Solemn Commemoration of the Warsaw Uprising

August 1 is a special day for Poles both in Poland and abroad. On this day, as every year, we celebrate the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, which was the largest military operation carried out during World War II by Polish underground organization - the Home Army - against German occupation forces.

For 63 days, the poorly armed insurgent units of the Home Army fought a lonely battle against overwhelming enemy forces. This year marked the 80th anniversary of those events, and on August 1, punctually, at 11:00 am, which corresponds to 5:00 pm in Poland, the Polish-American community gathered in front of the Greenpoint branch of our Credit Union to pay tribute to the
heroes of 1944. This year’s celebration was attended by invited guests, who observed a minute of silence in memory of the insurgents. After the singing of the Polish and American national anthems, the insurgent flag was ceremonially hoisted on the flagpole in front of the PSFCU branch - accompanied by the loud sound of sirens - by descendants of the Warsaw Insurgents:
Stefan Komar, Janusz Romański, Aneta Połczyńska-Zadrożna, Adriana Woś-Mysliwiec and Rita Cosby.

The ceremony was also attended by representatives of the Board and Management of the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, Consul Generalmof the Republic of Poland in New York Mateusz Sakowicz, representatives of the city of New York and Polish organizations. Also in attendance were Polish entrepreneurs, senior citizens, as well as children and youth from Polish schools.

The flag with the symbol of Fighting Poland will fly over New York’s Greenpoint for 63 days, just as the flag was hoisted on the mast in front of the PSFCU branch in Algonquin, Illinois, where ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising were also held that day. That ceremony was attended by Credit Union employees, Polish scouts from the Chicago Circle of Friends of Scouting, representatives of the Highlander Association and the Queen of the May 3 Constitution Parade Gabriela Ner. The celebration was attended in large numbers by representatives of Chicago’s Polish community not affiliated in any organizations, who also wanted to honor the memory of heroes fighting for Polish freedom and independence.

Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union initiated and funded a billboard commemorating the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, which was displayed 10 times per hour on August 1 on the NASDAQ building in New York’s Times Square. The visuals included symbolic elements and historical images that paid tribute to the courage and sacrifice of Polish fighters who fought against the German army. The purpose of the animation, prepared by our Credit Union, was to recall the heroism of Poles fighting for the freedom and independence of their homeland, as well as to spread knowledge of Polish history and cultivate Polish heritage in the United States, which is particularly important in the context of the upcoming Polish Heritage Month in October.

We are pleased that the initiative was met with great interest and appreciation among both the Polish community and
the American public in general. The animation was well received and we are proud that we were able to highlight the importance of the Warsaw Uprising to the Allied victory effort in World War II on an international platform such as Times Square in New York.