectual and material investments by the Taube Foundation and its partners in strengthening Jewish life and civil society through programs in heritage preservation, Jewish studies, genealogy and cultural tourism, youth and adult education, and cultural innovations such as the stunning Galicia Jewish Museum.

The Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow is one of the oldest and largest Jewish festivals in the world. This prestigious cultural and educational event has showcased authentic contemporary Jewish culture from Israel and the entire Diaspora since 1988. In the summer of 2010, more than 30,000 people from around the world came to Krakow to participate in the 247 events featured in the Festival’s 20th Anniversary celebration.

In addition, tour participants participated in a memorial in Krakow City Hall to the late President Lech Kaczynski and First Lady Maria Kaczynska and the 94 political leaders and loyal patriots who perished in the tragic plane crash on April 10th in the region of Smolensk, Russia.

June 30— Presentation of the fourth annual Irena Sendlerowa Memorial Award to Former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski. Consul Tad Taube presented the award before an audience of 50 distinguished guests at a ceremony hosted at a premier Warsaw restaurant. Honored attendees included President Kwaśniewski; Hon. Radoslaw Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Hon. Lee Feinstein, US Ambassador to Poland; Mrs. Janina Zgrzembska, daughter of Irena Sendlerowa; Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland; and Mr. Jerzy Halbersztadt, Director, Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

Former President Aleksander Kwaśniewski was honored for his many initiatives aimed at rapprochement between Poles and Jews. Among his noted accomplishments in this area are: the initiation of the process of restoring Polish citizenship to those who were deprived of it during the Polish People’s Republic, the participation in the 60th anniversary of the pogrom of Jews in Jedwabne, and his ongoing and public support for the construction of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw.

JULY

July 1-5—Continuing events in the Taube Tour included the following:

July 1—Tour of the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute and the Jewish Genealogy & Family Heritage Center; cocktail reception at the Wilanow residence of the Israeli Ambassador to Poland Zvi Rav-Ner.

July 2—Tour of Krakow; attendance at various events of the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival.

July 3—Presentation on the Museum of the History of Polish Jews by Director of Exhibitions Dr. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett; attendance at the Closing Night Concert of the Jewish Culture Festival in Szeroka Square.

July 4—Attendance at Press Conference with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Oskar Schindler Museum where she announced a $15 million US Congressional allocation to the preservation of the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum.

July 5—Sister Cities Commemorative Dinner honoring the victims of the

April 10 plane crash and celebrating the first anniversary of the San Francisco-Krakow Sister Cities partnership. The Gala Dinner for 100 was held in Krakow City Hall and featured honored dignitaries including Krakow Deputy Mayor Elzbieta Lecznarowicz, US Consul General in Krakow Allen Greenberg and Michael Yarne, Economic Development Advisor to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

July 21-31—Shana Penn, Executive Director of the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture and Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, presented her research on women in the Solidarity Movement and on the revival of Jewish Culture in Poland at “Poland in the Rockies,” the Polish Studies biannual conference in Alberta, Canada.

July 29—Attendance at a Giants baseball game with the Consular Corps at San Francisco’s AT&T PacBell Park.

AUGUST

August 5—Consular Corps Happy Hour.

SEPTEMBER

September 14—Consular Corps Luncheon held at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

September 27—US State Department and San Francisco Consular Corps Reception held at San Francisco City Hall in honor of the San Francisco Consular Corps and the Honorable Eric J. Boswell, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security and Director of the Office of Foreign Missions.

OCTOBER

October 9-13—Shana Penn, Executive Director of the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, was invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw to participate in the Ministry hosted conference, “Public Diplomacy and Polish-Jewish Relations” and to make a presentation in the panel discussion entitled, “Polish-Jewish Relations and the Jewish Diaspora in Europe and the US.” Ms. Penn’s fellow panelists were Prof Shlomo Avineri/Hebrew University, and Serge Cwajgenbaum, Secretary General, World Jewish Congress.

October 9-13—Shana Penn, Executive Director of the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, was invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw to participate in the Ministry hosted conference, “Public Diplomacy and Polish-Jewish Relations” and to make a presentation in the panel discussion entitled, “Polish-Jewish Relations and the Jewish Diaspora in Europe and the US.” Ms. Penn’s fellow panelists were Prof Shlomo Avineri of Hebrew University, and Serge Cwajgenbaum, Secretary General, World Jewish Congress.

Ms. Penn presented the following recommendations:

A stronger PR focus should showcase the New Poland as being a stable and healthy Democracy
The Polish Government’s leadership role in financing the construction of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews should also be promoted.
The much-anticipated completion and opening of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews can illuminate the Government of Poland’s stewardship of Polish Jewish culture and education. The new Museum is symbolic of the Jewish awakening in Poland and a focal point for its development.
The Polish Government’s leadership role in bringing this Museum to life will resonate the world over once the Museum opens its doors. If handled correctly, this will transform relations between the Jewish Diaspora and the Government and citizens of Poland.
The Foreign Ministry can strengthen the identities of and relationships between the Polish and Jewish diasporas.
Hon. Tad Taube is one of only two Jewish Polish Honorary Consuls in the entire diaspora, outside of Israel. (The second Hon. Consul is in Strassbourg.) Consul Taube’s constituents are Catholic-centric in their Polonia identities. Mr. Taube shares the greater Northern California region with Honorary Consul Chris Kerosky, who is Catholic, and the two Consuls are mutually supportive and cooperative. Their pairing could represent a model for a new kind of diplomacy – one that recognizes and manages the blurred boundaries between the Jewish and Polish diasporas. This new model would emphasize identification with the Polish diaspora by Jews, and identification with a multi-cultural Polish diaspora by Polonia. There are many ways in which this new identity might help improve Polish-Jewish relations in the Polish-Jewish diaspora. Equally important, this could strengthen the role that Polish Americans play in the Polish diaspora, in Poland and also in the US.

October 19—Shana Penn, Executive Director of the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, was invited by the Polish Consul General in Los Angeles to present her research on women in the Solidarity Movement at a special panel honoring the 30th anniversary of the birth of Solidarity.

October 20—Co-sponsored and attended a dinner in honor of Leszek Balcerowicz, Polish economist, former chairman of the National Bank of Poland, and Deputy Prime Minister in Tadeusz Mazowiecki's government. The reception was held at the home of Caroline Krawiec Brownstone, a leader in the Polish American community, for 30 dynamic guests, including young entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, academics, business owners and community leaders.

NOVEMBER

November 10-14— Paderewski Festival in Paso Robles.

November 14-15—Co-sponsored a conference at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, entitled “Polin: Historical Perspectives/Contemporary Visions.” The conference was co-sponsored by the American Association of Polish Jewish Studies and was very well attended, with a keynote address by Professor Antony Polonsky and a special lecture by Professor Jolanta Ambrosewicz-Jacobs of Jagiellonian University.

November 17—Attended a reception in honor of HaifaMayorYona Yahav’s visit to San Francisco with a screening of the Israeli film “The Matchmaker” at the Kibuki Theater.

November 18-19—Shana Penn led a panel on Cultural Tourism at the annual conference of the American Association of Slavic Studies in Los Angeles

November 29—Attended the opening of the Katyn Massacre Exhibition at a luncheon at Stanford University with Andrzej Kunert, the Secretary General of Poland's Council for the Protection of the Memory of Struggle and Martyrdom.

DECEMBER

December 3—Deputy Mayor of Krakow, Kazimierz Bujakowski, was honored at a special luncheon and reception held in the Mayor’s Office at San Francisco City Hall. Honorary Consuls Taube and Kerosky both attended, along with 20 other select invitees.

December 2-7— Our Sister Cities Arts and Culture Committee helped arrange a trip to Krakow’s International Theater Festival for the directors of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.). The visit was the first step in setting up an exchange between A.C.T.’s Masters acting program and the programs of the Drama Academy in Krakow. Arrangements were aided by the Polish Cultural Institute in New York, an arm of the Polish Ministry of Culture that brings the best Polish arts to venues throughout the US.

December 3—Opening of the exhibition “Arthur Szyk: Miniature Paintings and Modern Illuminations” at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco. The exhibition of 71 pieces will run until March 27, 2011. Szyk, a native of Łódź, is a renowned artist in both the US and Poland, celebrated for the political and social commitment in his work and his attention to coloristic effects and details. I was pleased to participate in the support of this important exhibit.

December 4-7—The Poland Silicon Valley Technology Symposium was held in Palo Alto under the honorary patronage of Polish and US government officials. The Symposium was a joint effort of the Polish-American Engineers’ Club, the San Francisco-Krakow Sister Cities Association and the US–Polish Trade Council. The goal of the Symposium was to facilitate technology, manufacturing, and trade exchange between US and Polish entities to explore market opportunities and establish business relationships with Poland. Honored guests included Mr. Olgierd Dziekonski, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the President of Poland; Mr. Dariusz Bogdan, Deputy Minister of Economy; and Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, Mrs. Joanna Kozińska-Frybes.

December 6—I was honored with the Gloria Artis Medal, presented by the Consul General in Los Angeles Joanna Kozińska-Frybes on behalf of Poland’s Minister of Culture Bogdan Zdrojewski. The Gloria Artis Medal is a decoration awarded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland to persons and organizations for distinguished contributions to or protection of the Polish culture and people's heritage.

December 7—A Holiday Reception was held at San Francisco City Hall for the San Francisco Consular Corps.

December 9—Attended this year’s Ambassadors for Humanity Gala Dinner for the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education in Los Angeles. Hosted by Steven Spielberg, the event honored Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation. The Consul General from Los Angeles, Joanna Kozińska-Frybes, was also in attendance.

December 9—75 Eastern European musicians were featured at a Chorale Concert at the Berkeley Hillside Club. Among the presentations was a new carol composed in honor of Krakow.

December 19-21—Shana Penn, Executive Director of the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, presented her research on modern Jewish history in Poland to the American Association for Polish Jewish Studies and at the Association for Jewish Studies Annual Conference in Boston.

2011 Projected Goals and Activities

1. In 2011, I will broaden and deepen my office’s community-wide outreach efforts, including expanded use of the media such as the local Polish radio program and Polish-language web pages now in development for my websites; dissemination of Poland-related information; servicing tourism needs of visitors to Poland; encouraging genealogical research; and arranging arts, business and technology connections between Poland and the Bay Area.

2. I will continue my support of Polish institutions, including the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, now well underway in Warsaw.
3. It remains a major objective of my Consular service to promote Poland’s leadership role in the European Union and to publicize what I call “The New Poland.”

4. Many of the various programs that I outlined above, such as the Genealogy Center and Heritage Tourism, illuminate how the New Poland supports its Jewish cultural institutions and its diaspora. The diaspora’s vitality is enhanced by knowledge of its history and family roots and by intergenerational access to information and educational resources.

5. Together with Consul Kerosky, we will continue to host diplomats and ordinary Polish citizens to the Bay Area. We will also strengthen and continue to promote the activities of the San Francisco-Krakow Sister Cities Association.

A sampling of upcoming activities and events follows:

Spring:

Annual Polish national flag raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall.
Announcement of annual award in honor Polish resistance fighter and Righteous Gentile Irena Sendlerowa on the third-year anniversary of Mrs. Sendlerowa’s death.
Honor the participants in the Next Chapter Project.
On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day (May 1) National PBS will broadcast the Irena Sendler film “In the Name of Their Mothers,” which I will publicize.

Summer:

My Consular office and family foundation will organize a heritage tour to Poland with distinguished Bay Area guests. Among other activities, we will celebrate the progress being made on the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, visit the Jewish Genealogy & Family Heritage Center of the Jewish Historical Institute, enjoy the events of the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival and explore the beauty of Warsaw and Krakow.
In June, the American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T., assisted by the Polish Cultural Institute in New York, will do a teacher exchange of their teachers and the Krakow Drama Academy.
In July, through the Sister Cities Association, the Łowiczanie Polish Folk Dance Ensemble will perform in Krakow.

Fall:

Tentatively planned: Information Technology Symposium co-hosted with Consul Kerosky and the Sister Cities Program, to be held at Hoover Institution on the Stanford University Campus.

Thank you for your kind review of this Consular Report.
Respectfully,

Thaddeus N. Taube
January 12, 2011
C: Shana Penn, Malgorzata Cup

2009 REPORT OF HONORARY CONSUL

FOR SAN FRANCISCO SOUTH BAY AND EAST BAY

Submitted By

THADDEUS N. TAUBE

January 15, 2010

Preface

I am proud to report on my second year of service in the post of Honorary Consul for the Republic of Poland. It is truly a privilege to serve the country of my birth and my adoptive home. Both of my parents and their ancestors lived in Poland, with family lineages reaching back several centuries in time. My parents brought me to the United States on the eve of World War II. It is here in America that I have spent the majority of my life. But both countries have always been special to me, and I am proud to act as a conduit between the two nations.

This report includes:

Overview of 2009 major goals and activities accomplished
Month-by-month report on the most important Consular activities
Projected goals and activities for 2010

Overview

The year 2009 marked the historic 20-year anniversary of the fall of Communism and the victory of democracy in Poland and throughout East and Central Europe. Poland's political and economic development in one generation's time is phenomenal. In my travels between the United States and Poland, I am proud to witness a growing willingness on the part of Americans to reconsider their perceptions of Poland and its progress as a diplomatic ally of the United States. Many Americans had written Poland off in the aftermath of the Holocaust and during the Communist era, but today, there is a noticeable shift in American opinion and an interest in visiting the country and experiencing its culture. More than 200,000 Americans are now making the journey to Poland. I aim, in my role as Honorary Consul, to further this positive shift in public attitudes and also to help interested individuals and groups to visit there.

Hence, my goals as Honorary Consul are to:

Advocate the interests of the Polish people, the Polish government and Polonia with respect to the U.S. government, state and local governments and the greater diplomatic community of the San Francisco Bay Area, and among the American people generally.
Promote Polish culture and celebrate Polish historical anniversaries in the United States.
Serve the Polish American community in my designated region and in the United States in general.
Strengthen relationships between Polish and Jewish Americans and Christian and Jewish Poles.
Aid visiting Polish citizens who may have legal or medical problems due to, for example, loss of documents, being a victim of theft or having a physical accident while traveling.

Office and administration:

Our office is established at 1050 Ralston Avenue, in Belmont. Here, in San Francisco and elsewhere in the Bay Area, I meet with community members, diplomats and Polish visitors to the area.

My Consular office cooperates closely with Christopher Kerosky, Honorary Consul of San Francisco, with whom we coordinate and cosponsor a number of activities.

Ernest Weiner, former Northern California regional director for the American Jewish Committee, serves as my Deputy in fulfilling Consular duties. Already well known among the Bay Area's Consular Corps and civic institutions, Mr. Weiner helps to represent my office at various receptions and meetings representing our Consular mission.

In addition, my Consular office has organized a group of volunteers to assist our networking and outreach efforts, drawing from local community leaders in business, technology, academia and the arts. They help to raise public awareness of Polish history, culture and society among the Bay Area's diverse communities and include luminaries such as former US Secretary of State, The Honorable George Shultz, and Hoover Institution Chief Archivist Maciej Siekierski. These volunteers help my office to raise interest in and service people and organizations that are conducting business, academic pursuits and tourism in Poland.

Summary of Activities:

1. Relations with the Consulate in Los Angeles

I was in regular communication with the Consul General, Hon. Paulina Kapuscinska, of the Polish Consulate in Los Angeles, and her staff. With her invaluable guidance, my Consular office and I prepared our goals and activities in the Bay Area and in service of sister activities in Los Angeles. Now we are pleased to cooperate with Consul General Joanna Kozinska-Frybes and her able staff including Cultural Attache Malgorzata Cup.

2. Relations with the Consular Corps and local government officials.

My staff and I attend the meetings of the Consular Corps. I also attended meetings of the Consular Corps with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. At Consul General Paulina Kapuscinska's behest, I arranged a lecture and luncheon at the Hoover Institution for Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Honorable Radoslaw Sikorski.

3. Relations with US government offices

I am actively involved in a communications campaign to encourage the US Senate to approve House legislation to allocate minimum $5 million to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, for which President Lech Kaczynski is Honorary Patron.

Honorary Consul Kerosky and I are working on a campaign whereby the US Government would eliminate the visa requirements for Polish citizens to enter the US.

My relationships with Mayor Gavin Newsom and his staff, particularly Chief of Protocol, Charlotte Shultz, are strong. My office participated in the annual Polish national flag-raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, which was attended by diverse members of the Bay Area community.

4. Sister Cities Initiative

I am very proud to report that in collaboration with Honorary Consul Christopher Kerosky, we have successfully commenced a Sister Cities Relationship between Krakow and San Francisco. The proposal, initiated during a trip to Krakow, which my Consular office and my foundation hosted for Bay Area community leaders in July 2007, was discussed between the two Mayors, their offices and our Consular offices over 18 months. In May 2009, the agreements were prepared and were officially signed in Krakow by Mayor Jacek Majchrowski and, representing Mayor Gavin Newsom, myself and Consul Kerosky, on July 1^st. In addition, my foundation financed the travel to Krakow of a senior protocol officer from Mayor Newsom's office.

Consul Kerosky and I have formed a nonprofit organization, called the Sister City Program, which we are co-chairing. We are in the final phase of setting up a Board, Advisory Council and Committees in the Arts, Technology, Commerce, Education, Religion, and Politics. We will cohost several events in 2010 including a speakers series, an Information Technology Conference and a Tour of Krakow and Warsaw. (See July 2 and October 21, 2009 calendar descriptions below for more information.)

5. Media relations

I continue to publish Opinion Editorials in mainstream, Polish and Jewish press in the Bay Area and internationally including the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and the Jewish Weekly of Northern California on a range of topics that promote the New Poland. My foundation's media outreach efforts led, for the first time, to significant national and international coverage of the annual Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow and other programs reflecting the revitalization of Jewish culture in Poland. Press coverage includes San Francisco Business Times, Philanthropy Magazine and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). (see "In the New Poland, 20 Years of Democracy and Jewish Life" JTA, June 7, 2009, attached.)

7. Community Building

I support a diverse range of cultural, civic and educational activities in the Bay Area that help promote Polish history, culture and society. Events include art exhibitions, academic symposia, publishing and the arts, and local government agencies.

8. Enhance Jewish-Polish relations

I am committed to strengthening relations between Polish and Jewish Americans and between Christian and Jewish Poles, working closely with the Honorary Consul of San Francisco, and engaging the cooperation of the Hoover Institution, Graduate Theological Union, Polish Radio, the Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco, and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco to help cosponsor public events.

Next Chapter Project

The Next Chapter Project brings together Bay Area Holocaust survivors and high school students in collaboration with genealogy researchers from Warsaw in an innovative learning service program that connects young and old, the past and the present, and family histories with their contemporary communities. Students interview survivors from Poland, while Warsaw genealogists provide documentation on 1) each survivor's family lineage and birthplace in Poland; 2) how the memory of each survivor's prewar Jewish community is being preserved today; and 3) whether Jewish communities have come back to life in these given cities and towns. The oral histories and documents are assembled and published as individual albums for each of the survivor and student participants; additionally, master collections are archived at Yad Vashem and the Warsaw Jewish Historical Institute, and presented at the annual California Day of Holocaust Remembrance in Sacramento.

The Next Chapter Project is co-organized by Taube Foundation and Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco, in collaboration with Congregation Emanu-El and the Holocaust Center for Northern California.

In 2009, the Next Chapter Project was extended from semester-long study and dialogue to a follow-on cultural immersion program that enabled participants to journey to Poland, visit the survivors' native homes, and witness Ashkenazi Jewish tradition and culture in the places where it existed and is being revived today. Several of the Bay Area teens who participated in the Next Chapter Project traveled to Poland. The trip, organized by the Taube Foundation, gave the participants a firsthand look at the renaissance of Jewish life in Poland and included a memorable visit to the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, the world's largest repository of Polish Jewish history and the first research institution to document the Holocaust immediately following World War II. The trip was funded by the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation.

Poland Jewish Heritage Tours Launched

My Consulate is proud to participate in the newly launched Poland Jewish Heritage Tours (www.polandjewishheritagetours.com) which commenced last Spring. Poland Jewish Heritage Tours offers customized itineraries, intellectually stimulating experiences and spiritually uplifting heritage tours of Jewish Poland to people of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in learning more about Polish Jewish heritage, their own family histories, and the current revival of Jewish life and culture in Poland. Tours include visits to Poland's historical sites such as Wawel Castle and the Salt Mines; participation in genealogical field research about family histories; celebrations of religious and secular traditions; meetings with Polish politicians, community leaders and the media; and outings to cultural events and historic commemorations such as the annual April 19th ceremony honoring the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Jewish Genealogy & Family Heritage Center at the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw

The Jewish Genealogy & Family Heritage Center is of critical importance to the Polish and Jewish Diasporas. A complex database for the Center is near completion and will make all JHI collections accessible for the first time in 62 years. It has been designed with special features to locate any information held in JHI's collections-from archival documents to books, from photos to painted portraits-about a given individual. Family trees will also be included. After final testing, this unique database should be operational by mid-2010. An associated website is also being designed to make data available to the global public, to share new discoveries and to facilitate contact with the Center.

This is a valuable educational resource for diaspora communities to learn about and connect with their family histories and heritage in Poland, and I aim to encourage use of it by my Bay Area constituency.

9. Publications/Educational Resources

Journal: The Fall of the Wall and the Rebirth of Jewish Life in Poland: 1989-2009
This collection of personal essays by twelve leading Jewish thinkers and activists in Poland provides invaluable insights into modern Polish Jewish history. Each contributor reflects, from their individual generational standpoints and personal experiences, on how their nation's democratic aspirations made the reclamation of Jewish life possible. It enables us to learn about Poland's past, present and future from inside the culture, which today is free, democratic and a member of NATO and the European Union, an ally of the U.S. and Israel, and protective of its ethnic minorities.

The journal is available on our websites and will soon be sold in museum bookshops in Krakow and Warsaw.

Historical Timeline Brochure: 1,000 Years of Jewish Life in Poland
In appreciation of the millennium of Jewish history and accomplishments in Poland, the Taube Foundation asked Konstanty Gebert, scholar-in-residence of Centrum Taubego in Warsaw (the Polish office of the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture), to assemble an authoritative timeline of the significant events of Jewish life in Poland, so often limited in modern-day sensibilities as the site of the Holocaust. Beginning with the arrival of Abraham ben Yaakov in the year 960, the timeline follows the rich and complex Jewish history in Poland through the centuries up to the present day.

Gazeta, Quarterly Newsletter of the American Association for Polish-Jewish Studies

The American Association for Polish-Jewish Studies (AAPJS) is a sister organization of the Institute for Polish -Jewish Studies in Oxford, England. They were established in 1984 to preserve the history of Polish Jewry on an international basis; disseminate the results of this research by means of publications, lectures, conferences, seminars and documentary films; and focus attention of the American and world public on what is most significant and precious in this legacy of Polish Jewry.

MONTH-BY-MONTH REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2009

JANUARY

January 7---Consulate of France, Polish Consul-General Kapucinska scheduled.

January 28-Meeting with Bay Area philanthropist Sanford Diller re: Polish projects.

FEBRUARY

February 5 - Cosponsored lecture, with the Graduate Theological Union, on "The Future of Memory: Holocaust Education in the 21^st Century", by Holocaust researcher Dr. Debbie Findling, Deputy Director of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund.

February 23-Meeting with French Ambassador Viment.

February24---Luncheon for Claudine Cheng, President, Organization of Chinese Americans.

February 25: Seminar at Hastings College of Law cosponsored by Woodrow Wilson Center and Taube Foundation on "Law In the Age of Obama."

MARCH

March 1-Consul General Sanchez, Venezuela.

March 5 - Symposium: "Destination Ashkenazi: Jewish Identity and Cultural Tourism in Poland" at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. Presenters: Shana Penn, Taube Foundation and author; Prof Erica Lehrer, Concordia College, Montreal; Karen Underhill, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago, and cofounder of Massolit Bookshop/Café in Krakow.

Presentations examined the complex heritage of Ashkenazi Jewry and the boundaries of Jewish tourism to Poland, a region too often reduced to a post-Holocaust cemetery. Each of the panelists' research and experiential projects challenge and aim to transform the conventional Jewish tourism narrative from a singular focus on how Jews died in the Holocaust to how Jews lived for hundreds of years and created an enduring culture that shapes Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora today.

March 10-Consul General Hesham Elnakib, Egypt.

March 19-Consul General F. Mourier, France.

March 20-Consul General Rolf Schutte, Germany.

March 24-Consul General Jee See Heng, Singapore.

APRIL

April 9-American Jewish Committee President Richard Sideman on Eastern Europe Program.

April 25-Cosponsor of and attended the annual Polonaise Ball organized by the Polish Arts and Culture Foundation.

April 30 -- Annual Meeting of the American Jewish Committee.

MAY

May 4: Flag Raising Ceremony and Polish Constitution Day at City Hall in San Francisco. Mayor Gavin Newsom, Chief of Staff Steven Kawa and Chief of Protocol Charlotte Shultz hosted the ceremony. The event was co-organized by Honorary Consul Christopher Kerosky and my Consular office, and Bay Area leaders of Polish groups. More than 30 people attended the morning program.

May 5--- Asian Heritage Dinner.

May 8--Shabbat Dinner honoring the participants in the Next Chapter Project, a program linking Bay Area Holocaust survivors with teenagers, creating a bridge between the Bay Area and contemporary Poland through research provided by the Warsaw Jewish Historical Institute and the Taube Foundation's Jewish Heritage Initiative in Poland.

May 12--Announcement of the second annual Irena Sendlerowa Memorial Award. The award "Honors Polish men and women who, in the spirit of Irena Sendlerowa, protect Jewish life and promote Jewish cultural renewal in Poland."

The award is granted to a non-Jewish Pole who has worked to preserve Jewish heritage in Poland, in memory of the late Irena Sendlerowa, a "Righteous Gentile" who courageously saved over 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. This year's recipient was Jan Jagielski, curator at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, who was presented with the award at the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival in July.

May 12--Mayor's Consular Corps Event.

May 13--Consul General Goa Zhansheng, China.

May 18---Ido Aharoni, Israeli Media.

May 28---Half Moon Bay High School Awards.

JUNE

June 15---Consul General Susmita Gongulee-Thomas, India.

June 23--Consul General Elnakib, Egypt.

June 24-Civic leader and philanthropist Warren Hellman Dinner.

June 27--Fabrizio Marcelli, Consul General Italy.

June 30 - Taube Tour celebrates 20^th Anniversary of Democracy and Jewish Life in Poland

From June 30-July 6, 2009, the Consul Taube and the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture led a distinguished group of American civic leaders on a heritage tour of Poland to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1989 fall of Communism, the birth of democracy, and the renewal of Jewish life. There was much to celebrate on this journey: the establishment of a Sister Cities relationship between Krakow and San Francisco (San Francisco's first Sister City in Eastern Europe); the start of construction of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews on the sacred site where the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was valiantly fought in 1943; and a half decade of intellectual and material investments by the Taube Foundation and its partners in strengthening Jewish life and civil society through programs in heritage preservation, Jewish studies, genealogy and cultural tourism, youth and adult education, and cultural innovations such as the stunning Galicia Jewish Museum.

In an affiliated tour, 300 participants from around the world joined the Cantors Assembly of America mission as part of a historical, emotional, and inspirational journey connecting to 1,000 years of Jewish history in Poland. The Cantors group, sponsored by the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, performed at contemporary and historical sites in Poland, including the National Opera House in Warsaw, the US Consul General's residence in Krakow, the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, and a special memorial service at Auschwitz.

The Taube Tour participants were witness to a Jewish miracle of our times as they enjoyed the splendid attractions of the 19th annual Krakow Jewish Culture Festival, chatting with Jewish activists and leaders, visited impressive monuments to the glory that was Polish Jewry and the horrible sites of its extermination by the Third Reich, and experienced its unexpected rebirth.

JULY

July 1--Presentation of the second annual Irena Sendlerowa Memorial Award to Jan Jagielski, chief archivist at the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute. The award was presented by Consul Tad Taube before an audience of 900 attendees to the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival.

Jagielski, chief archivist at the newly renamed Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, was the first to initiate in the pre-1989 Communist era a project to document and ultimately preserve what remained of Jewish monuments in Poland. A non-Jewish Pole by origin, a chemical engineer by profession, his only motivation was his pain at seeing a part of his country's heritage go to ruin and oblivion. Acting alone and only in his personal capacity at first, he photographed neglected cemeteries and ruined synagogues and started to collect documentation on their former appearance and importance.

Since the fall of Communism in 1989, Jagielski has co-produced, with the City of Warsaw, excellent guidebooks to Warsaw's prewar Jewish history. Today, he leads a new major conservation program at Warsaw's Jewish Historical Institute. Jan Jagielski remains one of Poland's top authorities on Jewish monuments and is a role model for all those who work to salvage and redeem the glory of Poland's Jewish legacy.

July 2-- Over 200 people gathered in Krakow's majestic City Hall to witness the signing of a Sister Cities agreement between Krakow and San Francisco, hosted by the Mayor of Krakow, Jacek Majchrowski. Representing the City of San Francisco were Matthew Goudeau, Protocol Officer from the Office of Mayor Gavin Newsom, and Honorary Consuls for the Republic of Poland in the Bay Area Tad Taube and Christopher Kerosky. Mssrs Taube and Kerosky cosigned the agreement. The audience included nearly 100 San Francisco Bay Area guests, among them members of the Polish American community and tour groups organized by the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco and Lehrhaus Judaica, and the Next Chapter Project of the Jewish Family and Children's Services. The San Francisco-Krakow relationship will foster business, civic and cultural links between the two cities.

July 4-The 19^thAnnual Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow Honors Consul Taube

In front of a cheering crowd of 15,000 gathered for the July 4, 2009 closing night outdoor concert, Jewish Culture Festival director Janusz Makuch presented Consul Taube, a native born Krakowian, with an award for his ongoing support of the Festival.

July 14----Bastille Day event.

July 23-Ambassador Shameh Shoukry, Consul General Elnakib, Egypt.

July 29---Japan Consul General Nagamine.

AUGUST

August 3--Consul General Jee See Heng, Singapore.

August 5--Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski lectured at World Affairs Council.

August 6-Minister Sikorski lectured at Hoover Institution which held private luncheon for him and invited guests, cohosted by Consul Taube, who is a Hoover Trustee.

August 28-Polish National Day, Office of Consul Kerosky.

SEPTEMBER

September 8--Consular Corps luncheon. Mayor Gavin Newsom delivered keynote.

September 10-Attended reception hosted by Mayor Newsom, to launch a new Sister City Artists in Residence Program between the San Francisco Sister Cities and the California College of the Arts.

September 14-Luncheon, Israel Minister Yossi Peled.

September 17--Meeting Russian Consulate, U.S. Missile Defense Issue, Consul General Vladimir Vinokurov.

September 29--Chinese Consulate.

OCTOBER

October 2--German Consulate.

October 15--Consulate of the Netherlands, Dutch Ambassador R. Jones-Bos.

October 20, Mexican Consular Luncheon, Consul General Carlos Felix.

October 21: Mayor Gavin Newsom and Chief of Protocol Charlotte Mailliard Shultz hosted a reception in San Francisco City Hall honoring the new Sister Cities relationship between San Francisco and Krakow with Honorary Co-Consuls for the Republic of Poland Tad Taube and Christopher Kerosky and about 100 other notable San Francisco community leaders. Special guest speakers were Consul General Joanna Kozinska-Frybes and Secretary of State George Shultz. The San Francisco-Krakow sister cities relationship is the first such Eastern European relationship for San Francisco.

October 30, Indian Leadership Council, Consul General Jitu Somaya, Mauritius.

NOVEMBER

November 3, Residence, Consul General Yasumasa Nagamine of Japan, Emperor's Birthday Event.

November 10: Annual luncheon for Consular Corps at Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco. Attended together with Consul personnel, Shana Penn and Ernest Weiner.

DECEMBER

December 3: Mayor Gavin Newsom and Chief of Protocol Charlotte Shultz co-hosted the annual Christmas/Winter Holiday celebration at City Hall.

December 19: Gave Welcome Remarks at a benefit reception in support of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews at the home of Stanley and Helena Krol, of Beverly Hills. Cohost was Wanda Pressburger.

2010 Projected Goals and Activities

1. In 2010, I will broaden and deepen my office's community-wide outreach efforts, including expanded use of the media such as the local Polish radio program and Polish-language web pages on my websites; dissemination of Poland-related information; servicing some of the tourism needs of visitors to Poland; encouraging genealogical research; and arranging business and technology connections between Poland and the Bay Area.

2. It remains a major objective of my Consular service to promote Poland's leadership role in the European Union and to publicize what I call "The New Poland."

3. Many of the various programs that I outlined above, such as the Genealogy Center and Heritage Tourism, illuminate how the New Poland supports its Jewish cultural institutions and its diaspora. The diaspora's vitality is enhanced by knowledge of its history and family roots and by intergenerational access to information and educational resources.

4. Together with Consul Kerosky, we will continue to host diplomats and ordinary Polish citizens to the Bay Area.

A sampling of upcoming activities and events follows:

February 1-4: Speaker Series: Visit of Janusz Makuch, director of the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival, will meet with academic and community groups in the Bay Area and promote the 20^th anniversary Festival in summer 2010.

February 17: Speaker Series: Gazeta Wyborcza journalist Konstanty Gebert will lecture at UC Berkeley and Graduate Theological Union on Poland in the European Union.

March 26: Information Technology Symposium co-hosted with Consul Kerosky and the Sister Cities Program, to be held at Hoover Institution with the anticipated participation of representatives of the Krakow Mayor.

May 3: Annual Polish national flag raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall.

May : Announcement of annual award in honor of Polish resistance fighter and Righteous Gentile Irena Sendlerowa on the second-year anniversary of Mrs. Sendlerowa's death.

June 26-July 7: My Consular office and family foundation will bring 15 community leaders from the Bay Area to Krakow and Warsaw. We will meet with the Mayors of both cities. In addition, Minister Sikorski and I will travel to Torun and Bialystok to view synagogue projects in which he is involved.

September tba: We will organize a special public program on the 30^th anniversary of the signing of the Gdansk Accords and birth of Solidarnosc.

Thank you for your kind review of this Consular Report.

Respectfully,

Thaddeus N. Taube

January 15, 2010

C: Shana Penn, Malgorzata Cup

2008 REPORT OF HONORARY CONSUL

FOR SAN FRANCISCO SOUTH BAY AND EAST BAY

Submitted By

THADDEUS N. TAUBE

January 16, 2009

Preface

It is with great pride that I carried out my first year in the post of Honorary Consul for the Republic of Poland. It is truly a privilege to serve the country of my birth and my adoptive home. Both of my parents and their ancestors lived in Poland, with family lineages reaching back several centuries in time. My parents brought me to the United States on the eve of World War II. It is here in America that I have spent the majority of my life. But both countries have always been special to me, and I am proud to act as a conduit between the two nations.

This report includes:

Overview of 2008 major goals and activities accomplished
Month-by-month report on most important Consular activities
Projected goals and activities for 2009

Overview

As the year 2008 turns into 2009, I am aware that it is almost 20 years since the fall of Communism and the victory of democracy in Poland and throughout East and Central Europe. Poland's political and economic development in one generation's time is phenomenal. In my travels between the United States and Poland, I am proud to witness a growing willingness on the part of Americans to reconsider their perceptions of Poland and its progress as a diplomatic ally of the United States. Many Americans had written Poland off in the aftermath of the Holocaust and during the Communist era, but today, there is a noticeable shift in American opinion and an interest in visiting the country and experiencing its culture. More than 200,000 Americans are now making the journey to Poland. I aim, in my role as Honorary Consul, to further this positive shift in public attitudes and also to help interested individuals and groups to visit there.

Hence, my goals as Honorary Consul are to:

Advocate the interests of the Polish people, the Polish government and Polonia with respect to the U.S. government, state and local governments and the greater diplomatic community of the San Francisco Bay Area, and among the American people generally.
Promote Polish culture and celebrate Polish historical anniversaries in the United States.
Serve the Polish American community in my designated region and in the United States in general.
Strengthen relationships between Polish and Jewish Americans and Christian and Jewish Poles.
Aid visiting Polish citizens who may have legal or medical problems due to, for example, loss of documents, being a victim of theft or having a physical accident while traveling

Office and administration:

Our office is established at 1050 Ralston Avenue, in Belmont. Here, I have already begun to meet with community members, diplomats and Polish visitors to the Bay Area.

My Consular office cooperates closely with Christopher Kerosky, Honorary Consul of San Francisco, with whom we coordinate and cosponsor a number of activities. In addition, we co-supervise Consular staff, the legal intern Ewa Szafranska, whose duties include handling correspondences and informational requests, particularly those made in the Polish language.

Polish studies scholar Shana Penn, who oversees my family foundation and has a well established reputation in both the Polish American community and Polish society, handles academic, educational, cultural and some diplomatic matters for my Consular office. She also networks with the Polish community in the Bay Area and throughout the US. Ms. Penn's research and involvements with PAHA, PIAST, AAASS and other professional associations enable her to stay abreast of major intellectual and social currents that may influence or inform the Bay Area's Polish community.

I organized a group of volunteers, drawing from local community leaders in business, technology, academia and the arts to assist in raising public awareness of Polish history, culture and society among the Bay Area's diverse communities. These volunteers help my office to raise interest in and service people and organizations that are conducting business, academic pursuits and tourism in Poland.

Summary of Activities:

1. Relations with the Consulate in Los Angeles

I am in regular communication with the Consul General, Hon. Paulina Kapuscinska, of the Polish Consulate in Los Angeles, and her staff. With her invaluable guidance, my Consular office and I prepare our goals and activities in the Bay Area and in service of sister activities in Los Angeles.

2. Relations with the Consular Corps and local government officials.

My staff and I attend the meetings of the Consular Corps. I also attended meetings of the Consular Corps with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. At Consul General Paulina Kapuscinska's behest, I arranged for the Government of Poland to award former US Secretary of State George Shultz with the Commander's Cross.

3. Relations with US government offices

My relationships with Mayor Gavin Newsom and his staff, particularly Chief of Protocol, Charlotte Shultz, are strong. My office participated in the annual May 3rd Polish national flag-raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, which was attended by diverse members of the Bay Area community.

4. Sister Cities Initiative

I am particularly proud to report that in collaboration with Honorary Consul Christopher Kerosky, we have successfully initiated a Sister Cities Relationship between Krakow and San Francisco. The proposal, initiated during a trip to Krakow, which my Consular office and my foundation hosted for Bay Area community leaders in July 2006, was discussed between the two Mayors, their offices and our Consular offices over the last 18 months. The agreements are now being prepared and will be officially signed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in San Francisco in May and presented to the Mayor of Krakow in the first week of July by a representative of Mayor Newsom's office, who will travel with a group of Bay Area leaders that I will be hosting in Krakow and Warsaw.

5. Media relations

7. Community Building

I support a diverse range of cultural and educational activities in the Bay Area that help promote Polish history, culture and society. Events include art exhibitions, academic symposia, publishing and the arts.

8. Enhance Jewish-Polish relations

I am committed to strengthening relations between Polish and Jewish Americans and between Christian and Jewish Poles, working closely with the Honorary Consul of San Francisco, and engaging the cooperation of the Hoover Institution, Graduate Theological Union, Polish Radio, and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco to help cosponsor public events.

MONTH-BY-MONTH REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2008

MARCH

Participated in the meeting of Honorary Consuls of the Western States organized by the Consul General for the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles. O was represented by deputy Shana Penn.

APRIL

April 10: "March 1968" Symposium and Film "Dworzec Gdanski"

Honorary Consul Christopher Kerosky, the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, and my Consular office co-sponsored a panel on the 40th anniversary of the epic March '68 political events in Communist Poland. The event was co-organized by the Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU); the Department of Jewish Studies of the University of California at Berkeley (UCB); and the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, Stanford University.

Featured panelists were Dr. Irena Grudzinska-Gross, Professor of Comparative Literature and Executive Director, Institute for Human Sciences, Boston University, and Konstanty Gebert, Polish journalist Gazeta Wyborcza and founding publisher Midrasz magazine. Both Dr. Grudzinska-Gross and Mr. Gebert were participants in the dramatic 1968 events in Warsaw. Adding to the depth of the panel were Shana Penn, Visiting Scholar at the Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies at GTU, and Professor John Connelly, Department of History, UC Berkeley.

An audience of more than 75 were welcomed by Dr. Naomi Seidman, Koret Professor of Jewish Culture and Director of the Richard S. Dinner Center for Jewish Studies at GTU and myself. The film "Dworzec Gdanski", a series of moving interviews with former "68ers" now mainly living in Israel, was made by acclaimed journalist Teresa Toranska.

MAY

May 2: Flag Raising Ceremony and Polish Constitution Day at City Hall in San Francisco. Mayor Gavin Newsom was represented by Chief of Protocol Charlotte Shultz. The event was co-organized by Honorary Consul Christopher Kerosky and my Consular office, Bay Area leaders of Polish groups.

May 9: Shabbat Dinner honoring the participants in the Next Chapter Project, a program linking Bay Area Holocaust survivors with teenagers that creates a bridge between the Bay Area and contemporary Poland, through research provided by the Warsaw Jewish Historical Institute and the Taube Foundation's Jewish Heritage Initiative in Poland.

May 30: Announcement of the creation of the Irena Sendlerowa Memorial Award. The award "Honors Polish men and women who, in the spirit of Irena Sendlerowa, protect Jewish life and promote Jewish cultural renewal in Poland."

JUNE

June 11: Cosponsored an exhibition of works by Polish Jewish artist Arthur Szyk at the German Consulate in San Francisco. Szyk Society Curator Irvin Ungar introduced "Arthur Szyk - Drawing Against National Socialism and Terror," the upcoming exhibition at the Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin.

JULY

July 4: Presentation of the first annual Irena Sendlerowa Memorial Award to Janusz Makuch, creator of the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow. The award was presented by Shana Penn at a concert of the Jewish Culture Festival held in the Tempel Synagogue, Krakow.

July 22: Honorary Consul for Austria Donald C. Burns hosted luncheon in San Francisco to discuss Polish-American relations. Attended by Consular Representative Ernest Weiner.

AUGUST

August 18: German Consul General in San Francisco hosts forum and reception to introduce the Bay Area community to the European interns of the international NGO, Humanity in Action, including four Polish interns assigned to Bay Area NGOs for the fall semester.

August 29: Japanese Consul General Yasumasa Nagamine hosted a meeting in San Francisco to discuss Japanese economic ties with Poland. Attended by Consular Representative Ernest Weiner.

August-October: My Consular office and the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture co-hosted intern Jan Spiewak, from Warsaw, for 3 months. At age 21, Śpiewak became the first chairman of ZOOM [Żydowska Ogólnopolska Organizacja Młodzieżowa - All-Poland Jewish Youth Organization], a group he co-founded with a few other young Polish Jews in March 2007. Śpiewak is helping the Taube Foundation create its new cultural tourism program in Poland. Śpiewak's role includes recruiting ZOOM members to be trained as Jewish heritage tour guides, providing educational and sightseeing information for university-aged visitors from abroad, and offering the Taube Foundation important insights into the needs and interests of young Polish Jews as well as of the larger Jewish community in Warsaw.

SEPTEMBER

September 26: Mayor Gavin Newsom hosted a diplomatic event at City Hall in honor of the sister city relationship between San Francisco and Assisi, Italy. Attended by Consular Representative Ernest Weiner.

OCTOBER

October 1: Launch of Consul Taube's official website http://www.taubephilanthropies.org/node/75

October 8: Rhoda Goldman Plaza in San Francisco open meeting for residents to learn about the New Poland and Poland-Israel relations. Presentation given by Consular Representative Ernest Weiner. About 60 attendees.

October 15: Mayor's Consular Corps reception at the Matrix Restaurant in San Francisco. Attended by Consular Representative Ernest Weiner.

October 29-December 5, 2008: Reception and Exhibition Opening: "Polish Heroes: Those Who Rescued Jews," An Exhibition Featuring Photographs by Chris Schwarz (Co-curated by the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the Galicia Jewish Museum, and the Polish/American/Jewish Alliance for Youth Action)

At the Koret Pavilion at The Ziff Center, Hillel at Stanford University

Event Co-Sponsors:

Tad Taube, Honorary Consul for the Republic of Poland

Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture

Hillel at Stanford

Hoover Institution

Taube Center for Jewish Studies, Stanford

Consul General of the Republic Of Poland, Los Angeles

Division of Literatures, Cultures and Languages at Stanford

Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at Stanford

Department of History at Stanford

Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Stanford

October 29: Exhibition Opening Reception

October 29-February 2, 2009: "Jan Karski: Righteous Among the Nations", Joint Exhibition at Hoover Institution

NOVEMBER

November 10: Annual luncheon for Consular Corps at Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco. Attended together with Consul personnel, Shana Penn and Ernest Weiner.

November 12: Advanced Screening: "In the Name of Their Mothers-The Story of Irena Sendler", with filmmaker Mary Skinner. Hillel at Stanford, organized in conjunction with the exhibition showing of "Polish Heroes."

November 24: Luncheon hosted by Consul General Carlos Felix of Mexico to discuss the status and activities of the Jewish Community in Poland. Attended by Consular Representative Ernest Weiner.

DECEMBER

December 3: Lecture Presentation: "Karski's Testimony-Hoover Institution's Collection of his Papers," Zbigniew L. Stanczyk, European Collection Specialist, Hoover Institution Hillel at Stanford, organized in conjunction with the exhibition showing of "Polish Heroes."

December 6: Participated in the annual Polish Consulate Christmas Party hosted by the Consul General of Los Angeles at the home of Stanley and Helena Krol, of Beverly Hills.

December 8-9: Hosted two fundraising receptions in San Francisco on behalf of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews

2009 Projected Goals and Activities

1. In 2009, I will broaden and deepen my office's community wide outreach efforts including expanded use of the media such as the local Polish radio program and the creation of a designated website; dissemination of Poland-related information; servicing some of the tourism needs of visitors to Poland; encouraging genealogical research; and arranging business and technology connections between Poland and the Bay Area.

A sampling of upcoming activities and events follows:

March: Symposium at Graduate Theological Union (GTU), titled "Destination Ashkenazi: Jewish Identity and Cultural Tourism to Poland." Speakers include: Shana Penn (GTU), Erica Lehrer (Concordia College), Karen Underhill (Univ of Chicago).

May: We are arranging a symposium to mark the 20th anniversary of Democracy's triumph over Communism.

The symposium will coincide with our organizing of Polish national flag raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall.

We will announce our annual award in honor of Polish resistance fighter and

Righteous Gentile Irena Sendler on the one-year anniversary of Mrs. Sendler's death.

June: Mayor Newsom will host reception to celebrate the new Sister Cities relationship with Krakow.

June-July: We will bring 15 community leaders from the Bay Area to Krakow and Warsaw on June 30-July 8. We will meet with the Mayor of Krakow to formalize the sister-city relationship.

September: We will organize a special public program on the 70^th anniversary of the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and then by the USSR, marking the beginning of WWII.

Autumn: Cohost a second IT symposium with Honorary Consul of San Francisco and Silicon Valley IT firms.

Thank you for your kind review of this Consular Report.

Respectfully,

Thaddeus N. Taube

January 16, 2009

2007 REPORT OF HONORARY CONSUL
FOR SAN FRANCISCO SOUTH BAY AND EAST BAY

Submitted By
THADDEUS N. TAUBE
January 4, 2008

Preface

It is with great pride that I accepted my new post as Honorary Consul for the Republic of Poland this past May. It is truly a privilege to serve the country of my birth and my adoptive home. Both of my parents and their ancestors lived in Poland, with family lineages reaching back several centuries in time. My parents brought me to the United States on the eve of World War II. It is here in America that I have spent the majority of my life. But both countries have always been special to me, and I am proud to now act as a conduit between the two nations.

This report includes:

Overview of 2007 major goals and activities accomplished
Month-by-month report on most important Consular activities
Projected goals and activities for 2008

Overview

The Embassy of Poland in Washington DC announced my appointment in May 2007 and the Belmont Consular office was officially opened by Ambassador Janusz Reiter and Consul General Paulina Kapuscinska on October 5, 2007. Hence, this annual report begins in the month of May 07.

I travel rather frequently between America and Poland and am thrilled to witness a growing willingness on the part of Americans to reconsider their perceptions of Poland and its progress as a burgeoning democracy. Many Americans had written Poland off in the aftermath of the Holocaust and during the Communist era, but today, there is a noticeable shift in American opinion and an interest in visiting the country and experiencing its culture. I aim, in my role as Honorary Consul, to further this positive shift in public attitudes.

Hence, my goals as Honorary Consul are to:

Advocate the interests of the Polish people, the Polish government and Polonia with respect to the U.S. government, state and local governments and the greater diplomatic community of the San Francisco Bay Area, and among the American people generally.
Promote Polish culture and celebrate Polish historical anniversaries in the United States.
Serve the Polish American community in my designated region and in the United States in general.
Strengthen relationships between Polish and Jewish Americans and Christian and Jewish Poles.
Aid visiting Polish citizens who may have legal or medical problems due to, for example, loss of documents, being a victim of theft or having a physical accident while traveling

Office and administration:
Our office is established at 1050 Ralston Avenue, in Belmont. Here, I have already begun to meet with community members, diplomats and Polish visitors to the Bay Area.

My Consular office cooperates closely with Christopher Kerosky, Honorary Consul of San Francisco, with whom we coordinate and cosponsor a number of activities. In addition, beginning in January 2008, w will co-supervise Consular staff, the legal intern Ewa Szafranska, whose duties include handling correspondences and informational requests, particularly those made in the Polish language.

Polish studies scholar Shana Penn, who oversees my family foundation and has a well established reputation in both the Polish American community and Polish society, handles academic, educational, cultural and some diplomatic matters for my Consular office. She also networks with the Polish community in the Bay Area and throughout the US. Ms. Penn’s research and involvements with PAHA, PIAST, AAASS and other professional associations enable her to stay abreast of major intellectual and social currents that may influence or inform the Bay Area’s Polish community.

I organized a group of volunteers, drawing from local community leaders in business, technology, academia and the arts to assist in raising public awareness of Polish history, culture and society among the Bay Area’s diverse communities. These volunteers help my office to raise interest in and service people and organizations that are conducting business, academic pursuits and tourism in Poland. I plan to expand this cadre of volunteers in 2008.

Summary of Activities:

1. Relations with the Consulate in Los Angeles

I am in regular communication with the Consul General, Hon. Paulina Kapuscinska,of the Polish Consulate in Los Angeles, and her staff. With her invaluable guidance, I and my office prepare our goals and activities in the Bay Area and in service of sister activities in Los Angeles.

2. Relations with the Consular Corps and local government officials

I and my staff attend the meetings of the Consular Corps. I also attended meetings of the Consular Corps with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. At Consul General Paulina Kapuscinska’s behest, I arranged for the Government of Poland to award former US Secretary of State George Shultz with the Commander’s Cross

My relationships with Mayor Gavin Newsom and his staff, particularly Chief of Protocol, Charlotte Shultz, are strong. My office participated in the annual Polish national flag-raising ceremony for May 3rd at San Francisco City Hall, which was attended by diverse members of the Bay Area community.

3. Relations with US government offices

4. Meetings with Polish and foreign dignitaries

During a June-July visit to Poland, I met with the President and First Lady, Minister of Foreign Affairs, US Ambassador to Poland, US Consul General in Krakow, Israeli Ambassador to Poland, and former President Kwasniewski. I also actively participated in landmark events in Poland as a visiting Honorary Consul representing California.

5. Media relations

I continue to publish Opinion Editorials in mainstream, Polish and Jewish press in the Bay Area and internationally including the San Jose Mercury News, Gazeta Wyborcza, and the Jewish Weekly of Northern California on a range of topics including bilateral relations between Poland and Israel; growing tourism to Auschwitz-Birkenau; and the elimination of the US visa policy toward Polish citizens. My foundation’s media outreach efforts led, for the first time, to significant national and international coverage of the annual Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow and other programs reflecting the revitalization of Jewish culture in Poland. Press coverage included the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune and the Washington Post.

6. Community Building

7. Enhance Jewish-Polish relations

I am committed to strengthening relations between Polish and Jewish Americans and between Christian and Jewish Poles, working closely with the Honorary Consul of San Francisco, and engaging the cooperation of the Hoover Institution, Graduate Theological Union, Polish Radio, and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco to help cosponsor public events.

MONTH-BY-MONTH REPORT:
MAY-DECEMBER 2007

MAY

May 2: Flag Raising Ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. Consul Taube representative Shana Penn participated in a formal flag raising ceremony at City Hall on behalf of the Consulate of Poland, with Mayor Gavin Newsom, Protocol Chief Charlotte Shultz, Honorary Consul of San Francisco Christopher Kerosky.

JUNE

June 24–July 1: Hosted tour of Krakow and Warsaw for 26 Bay Area community leaders and philanthropists.

June 25: Receptions at the US Embassy in Warsaw and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Consul Taube was formally congratulated for his new Consular appointment by both US Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe and Minister of Foreign Affairs and also invited to speak at the Minister’s reception.

June 25: Consul Taube hosted dinner honoring US Ambassador Victor Ashe and Israeli Ambassador to Poland David Peleg at the Belvedere Restaurant in Lazienki Park, Warsaw.

June 26: Groundbreaking ceremony for Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw. As a Distinguished Benefactor of this museum, Consul Taube participated as a signatory in the groundbreaking ceremony.

JULY

July 1: Ongoing concerts and arts programs at the 18th annual Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow. Consul Taube welcomed audience at the evening concert, performed by Theodore Bikel and Cantor Alberto Mizrachi in the renovated Temple Synagogue.

July 1: Consul Taube and Bay Area communal leaders met with Cultural Officer Janusz Sepiol in the Office of the Mayor of Krakow to discuss arrangements for a sister-city relationship between Krakow and San Francisco. Koret Foundation CEO Jeffrey Farber and Jewish Community Federation CEO Phyllis Cook in attendance.

July 3: Cohosted book party and panel on Polish Jewish relations for Rethinking Poles and Jews: Troubled Past, Brighter Future, in Krakow. Consul deputy Shana Penn, a contributor to the anthology.

July 17: Former First Lady Nancy Reagan accepts the Order of the White Eagle from President Lech Kaczynski in honor, posthumously, of President Ronald Reagan, at the Ronald Reagan Library, Newport Beach, California. Consul Taube attended award ceremony and luncheon.

AUGUST

Aug. 18: German Consul General in San Francisco hosts forum and reception to introduce the Bay Area community to the European interns of the international NGO, Humanity in Action, including four Polish interns assigned to Bay Area NGOs for the fall semester. Consul deputy Shana Penn attended program.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 9: Consul Taube delivered the opening remarks at Judah L. Magnes Museum’s exhibition opening of paintings by Polish-born Mayer Kirschenblatt, in "They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of a Jewish Childhood in Poland Before the Holocaust." The Magnes Museum, in Berkeley, contains the United States’s third largest Judaica collection.

Sept. 12: First of ongoing planning meetings with Honorary Consul Chris Kerosky and US-Polish Trade Council George Slawek to organize November IT symposium at Hoover Institution in cooperation with Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Sept. 28: Meeting in San Francisco with Dr. Jerzy Halbersztadt, executive director of the Warsaw-based Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and Rabbi Brian Lurie, former executive director of the Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco.

OCTOBER

Oct. 5: Official ceremony to open the Consulate office in Belmont, California, with Polish Ambassador Janusz Reiter and Polish Consul General in Los Angeles Paulina Kapuscinska. 100 guests attend the ceremony and luncheon held in Belmont.

Oct. 31: Co-sponsored an academic symposium at the Graduate Theological Union on “Oral History as Counter History in Jewish Studies.”

NOVEMBER

Nov. 7: Annual luncheon for Consular Corps at Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco. Attended together with Consul personnel, Shana Penn and Dr. Stephen Dobbs.

Nov. 8: Cohosted Symposium, "Poland the Ideal Business Partner: Offshoring Information Technology and Business Process," with Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Honorary Consul in San Francisco, U.S. Polish Trade Council, San Francisco Global Trade Council, Polish American Engineers Club, Google, IBM, Siemens, the City of Lodz, and others. Arranged symposium at the Hoover Institution, where Consul Taube serves as a Trustee.
december

Dec. 19: Meeting with Consul General Kapuscinska in Belmont office.

Dec. 19: Attended San Francisco Mayor Newsom’s dinner for Consular Corps, in Hillsborough.

Dec. 19: Arranged awarding of the Polish Commander’s Cross to former US Secretary of State George Shultz at a special event. Award made by Consul General Kapuscinska.

2008 Projected Goals and Activities

1. In 2008 I will further develop my corps of interns, volunteers and community activists to better assist in the accomplishment of these goals. Specific progress has been made on that level, including the addition of a Polish-speaking legal intern who begins work this January, and several volunteers who live in either the South Bay or East Bay.

2. I will broaden and deepen my office’s community wide outreach efforts including expanded use of the media such as the local Polish radio program and the creation of a designated website; dissemination of Poland-related information; servicing some of the tourism needs of visitors to Poland; encouraging genealogical research; and arranging business and technology connections between Poland and the Bay Area.

A sampling of upcoming activities and events follows:

January: The Galicia Jewish Museum’s exhibit “Polish Heroes” opens at UCLA. My office is seeking a Bay Area venue in which to show this moving photographic exhibit from Krakow, before it travels outside of California.

March: We are arranging a public forum to mark the 40th anniversary of the March 1968 student demonstrations and Communist Party’s anti-Semitic campaign. The event will address how 1968 was a harbinger of 1989.

April: We are planning a commemorative event on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Coinciding with an event in the Bay Area, we plan to honor Polish resistance fighter and Righteous Gentile Irena Sendler in Warsaw.

May: Polish national flag raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall.

Promotion of Chopin concerts in the Bay Area.

June-July: My office will be represented at this summer’s annual Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow.

We will meet with the Mayor of Krakow to arrange a sister-city relationship.

Autumn: Cohost a second IT symposium with Honorary Consul of San Francisco and Silicon Valley IT firms.

Thank you for your kind review of this Consular Report.

Respectfully,

Thaddeus N. Taube
January 4, 2008