POLIN Reading Room: The Żabiński Family. What a Family It Was!

The name Żabiński is associated primarily with the Warsaw Zoo and the help given to Jews during the German occupation. However, the history of this family is much richer. Who were the ancestors and sisters of Jan Żabiński? What values, interests and choices connected successive generations? The central figure of the book is Jan Żabiński – a zoologist, director of the Warsaw Zoo and a popularizer of knowledge about nature, who during the occupation, together with his wife Antonina, hid Jews on the grounds of the zoo. The author also examines his ancestors and sisters: Maria, Hanna and Józefa. From their fates emerges a multi-generational story about courage, social responsibility and care for others. It is also a look at family heritage whose significance goes far beyond the most famous wartime events. Teresa Czerniewicz-Umer devoted the book to the history of her own family. For many years she worked as a journalist, later as an editor, and also collaborated with Polish Radio. She is the author of numerous articles and interviews, and among her interlocutors were, among others, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Stefania Grodzieńska and Andrzej Łapicki. The book was published by Wydawnictwo Czytelnik. The meeting will be led by Katarzyna Jankowska – a Varsavianist, cultural studies scholar and popularizer of herstory, associated with the education department of the POLIN Museum. The conversation will be held in Polish. More on the museum's website