LRE Conference
speakers
Paweł Sękowski
PhD Historian & Assistant Professor
Dr. Paweł Sękowski is an assistant professor at the Faculty of History, Jagiellonian University in Kraków. He obtained his PhD in Modern and Contemporary History in 2015 from both the Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV) and Jagiellonian University under a joint international supervision (cotutelle). His dissertation was awarded Très honorable avec félicitations du jury and was recommended by the Jagiellonian University’s Faculty of History for the Polish Prime Minister’s Prize. Since 2016, he has also been a lecturer on contract law at Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University.
Yuriy Savchuk
Director of Ukraine's WWII museum in Kyiv
Yuriy Savchuk is the Director General of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, where he has served since 2021. A historian and researcher in auxiliary historical sciences such as museology, Ukrainian heraldry, vexillology, and emblematics, Savchuk has authored nearly 100 scientific works in multiple languages.
He has curated over 20 exhibitions in Ukraine and 13 abroad. His previous roles include senior researcher at the Institute of the History of Ukraine and bursar of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program in New York.
Savchuk has received numerous honors, including the Order “For Merits” of the 3rd class.
Adelina Hetnar
Head of the Educational Projects Department of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and State Museum - Poland
Adelina Hetnar has been with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum since 2010, initially as a guide before joining the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust in 2013. She is responsible for developing educational projects for teachers and youth, coordinating seminars, study visits, and educational sessions. A historian specializing in Judaism, she holds degrees in Jewish Studies and Culture Management from Jagiellonian University in Kraków and completed Postgraduate Studies in Museology. With a deep commitment to Holocaust education, she works to enhance understanding and remembrance through meaningful learning experiences.
Victor-Jan Vos
Director Collections and Services at NIOD Institute
Victor-Jan Vos is Head of Collections and Services at the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies in Amsterdam. He oversees the management, preservation, and accessibility of NIOD’s archives, images, and library collections, both digitally and physically.
His expertise lies in digital preservation, metadata, and cultural heritage, with a strong focus on sustainable storage and improving public access to historical records. At NIOD, he works on strengthening international cooperation and knowledge-sharing initiatives. His efforts contribute to keeping the memory of WWII alive for future generations through research, education, and digital innovation.
Jan Blažek
Jan Blažek is a publicist, documentary filmmaker and former diplomat. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, he worked for many years at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the foreign service of the Czech Press Agency. Since 2019 he has been involved in the activities of the NGO Post Bellum and the development of the Memory of Nations project, including its international outreach, documentation, publications and educational projects.
Oriol Lopez
Coordinator of the European Observatory on Memories
Coordinator of the European Observatory on Memories (EUROM) at the University of Barcelona Solidarity Foundation, Oriol López-Badell specializes in fostering international collaboration on memorial and historical issues. With a background in History and Communication, Oriol has curated exhibitions and organized public history projects focused on Barcelona’s history and its connections to European memory.
Prior to EUROM, he contributed to public policies on democratic memory at Memorial Democràtic. Oriol has also written Transitioning: Five Citizen Initiatives to Achieve Full Democracy, advocating for historical justice. Through his work, he is dedicated to promoting social responsibility and educating the public on difficult histories through exhibitions, public talks, and guided tours.
Karolina Maczek
Granddaughter of General Maczek
Granddaughter of General Stanisław Maczek, Karolina Maczek is dedicated to preserving her grandfather’s legacy. General Maczek commanded the 1st Polish Armoured Division, playing a pivotal role in the liberation of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands during WWII. After the war, he settled in Edinburgh, unable to return to Soviet-controlled Poland, and lived to 102.
Speaking at events, memorials, and educational initiatives focused on WWII history, she emphasizes the importance of remembering the shared history of allied nations and the lessons of courage, resilience, and solidarity that her grandfather exemplified. Through her advocacy, she ensures that General Maczek’s contributions and the sacrifices of his soldiers remain an enduring part of Europe’s collective memory.
Tania Szabo
Daughter of SEO member Violette Szabo
Tania Szabo is the daughter of Violette Szabo, a Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent during World War II, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her bravery and sacrifice. Tania has dedicated much of her life to preserving her mother’s legacy.
Tania is the author of Young, Brave and Beautiful, a biography based on extensive research into her mother’s life and missions. In addition to her writing, Tania established the Violette and Etienne Szabo Archives at the Town Hall of St. Helier in Jersey, ensuring Violette’s story is preserved and made accessible for future generations.
Larysa Michalska
Larysa is a Silesian activist focused on diversity and multiculturalism. In 2013, she co-founded the Max Kopfstein Association and completed numerous projects. She works with Polish and international NGOs on identity, Jewish history, cultural heritage, and difficult memory. Larysa is a project manager at Humanity in Action, fostering social justice awareness among emerging leaders in Poland, focusing on human rights, democracy, and multiculturalism. A graduate of religious and Jewish studies at Jagiellonian University, she has trained in communication, Holocaust education, and dialogue facilitation. Larysa coordinates international programs and develops expertise in social change management with an interdisciplinary approach to activism.
Noemie Lopian
Noemie Lopian is the founder of HolocaustMatters.org and the daughter of Holocaust survivors Dr. Ernst Israel Bornstein and Renee Bornstein. Born in Germany, she moved to Manchester at 13 and later qualified as a GP. In recent years, she has dedicated herself to Holocaust education and commemoration, ensuring her parents’ legacy lives on. She translated her father’s memoir, The Long Night, which has been widely recognized in the media and features a foreword by Rt Hon David Cameron and Lord Finkelstein. Passionate about restoring humanity in society, she strives to educate younger generations about the atrocities of WWII.
LRE Forum Co-Organisers
Institutional partners
The LRE Foundation has been supported by the National Fund for Peace, Freedom and Veteran Care (vfonds) in the Netherlands since 2012. The vfonds is a strategic partner of the Foundation since, for many projects.
The LRE Conference 2025 is part of a series of initiatives organised under the umbrella youth project ” ResistanceThrough their Eyes” funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme of the European Union.
Supported by
City of Krakow
