Following the closure of a year-long standoff over the directorship of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, the museum’s new director, Zygmunt Stępiński, begins a three-year term in the post today, March 1.
Stępiński, who became Deputy Director of the Museum in 2012, has served as Acting Director since February 2019: the directorship was in limbo over this period due to the Polish Minister of Culture’s refusal to confirm Dariusz Stola for a second term as director despite Stola’s having won a competition for the post organized by the museum’s co-founders.
Stola withdrew his name from consideration last month, and Culture Minister Piotr Glinski agreed to confirm Stępiński in the position.
In a statement marking his assumption of the directorship and posted on the Museum’s web site, Stępiński said it was “inappropriate” to comment in detail on the conflict between the Culture Minister and the Museum over Stola’s position, but in his statement he made clear that he would be continuing Stola’s policies, following “the course that [Stola has] mapped out for us.” He called Stola “my mentor, my superior, and a dear colleague.”
Here is the statement in full:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends of POLIN Museum,
Over the past year POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews has been going through the worst crisis since its inception. The crisis was caused by the conflict between the Museum co-founders regarding nomination for the post of director. As you all know, a competition for the post was held in May 2019. It was won convincingly by Professor Dariusz Stola – my mentor, my superior, and a dear colleague.
It would be inappropriate to comment here on the process of nominating or rather on the failure to nominate Professor Dariusz Stola for a new term as POLIN Museum Director. I myself was put in a rather difficult position, serving as Acting Director. I was striving to fulfil my role to the best of my abilities, yet with full awareness of its interim nature – POLIN Museum was moulded by Professor Stola who was about to return and occupy again his empty office in the Museum building.
Alas, that never happened. According to the common intention of the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute and the City of Warsaw, and with the approval of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, I received the nomination for a 3-year term as POLIN Museum Director. I have decided to accept it. I am sure you are all aware how awkward the position I was put in has been, notwithstanding the fact that my candidature was supported by all three Museum co-founders, many different milieus and authority figures, including those that the Museum holds in the highest regard – first and foremost the Donors, but also the Nationwide Workers’ Initiative Trade Union in operation at the Museum, as well as the POLIN Museum staff council.
Above all else, my nomination was supported by Professor Dariusz Stola.
Darek, I would like to address these words to you directly. They say no one is irreplaceable. Perhaps it is true. What is also true, however, is that there are people among us who are truly unique and extraordinarily clever; people who change the course of events and thus shape our history. We have had a great honor and privilege to work with such a person. POLIN Museum is one of the most important institutions of culture in Poland and it will follow the course that you have mapped out for us. I am sure that our paths will cross along this course, and more than once at that.
Today I have entered the building as the Museum Director, overwhelmed by most ambivalent feelings. Nonetheless, I wish to pass on this message to you all: I will make every effort to further develop the potential of POLIN Museum – the institution which Professor Stola held dear and where he left a piece of his heart. The Museum will continue to fulfill its mission of preserving the memory of Polish Jews, of retelling their history in an engaging, captivating and authentic way. It will continue to teach about the tradition, culture, religion and patriotism of the Jews who have always been and will always remain an inseparable part of multinational and multiethnic Republic of Poland – the home of people of various denominations, viewpoints, traditions and customs.
Zygmunt Stępiński
Director of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
3 comments on “Poland: after contentious standoff, the POLIN museum’s new director, Zygmunt Stępiński, begins 3-year term today (March 1)”
Jay, as I understand it, the premise on the part of the co-founders, from the very beginning was to present Jewish LIFE, something which is rarely explored in many contexts. The story of the Holocaust often overshadows the richness of hundreds of years of existence of the Jewish people, which is rarely told to a mass audience. I spent 2.5 hours at the museum and did not even get past the Russian partition. I look forward to going back.
He is a true humanitarian and historian.
I was in the museum a few years ago with my granddaughter. I was very impressed by everything I saw except the part that dealt with the Holocaust. It was very minimized compared to the other exhibits. The pictures of the Jewish people in Poland during the Holocaust were very little, only a few inches by a few inches in size. Some were actually behind a pole and I had to lean over to see them. It was as though these pictures were being hidden. Perhaps they were. If the reason was to keep the pictures away from the view of children, who might visit the museum, that is not necessary. If the purpose was to downplay the role of the Christian Polish people during the Holocaust, that is a very bad reason. My recommendation is to enlarge the Holocaust section and show what things were really like for the Jews during the Holocaust.