PASI EDU Resources

A picture of the american flag and an image of a statue.

Explore

There are many significant facts about various aspects of modern Polish history, science, and arts and culture that are little-known but have influenced our lives in different ways. These facts are shown below under the headings History, Scientific Successes, Arts and Culture, Polish-Jewish Relations, Distortions and Falsehoods, Recommended Reading, Recommended Videos, and Educational Content.

History

The best articles for you to learn and read which are currently
travelling & lifestyle especially for you

A magnifying glass with the word " history " in it.

Some of the interesting facts you'll find:

Generals Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Kazimierz Pulaski contributed significantly to the defeat of the British in the American Revolutionary War.

Polish mathematicians Rejewski, Zygalski, and Rozycki broke Germany's Enigma code, and working copies of the Enigma machine delivered to the British and French helped shorten World War II in Europe.

It was Poland's partially-free elections in June 1989 that triggered the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe; the symbolic fall of the Berlin Wall occurred five months later.

A close up of the flags of israel and poland
Jewish Commandos from the Second Polish Republic
An old fashioned machine with many different types of wires.
The Crypto Hackers who saved Countless Lives
A man in an old style fighter jet.
Polish-American Fighter Pilot Extraordinaire
A book cover with an image of a soldier holding a gun.
LTC Matt Urban: America’s Most Decorated Combat Veteran of World War II
A picture of the cover of a book.
New pioneering work examines the largely unknown role of the Polish church in saving Jews during the Holocaust

Scientific Successes

A person touching the screen of a globe.

Some of the interesting facts you'll find

Scientific successes by various Polish scientists continue to influence our everyday lives. The long list of Polish scientists encompasses nearly every discipline in which men and women are well-represented. An interesting point is that a number of Polish scientists made important discoveries during the 123 years (1795-1918) when Poland did not exist. As you’ll soon see, Polish scientists are prominent in a number of disciplines that include chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, biology, metallurgy, engineering, and social science.

A man in suit and tie with his arms crossed.
Hilary Koprowski: The Man who overcame polio and saved millions of lives
A man standing in front of an image of the earth.
Our electronic devices are much faster thanks to a Polish scientist’s invention.
A man in a jacket and tie standing on top of a hill.
Stanislaw Ulam – Brilliant mathematician with multiple innovations including the design of the H-Bomb
A man standing in front of a chair and table.
Ernest Malinowski: The 19th-Century Engineer Who Defended Peru
A man in white shirt working with a microscope.
Polish Biologist Develops First Effective Typhus Vaccine and Secretly Treats Jews during World War 2

Arts & Culture

A red and white coat of arms with a bird on it.

Learn how Polish culture is an important part of western civilization and the western world

The culture of Poland is the product of its geography and intricate thousand-year history, which has provided significant contributions to art, music, philosophy, mathematics, science, politics and literature. In addition to Chopin, the nearly-endless list of classical music composers includes Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, Henryk Wieniawski, Stanislaw Moniuszko, Poland’s first Prime Minister Ignacy Paderewski, and Władysław Szpilman. Joseph Conrad is regarded as one of the greatest novelists to write in the English language and is credited with influencing T. S. Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and George Orwell. The nearly-endless list of artist painters includes Olga Boznanska, Jozef Brandt, Jozef Chelmonski, Jacek Malczewski, Wojciech Kossak, Jan Matejko, and Jozef Mehoffer.

Man examining a banknote with a magnifying glass.
From the Son of a Polish Miner to the Royal Court of Sweden: Fascinating Story of World’s most prolific Stamp Engraver
A woman in costume and hat standing next to another person.
Polish Folk Dance Performances by Mazowsze are a Spectator Sport
A man in a suit and tie smiling for the camera.
Piotr Beczała – One of the World’s Top Tenors
1. Jan Matejko - Stanczyk 1862 (1)
Selected Polish Artists of the 19th and 20th Centuries

Polish-Jewish Relations

A white eagle with a crown on it's head.

Some of the interesting facts you'll find

For over 1,000 years, Poles and Polish Jews lived closely together yet so far apart.

From the founding of the Kingdom of Poland in 1025 until the early years of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth created in 1569, Poland was a shelter for Jews who were persecuted and expelled from western European countries. When Poland was reborn in 1918 after disappearing from the map in 1795, Poles and Polish Jews differed significantly in their views on reconstructing the Polish State. Hitler’s subsequent genocide of Poles and Polish Jews in World War 2 resulted in massive death and destruction, the consequences of which continue to weigh heavily on interactions between the two communities. Stalin’s World War 2 deportation of Poles to the deep Soviet interior aided by Polish-Jewish collaboration further damaged relations between the two communities. The ensuing early years of the Communist period saw a Jewish-led state security apparatus imprison and execute Poles who opposed Communism and Stalin’s tyrannical regime. In this Resources section, we present little-known facts about Polish-Jewish relations as they evolved over a millennium of living closely together yet so far apart.

A torah scroll is shown with the pages folded.
A positive event in Polish-Jewish relations – US rabbis support Poland’s WWII reparations claim
A group of people standing around in the street.
Israel and the U.S. insist that Poland must pay for Germany’s World War 2 Crimes
A close up of an open book on top of a table
Jan Peczkis’s 1,700 book reviews will improve your understanding of Polish-Jewish relations
A man holding an oboe in his hand.
Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków
A group of men standing around in front of a building.
Jews feel more secure in Poland than in Western Europe – German media

Distortions & Falsehoods

A drawing of a man with a strange face.

See why it’s important to identify and invalidate distortions about Poland and its people

Our review of information sources available to the public continues to reveal significant material omissions, misrepresentations, and falsifications, mainly about Polish history. These sources include public-school curricula and textbooks, media news outlets, popular websites, historical literature, and other public domain content. While some deficiencies are the result of ignorance, others are intentional. We address and invalidate them by presenting the facts and following our motto: “Only the Truth is Interesting”. As is often said, if you don’t know your history, others will write it for you.

A red background with the words " truth " written in white.
Mikhal Dekel’s accusations of Polish complicity in the Holocaust and PiS suppression of the evidence are false
Word cloud depicting shame and blame.
Big Bulletin: Polish Non-Complicity in the Holocaust
A stone wall with two large stones in front of it.
Jedwabne: The anti-Polish Lie that persists in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Young man studying at a desk with books.
One Polish-American’s Fight to include the Genocide of Poles in Virginia’s High-School Curriculum

Recommended Reading

A white eagle with a crown on it's head.

Here’s how to be better informed on various aspects of Polish history

As Americans, our knowledge of Polish history is very limited. This is because it’s virtually absent in public-school curricula and is almost never available in college academic programs. However, there is a Polish history of every field and topic, from science, to culture, to the arts. For Polish Americans, knowing and understanding this history is essential because it can help provide a sense of identity. For Americans in general, learning key aspects of Polish history is highly beneficial because it broadens our collective memory of the past. PASI EDU offers a range of recommended books for students, parents, teachers, and the adult community. Reading them provides valuable knowledge and the ability to empathize with the Polish experience. Enjoy films? Explore our engaging videos as well!

Image - Agent Zo
Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter
Image - Persecution - Copy 2
Persecution For Providing Help to Jews in Occupied Polish Territories During World War II, Volume 1
A book cover with an image of nazi symbols.
The Forgotten Holocaust: The Poles under German Occupation 1939-1945 by Richard Lukas
Book cover art, Poland and Russia.
Poland and Russia: The Neighborhood of Freedom and Despotism in the X-XXI Centuries
Book cover, "The Righteous", Polish family.
The Righteous! How Poles Rescued Jews from the Holocaust

Recommended Videos

A white eagle with a crown on it's head.

Videos are a convenient way to learn more about Poland

Videos are an excellent medium for learning about Polish history and culture. As is the case with the books in Recommended Reading, the videos presented here are relatively short and are intended to expand one’s knowledge of Poland and its people across a range of topics. While a number of the Recommended Videos address various aspects of Polish history, there are other topics of interest such as relevant current events, Polish folk and popular culture, tourist attractions, political issues, common distortions, and developments involving NATO and the European Union.

A man standing in front of an open door.
IPNtv: The Unconquered
A view of the city from above.
Poland is a country with diverse attractions that will surprise, delight, and inspire you
Man in suit speaking in front of forest.
Between Myth and Truth. Jewish Partisans During World War II
A group of people walking in front of a building.
Jewish Liars of the Holocaust
Alan Turing with a binary code background.
How Heroic Polish Codebreakers set the Foundations for the Allies to Crack Enigma

Educational Content

A map of europe with the flag of poland on it.

If you don’t claim your history, others will write it for you

We have begun developing educational products for students, teachers, parents, and the American and Polish American communities. For students, teachers, and parents, our current focus is on grades 9-12 and the products being developed include lesson plans, recommended books, and recommended videos. Subsequent educational products will include supplements for public school curricula and textbooks. For teachers and parents, we will develop and conduct Teacher Workshops that help teachers prepare subject-specific lesson plans and conduct classroom activities that expand beyond the learning objectives of existing curricula. We further will develop other lesson presentations on selected topics that can be presented remotely to students in the classroom and in other settings. For our wider American and Polish American community audiences, we plan to offer events ranging from academic webinars to guest presenters with featured topics of special interest.

Two children playing with a ball in the grass.

1st Lesson Plan

A map of the demarcation line in poland.

2nd Lesson Plan

Two men in uniforms are shooting a gun.

3rd Lesson Plan

Title: Poland’s important role in World War 2

A box of an old fashioned typewriter with many keys.

4th Lesson Plan

A black and white photo of an old train station.

5th Lesson Plan