March of Life and Conference Mark Polish-German Friendship in Gdansk.
More than 1000 participants from Poland, Germany, Israel and other nations – among them Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz – took to the streets under the motto “Remembering – Reconciliation – Together into the Future” at the March of Life in Gdansk on the 80th anniversary of the beginning of World War II. For about 40 members of the German delegation, their ancestors had been involved in the attack or occupation of Poland as soldiers of the Wehrmacht, or as members of the police force and SS. They asked the Polish participants and survivors of the German attack for forgiveness. Jobst Bittner, Founder of March of Life, said at the closing event at the Green Gate: “Reconciliation is nothing that can be demanded, and it is very fragile. What we can do as descendants of the German perpetrators is to stand side by side with our Polish friends in commemoration and to speak the truth about our family history.”
In preparation for the March, 400 participants attended a three-day conference in the port city under the motto “Poland and Germany in Friendship – Together for Israel”. The conference was marked by historical reflections, biblical teachings, praying together and countless friendly encounters between the German and Polish participants.
Impressions from the March of Life: tiny.cc/march-gdansk
Impressions from the Polish-German Friendship Conference: tiny.cc/gdansk-Conference
Report in the Polish Newspaper “Dziennik Baltycki”: tiny.cc/Dziennik-Baltycki
