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Polish President Lech Kaczynski honoring a Pole who saved Jews during the Holocaust in Warsaw in October. (AP) Last update - 02:46 06/12/2007 Polish film recounts heroism of Poles who helped Jews in WWII By The Associated Press Tags: Poland, anti-Semitism  A new documentary film that recounts the heroic efforts and violent deaths of Poles who helped Jews during the Holocaust premiered Wednesday, amid efforts by Poland to alter a lingering reputation for anti-Semitism. A Life for a Life, a 33-minute film funded by Poland's Culture Ministry, uses testimony from survivors, grandchildren and neighbors of men and women who were killed by the Nazis for aiding Polish Jews during Germany's World War II occupation of Poland. "There's a lack of knowledge that there were Poles who gave their lives to save Jews," said Maciej Pawlicki, a journalist and TV producer who came up with the idea for the film. "And there's a dramatic lack of knowledge that results in very negative stereotypes, especially in the West." Advertisement The documentary's release coincides with the 65th anniversary of a Polish wartime council set up to help Jews, and the Nazi execution of 33 Poles in the village of Ciepielow for aiding Jews. It also comes amid a broad push by Polish authorities to alter a perception of anti-Semitism that they say unfairly still hangs over the country. "My grandfather, Jan Kowalski, was the sole member of his family who survived," said Agnieszka Kowalska, 30, who in the film recounts how Nazi SS troops murdered seven members of her family for helping Jews, burning them alive in their neighbor's wooden home. "I'm proud and in a way happy that somebody values that dedication because my relatives paid the highest price." Unlike in Western Europe where punishment was relatively light, Poles caught aiding Jews were most often immediately shot, along with their entire families. "There are no immediate plans to show the film abroad," Pawlicki said, although he says it would help correct negative perceptions held by many non-Poles. Jan Zaryn, a historian from the state Institute of National Remembrance and chief historical consultant on the documentary, argues that the film should be shown in the West and the United States and Israel to present this largely unknown fragment of Polish history during World War II. Earlier this year, Polish President Lech Kaczynski led a grand ceremony at Poland's National Opera House to honor Poles who saved Jews from the Holocaust. Most of those honored had already received the Righteous Among the Nations award from Israel for saving Jews . More than 6,000 Poles have received the title from Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, the most of any nation. Poland's Foreign Ministry has also made efforts in the past year to promote knowledge of Irena Sendler, a Polish woman who helped save 2,500 Jewish children during the war, as well as Jan Karski, a Polish wartime resistance fighter who struggled to get news about the Nazi extermination camps to the Allies. Related articles: Holocaust hero Bielski accused, denies swindling 93-year-old neighbor in Florida Guarding Europe's border Polish right-wing party accused of running anti-Semitic campaign ad Poland honors 53 who risked lives to save Jews in World War II More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bad immigrant Hezbollah spy said he acted as a 'Lebanese patriot and a Muslim.' When (he's) in Rome Israel to launch PR campaign against Ahmadinejad visit to UN summit in Rome.   1.   Yes, the one Pole should be honored! 01:40  |  Honor Him Already! 06/12/07   2.   Political versus racial anti-Semitism 01:49  |  Joseph 06/12/07   3.   No moral vacuum 01:53  |  Sherlock Holmes 06/12/07   4.   don`t condemn all Poles 04:13  |  Ky 06/12/07   5.   Yes there were righteous Non-Jews 05:14  |  Common sense 06/12/07   6.   Those angels must be honored 05:26  |  Judith 06/12/07   7.   #2 Zofia Kossak was her name ... 08:57  |  American 06/12/07   8.   #6 Judith, there were also Jewish thugs ... 09:05  |  American 06/12/07   9.   Poland was not Denmark 09:06  |  Radka 06/12/07   10.   # 5 placement of extermination camps 09:16  |  Sherlock Holmes 06/12/07   11.   #5 let`s face demographic facts 10:08  |  Tz 06/12/07   12.   Sherlock holmes,the Polish Pope"-nobody knows what he was doing 10:26  |  Absolute Sweden 06/12/07   13.   common sense 5 10:42  |  realism 06/12/07   14.   Honouring Poles who saved Jews 11:15  |  Marcel 06/12/07   15.   Poland 11:22  |  Serge 06/12/07   16.   #16 Serge, let`s face facts again 13:15  |  Tz 06/12/07   17.   to Sherlock Holmes 14:52  |  Justine 06/12/07   18.   Jewish and Live in Krakow 19:25  |  Michael 06/12/07   19.   #17 is in fact for "common sense" 02:39  |  Justine 07/12/07   20.   Absolute sweden 12 05:35  |  realism 10/12/07   21.   Re 5 03:20  |  Greg 08/01/08   22.   Joker at nb 1 03:54  |  Greg 08/01/08   23.   Greg, the bitter irony is that those who helped 18:09  |  dada 21/02/08   24.   Youre An Idiot 19:20  |  Paul 01/06/08

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