Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka (Polish pronunciation: ['ɛva 'junt͡ʂɨk-ʑɔ'mɛt͡ska] ; born 19 May 1949) is a Polish lawyer, journalist, and former politician who served as secretary of state in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland under Lech Kaczyński between 2008 and 2010.

Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka
Born
Ewa Junczyk

(1949-05-19) 19 May 1949 (age 75)
Raszyn, Poland
NationalityPolish
Alma materUniversity of Warsaw
Occupation(s)lawyer, journalist, diplomat
Organization(s)Open Republic Association, Association of the Jewish Historical Institute, Association of Polish Journalists
TitleConsul General at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York City
Term2010–2014
PredecessorKrzysztof Kasprzyk
SuccessorUrszula Gacek
SpouseMariusz Ziomecki (divorce)
ChildrenDaughter: Zuzanna, Son: Stanisław

In 2010 Junczyk-Ziomecka was appointed Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York, a position she held until 2014.[1] On 19 January 2015, after completing the consular mission, she became the president of the Jan Karski Educational Foundation.[2]

Biography

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Junczyk was born in Raszyn, Poland. After studying law and postgraduate journalism studies at the University of Warsaw, she worked as a journalist. During martial law, she was banned from practicing as a journalist, and then left for the United States.[1] In the 1980s, she was the editor-in-chief of Polish-American newspaper "Dziennik Polski" in Detroit. Involved in cooperation between the Polish, Jewish and Ukrainian communities in the United States. She chaired the Polish Election Commission in Michigan during the 1990 presidential election.

She returned to Poland in 1993.

After returning to Poland, she represented the University of Michigan in Poland, initiating and co-organizing, among others, international conferences on "Solidarity" and the Polish Round Table Agreement.[3]

She was involved in the creation of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews "POLIN". From 2001, for five years, she was the director for development and deputy director of this emerging institution.[1][2]

On 19 January 2006 she became Undersecretary of State, and on 23 April 2008, Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kaczyński. She supervised the Office of Social Initiatives and the Office of Citizens' Letters and Opinions of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland. On 24 February 2010, it was canceled. On 1 March 2010, she took the position of Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York City.[4]

She was consul general until 2014.During her tenure as consul general, the Karski program was inaugurated in the United States, and the Polish-American group Jan Karski Centennial Campaign was established, thanks to which Jan Karski was posthumously honored with the highest civilian decoration of the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[5][6]

In 2012 the Consulate General also inaugurated the annual Jan Karski Spirit Award,[7] awarded by the Jan Karski Educational Foundation.

Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka became the first laureate of this award,[8] followed by prominent American politicians: Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power (2013)[9] and Senator John McCain (2014).[10]

Thanks to consular activities aimed at popularizing knowledge about Jan Karski, in March 2013 Georgetown University Press published in the USA – 69 years after the first publication – Jan Karski's book "Story of a Secret State".[11]

During Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka's tenure the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York was also a place of intensive training for Polish and American teachers, the aim of which was to promote knowledge about the person and heritage of Jan Karski.

On 19 January 2015 she became the president of the Jan Karski Educational Foundation.[12][13]

Member of the Open Republic Association, the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute[14] and the Association of Polish Journalists. Author of several books, including about "Solidarity" and about Pope John Paul II.[15]

She actively works for Polish-Jewish dialogue.[16]

Personal life

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She is the ex-wife of Mariusz Ziomecki (Polish journalist and TV presenter), she has two children: daughter Zuzanna and son Stanisław.[17] Junczyk-Ziomecka was a close personal friend of the late Polish writer Ryszard Kapuściński[18] and late Polish President Lech Kaczyński.[19]

Honours

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National honours

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Foreign honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Diane, Lederman (8 April 2011). "Polish Consul General Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka speaks at UMass 'Solidarity' exhibit opening". The Republican. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego". Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego (in Polish). Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Junczyk-Ziomecka zostanie odwołana z Kancelarii Prezydenta". www.rmf24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Odwołanie minister Junczyk-Ziomeckiej". Prezydent.pl. 24 February 2010. Archived from the original on 3 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka · Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego". Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego (in Polish). Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  6. ^ "Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka: Niedokończona misja Jana Karskiego". teologiapolityczna.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Spirit of Jan Karski Award". Jan Karski Educational Foundation. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  8. ^ "2012 Spirit of Jan Karski Award Given to Consul General Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka". Jan Karski Educational Foundation. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  9. ^ "2013 Spirit of Jan Karski Award Given to Samantha Power". Jan Karski Educational Foundation. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  10. ^ "2014 Spirit of Jan Karski Award Goes to Senator McCain". Jan Karski Educational Foundation. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Story of a Secret State". press.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka · Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego". Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego (in Polish). Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  13. ^ "FUNDACJA EDUKACYJNA JANA KARSKIEGO | Rejestr.io". rejestr.io. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Rodziny Oliwenstein i Radzyminski | Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN w Warszawie". www.polin.pl. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka | Visegrad Summer School". visegradsummerschool.org. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  16. ^ "2007-08-25: Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka: warto przełamywać stereotypy - Wikinews, wolne źródło informacji". pl.wikinews.org (in Polish). Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka · Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego". Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego (in Polish). Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  18. ^ Domosławski, Artur (2012). Ryszard Kapuściński: A Life. Antonia Lloyd-Jones. Brooklyn, NY: Verso. p. 328. ISBN 978-1-84467-858-7.
  19. ^ "Dla mnie to był przyjaciel". www.se.pl. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Postanowienie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 22 czerwca 2015 r. o nadaniu orderów". isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  21. ^ ""Wolność gospodarczą warto zaprzęgać w działanie dla kultury"". Prezydent.pl. 26 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015.
  22. ^ "Minister Ewa Junczyk – Ziomecka została odznaczona medalem "Powstanie w Getcie Warszawskim"". Prezydent.pl. 18 October 2006. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
  23. ^ "Chancelaria das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas" (PDF). Retrieved 27 February 2023.