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Community Corner

Community Grieves Over Death of Polish President

City leaders hold service to remember Lech Kaczyński and others who died in recent plane crash in Russia.

Members of the Polish community in Glen Cove say they are deeply saddened by the death of Poland President Lech Kaczyński, his wife, Maria, and other government officials who were aboard a plane that crashed in Russia on April 10. 

The plane — a Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154 airliner — was headed to a memorial of the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacare, a 1940 mass murder of more than 20,000 interned Polish officers in Katyn, Russia. The airliner, which was carrying 96 passengers, crashed two kilometers from the site.

"I am very upset and very moved," Elizabeth Majewski, president of the Polish National Home of Glen Cove, said about Kaczynski's death. Majewski was born in Poland and came to the United States in 1974. "We cry and we call our families in Poland."

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"Not only was he the president, he was a great president. For Poland, this is a big loss," she added. "There is sorrow for everyone in Poland. I don't know what will be next. This is a very difficult time for the Polish nation."

Resident George Panek, the home's vice president, shared similar sentiments, noting that the Polish community is doing the best it can to cope with the tragedy. 

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"Everybody is upset, mourning and praying," said Panek, who came to this country from Poland with his wife about 15 years ago. "Our emotions and our hearts are still in Poland."

"It's a very devastating event," added Poland native Zdzislaw Backiel, the treasurer at the home, who has lived in America for 24 years. "All members of the Polish community are very deeply moved. It's a great loss to our country. We're just coming up from a communist regime and this is another step. We've had hard times in the past and this is another event we have to get through and overcome."

The home held a memorial service on April 11 to remember Kaczyński and those who lost their lives in the plane crash. Mayor Ralph Suozzi and about 70 community members attended the service. Outside of the home, the Polish flag still hangs at half-mast in remembrance of the Polish president. 

"This is a human tragedy and a global tragedy," Suozzi said. "Poland is a nation that's been good to us and I went to the Polish National Home on Sunday and I said, 'On behalf of my community, here's my condolences to your nation.'"

A funeral for Kaczyński and his wife is scheduled for Sunday at the Krakow's Wawel Cathedral in Poland, which is a historic resting place for Polish kings, national heroes, generals and revolutionaries. 

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