The President of the Republic of Poland decorated the Deputy Director of The Abraham J. Heschel Center

Dissemination of knowledge about Poles who saved Jews internationally - for activities in this area, President Andrzej Duda awarded the Gold Cross of Merit to the Deputy Director of the A. J. Heschel Center for Catholic-Jewish Relations at KUL, Head of the Polish Section of Vatican Radio and Vatican News, Fr. Dr. Pawel Rytel- Adrianik.

A journalist from the Italian news agency ANSA, Manuela Tulli, also received the award. Together with Fr. Rytel- Adrianik, they are the authors of the book "They Killed Even the Children" about the Ulma family who were brutally murdered for helping Jews. The book has been published in Italian and English. Polish, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese versions are in preparation. The book has been well received by audiences around the world.

“Together with Manuela Tulli, I was moved to accept the President's Award.
Spreading the knowledge of Poles who saved Jews internationally is a strategic task in Polish-Jewish relations. We need constant dialogue, openness and mutual understanding. We are connected by history, sometimes difficult, but also by culture and religious roots. It is important that young people from Poland and Israel learn about these facts. The best way to do this is through mutual, direct contact between the generations, “ said Fr. Rytel-Andrianik.

The award ceremony took place on Thursday evening at the Polish Embassy to the Holy See. The ceremony was attended by the Ambassadors of Poland to the Holy See and to Italy, as well as Polish employees of Vatican Institutions. The former Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio, was also present.

Pawel Rytel-Andrianik received a Bachelor's degree in Theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome (2003); a Bachelor's degree (2008) and then a Doctorate (2012) in Biblical Studies and Archaeology from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem; a Master's degree (2011) and then a Doctorate (2015) from the University of Oxford. He also studied in Jerusalem at the Hebrew University, the Hebrew Union College, and the École biblique et archéologique française. In 2012 he was appointed Professor of Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. He was director of the Office for Foreign Communications of the Secretariat of the Polish Episcopal Conference and also served as spokesman for the KEP.

Manuela Tulli is a journalist with the Italian news agency ANSA. She became interested in the story of the Ulma family during a trip to Markowa to prepare a report on the Church's assistance to refugees from Ukraine. She received a collection of photographs by Jozef Ulma.