The main goal of the Jan Karski Centennial Program was to restore the memory of his achievements to the Polish consciousness and to re-establish his persona in the pantheon of Polish heroes. Poles have an obligation to share Jan Karski’s legacy with the rest of the world. Throughout his life Jan Karski upheld the conviction that his mission should be a lesson for generations to come. His message is one of peace and a call to act against prejudice and anti-Semitism. It is time for this message to be heard loud and clear.

Although World War II is long over, Karski's mission remains incomplete. With ongoing genocide and the recent history of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, Rwanda and Darfur, we are all obliged to continue his mission. Jan Karski's message of humanitarian concern and moral action is as relevant today as ever. Spreading the story of the "The Man who Tried to Stop the Holocaust," is an opportunity to constructively build upon the respect Professor Karski enjoys in Poland, his considerable renown in the US and Israel, his newfound fame in France, and his reputation around the world.

The four-year perspective for the realization of this Program gives us the opportunity to plan and implement vital endeavors, through which Poland will mark itself as a country that has learned important lessons from her difficult historical experiences and is ready to share those lessons with the world. Jan Karski is more than a Polish hero, he is an inspiration and a source of courage to reject, to confront, and to combat acts of unimaginable evil in our time. 

Jan Karski, 1944. Source: Hoover Institution, USA