Jan Karski

Jan Karski
Jan Karski Eagle photo portrait
Born	Jan Kozielewski 24 June 1914 Łódź, Congress Poland
Died	13 July 2000 (aged 86) Washington, D.C., United States
Nationality	Polish
Other names	Jan Kozielewski (birth name); Piasecki, Kwaśniewski, Znamierowski, Kruszewski, Kucharski, and Witold (akas)
Occupation	Polish resistance fighter; diplomat; activist; professor; author
Known for	World War II resistance and the Holocaust rescue
Spouse(s)	Pola Nireńska

Jan Karski (24 June 1914 – 13 July 2000) was a Polish World War II resistance movement fighter and later professor at Georgetown University. In 1942 and 1943 Karski reported to the Polish government in exile and the Western Allies on the situation in German-occupied Poland, especially the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto, and the secretive German-Nazi extermination camps.

Jan Karski was born Jan Kozielewski on 24 June 1914 (in Łódź, Poland) as recognized by the Karski family’s lawyer, Dr. Wieslawa Kozielewska-Trzaska, Karski's niece and goddaughter, as well as by the Jan Karski Society, an organization established shortly after his death to preserve his legacy. The same date was used by Karski on some existing pre-war hand-written documents, including several in his diplomatic dossier at the League of Nations.

Jan Karski was named "Jan" [in Polish John] having been born on St John's Day, following the Polish pre-war custom of naming newborn infants after saints. An error was made in the baptismal records of August 8, as Karski explained later in interviews on several occasions (see Waldemar Piasecki's definitive biography of Karski: One Life, about to be published in Poland) as well as published interviews with his family.

Karski's date of birth is sometimes given as 24 April 1914, based on his baptismal records in Russian and subsequently figuring on his official birth certificate. The Diploma for his master's degree (awarded in 1935) and the Certificate from the Artillery Reserve Officer Cadet School (awarded in 1936) both reflect his 24 April birthday. This is why some Karski tribute organizations also recognize the date as 24 April, as does the Google Cultural Institute's documentation, Museum of Polish History and the Museum of the City of Łódź, to which Karski left his papers, awards and artwork. The United States Senate withdrew 24 April as Jan Karski day from the final passed resolution in the Congressional Record, according to Polish Press Agency, citing Ms. Urbanska who lobbied for the day. Their colleagues at the Polish Senate did the same, according to the office of Bogdan Borusewicz. Some documents handwritten by Jan Karski before WWII list the 24 June date, most importantly his official handwritten resume. All US documents list 11 April, including passport and social security card. Polish PWN Encyclopedia recognizes the date as 22 April. Another variant is on his diplomatic passport which lists his birthday as 22 March 1912. The error reflected in his war-time documents probably served Karski well in his profession.