To mark the 86th anniversary of the Katyń massacre, the Pilecki Institute USA took part in the social and educational campaign “I Remember. Katyń 1940.”
The symbol of the campaign was a commemorative pin – a replica of a military uniform button inspired by Zbigniew Herbert’s poem “Buttons.” It served both as a tribute to the victims of the Katyń massacre and as a statement against the falsification of one of the most tragic chapters in Polish history. The campaign was organized by the National Centre for Culture, the Katyń Museum, the Pilecki Institute, and the Institute of National Remembrance.
On Friday, April 10, representatives of the Pilecki Institute USA visited Greenpoint, Brooklyn, distributing Katyń Buttons throughout this historically Polish neighborhood, where Polish-owned businesses, agencies, medical offices, and community institutions continue to thrive – and which is valued by New Yorkers for its distinctive character and neighborhood charm. For many New Yorkers, this was their first encounter with the history of the Katyń massacre. For members of the Polish community, it offered a moment to reflect on this tragedy and honor relatives who were murdered by the Soviets. Zosia Żeleska-Bobrowski and Małgorzata Tambor joined us in Greenpoint and shared the stories of their uncles who were killed in Katyń.
“This initiative is extremely important to me. I am deeply moved that I can take this opportunity to remember and share the story of my father’s brother,” said Żeleska-Bobrowski
The Institute’s team was also warmly welcomed at the Krakus Senior Club, part of the Polish & Slavic Center in Greenpoint – the largest Polish-American social and cultural organization on the East Coast.
“My brother was murdered in Katyń. It was a terrible tragedy for my parents. He was devoted to his family, and suddenly he stopped writing and coming home on leave. At Christmas, whenever there was a knock, my mother would think it might be him. My parents searched for him through the Polish and Swiss Red Cross. Only after the war, after my parents had passed away, did my sisters discover that he had been murdered in Katyń,” recalled Danuta Dobranowska, a member of the Krakus Senior Club.
“This is a beautiful initiative. It is vital that we, as Poles, remember this anniversary. We must never forget […] and we must continue to seek historical truth—especially beyond Poland. For Americans unfamiliar with our history, this can be an important message,” said Greenpoint resident Andrzej Buczek.
“I truly value educational initiatives like this. Through individual stories, we come to understand the broader history of the Katyń massacre. In the United States, this kind of storytelling is both meaningful and effective,” added Dr. Iwona Korga, Executive Director of the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America.
The Pilecki Institute USA team also visited the World Trade Center area, where the 9/11 Memorial reflecting pools commemorate the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, in which 2,753 people lost their lives. There, conversations with both New Yorkers and international visitors created a space to reflect on another tragedy – the murder of over 22,000 Polish citizens in the Katyń forest in 1940.
On Saturday, April 11, the Institute hosted a screening of Andrzej Wajda’s film Katyń. Audience members shared their reflections following the film: “I came with my teenage son. It’s important that we remember this history and pass it on to future generations. History matters – and, unfortunately, it tends to repeat itself,” said Marysia Zapolski.
“This film is a powerful reminder of what can happen when conflicts are not resolved without violence,” added Chelsea-Lyn Rudder.
“What happened in 1940 is not just history. What is happening today – the crimes committed by Vladimir Putin in Ukraine – shows why the memory of Katyń remains so important,” said Mark Bonamo, whose grandfather was from Poland.
The Pilecki Institute USA also brought Katyń Buttons—and the history they represent—to young students in New York and New Jersey. Visits to Polish supplementary schools, including the Karol Wojtyła Polish School in Linden, NJ, as well as the Maria Konopnicka School and Saints Cyril and Methodius School in Greenpoint, provided an opportunity to engage students in discussions about the meaning of remembrance and the tragedy of Katyń.
Katyń Buttons were available at the Pilecki Institute and were also distributed during the April 26, 2026 commemorative ceremony honoring the victims of the Katyń Massacre at the iconic Katyń Monument in Jersey City.
The Katyń Massacre
In the spring of 1940, on the orders of the highest authorities of the Soviet Union, more than 22,000 Polish citizens were murdered. The victims included Polish Army officers, police officers, reserve officers, as well as members of the intellectual and professional elite—doctors, teachers, lawyers, civil servants, and academics.
Mass graves were later discovered in Katyń, Kharkiv, Mednoye, and Bykivnia. For decades, the truth about the crime was suppressed in the Polish People’s Republic. Although the Soviet Union officially admitted responsibility in 1990, in recent years Russia has returned to promoting disinformation about the massacre. Those responsible for the crime have never been brought before an international tribunal.
The Katyń Button: A Campaign and Public Initiative
The Katyń Button is part of the social and educational campaign “I Remember. Katyń 1940,” launched in April 2007 by the National Centre for Culture in the lead-up to the premiere of Andrzej Wajda’s film Katyń.
“The Katyń Button, worn as a pin, is a replica of an object recovered from the mass graves – a silent witness to the crime that now connects generations,” said Michał Kosiorek, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Culture. “We encourage people to collect these pins at designated locations in Poland and abroad. We also invite historical reenactment groups and local remembrance institutions to take part in the campaign and distribute them. Anyone who wears a Katyń Button becomes an ambassador of remembrance for the victims,” he emphasized.
In recent years, the continuation of this long-standing campaign has taken on renewed significance, particularly in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the resurgence of anti-Polish rhetoric.
As Dr. Rafał Kościański, spokesperson for the Institute of National Remembrance, noted: “We are witnessing a return to the Kremlin’s imperial policies, including renewed propaganda falsely attributing the Katyń massacre to the Germans.”
“A symbolic example of this trend was the 2025 removal by Russian authorities of Polish military emblems from cemeteries in Mednoye and Katyń – the Virtuti Militari order and the September Campaign Cross, which commemorate Poland’s historical struggles for independence,” he added.
With access to key memorial sites increasingly restricted, the need to preserve memory through symbolic acts has become especially urgent.
“For several years now, we have had no access to the forests of Katyń, Mednoye, and Kuropaty, and access to the cemeteries in Bykivnia and Kharkiv is severely limited,” said Sebastian Karwat, Head of the Katyń Museum. “We are unable to pay proper tribute at the burial sites of our fallen. In a symbolic sense, that role is now fulfilled by the Katyń Museum, which keeps alive the memory of the victims of this Soviet crime committed 86 years ago.”
Photos: Wojciech Radtke.