Polish News looks for a new editor-in-chief to take over our news service from Ryszard Kott. If you are interested in joining Seattle Polish News, or discussing what it would involve, please contact Ryszard. The Seattle Polish News is an independent news service serving Seattle and the Pacific Northwest since 2002. Since the beginning it
Zbigniew Konofalski returns as the Festival Director after the resignation of Michal Friedrich. The Festival will take place at the Egyptian Theater during one weekend of November 8-10. SPFF will be screening some of the newest films from the 2024 Gdynia Festival, like “White Courage”, “Simona Kossak”, and “Kulej.” More: SPFF website
Update as of Oct 31, 2024: SPF has received about $1,700 in PayPal donations and $2,000 from PHA; together with $5,000 from SPF, $8,700 has been wired to the Caritas charity in Poland. Dear Friends of Poland, As you have seen in the news, there has been terrible flooding in Central Europe, including Poland, recently.
The restaurant and the bar at the Polish Cultural Center have closed for the summer. The summer break will last two months, through July and August. Both the restaurant and the bar should reopen as usual on the first Friday after Labor Day, that is on September 13, 2022. More: Polish Cultural Center website
The movie “Porcelain War” has won the Best Documentary and the Golden Space Needle awards at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival. Sidorska was the principal producer and the creative force behind the movie; she is also a member of the Polish community in Seattle. The film received the US Grand Jury Prize at the
Dr. Agnieszka Jeżyk has just arrived in Seattle for her new position as the Maria Kott Endowed Assistant Professor of Polish Studies at the UW Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. In January 2024 she started teaching her first course “Modern Polish Literature in English” focusing on intellectual and cultural history in literary works during
The Polish News looks for editors, graphic designers and web & media wizards. Please join us! It would be great for new people to get involved and to eventually take over. If you are interested in joining, or discussing what it would involve, please contact Ryszard at rkott.media2@hotmail.com. The Seattle Polish News is an independent
Update: Natasza is now expected in Seattle at the beginning of October. Local Polish bikers and fans prepare a welcome for her. If you are interested in meeting Natasza etc. please contact Krzysztof at krystof_pk@q.com. World traveler Natasza Caban has started her motorcycle tour of the America’s. After gaining fame for sailing solo around the
At the recent meeting with the Polish community of Seattle, the Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm, Małgorzata Gosiewska, decorated the following people with Polish orders and medals. Father Andrzej Galant of the Polish Parish in Seattle received a Knight’s Cross of the Order Polonia Restituta, the second highest Polish civilian order, and also a
Polish News looks for contributors! We need editors, graphic designers and web & media wizards. Please join us! The Seattle Polish News is an independent news service serving Seattle and the Pacific Northwest since 2002. It has been published by Ryszard Kott who has also served as the editor-in-chief for all this time. Several people
The grand piano in memory of Barbara Strutynski has been purchased! On behalf of the Seattle Polish Foundation and the Polish Home Association I would like to express our deepest gratitude to all people whose generosity made it possible. I have never seen such a swift, widespread, and generous support and such a big outpouring
The winter quarter at the University of Washington brings again courses that can draw people interested in Polish language and culture. As usual, seniors 60+ can register to listen to these courses for a token fee (in range of $10) through the UW Access Program. Notable courses include: More: Registration for the current quarter through the Access
Friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help the Mroz family with the medical and funeral bills. Please contribute to this fund if you can. Andre Mroz fell ill early November and ended up in the ICU fighting for his life. Andre lost his fight on November 19,2022. The family needs assistance with medical
Andrzej Mroz, the former Solidarity leader, local community activist and one of the most recognizable members of the Polish community died on November 19, 2022, due to complications after a cardiac arrest. He was 67. Andrzej Antoni Mróz was born on June 21,1955 in Bliszczyce in Silesia, Poland. He obtained a vocational school diploma as
The Seattle Polish Film Festival announced viewers’ choice award for the best movie of the festival. The Seattle Spirit of Polish Cinema Award goes to the following movie: The runners up with the same number of votes were For the best documentary, a Certificate of Recognition went to Congratulations! More: SPFF website
Dear Members and Friends of the Polish Community, Thank you for your incredible support for the grand piano fundraiser in memory of Barbara Strutynski! We have received about $42,000 in donations, which is more than we expected, and donations are still coming in! We appreciate that very much as it makes it possible to buy a better quality
At the annual Recognition Gala at the University of Washington on September 16, Ryszard Kott and late Maria Kott have been recognized among the 2022 UW Laureates for their contributions over the years to the Polish Studies program at the UW Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. The Slavic Department is currently looking for candidates for the Maria
Barbara Strutynski, an outstanding longtime member of our Polish community died on August 24, 2022, in her home with her family by her side. She was almost 86. Known to everybody as “Pani Basia”, Barbara was a community pilar, active since the early 1960s untill the pandemic. During this time, she founded and directed different
The Polish public movie producer, Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych (WFDiF), created a movie streaming platform “35mm.online” presenting Polish cinematography. About 4000 fully digitalized and restored movies are now available for viewing. The platform is available on the web, as a mobile application and as a smart TV application. The website works in Polish and
The restaurant and the bar at the Polish Cultural Center have closed for the summer. The summer break this year will last two months, through July and August. Both the restaurant and the bar should reopen as usual on the first Friday after Labor Day, that is on September 9, 2022. More: Polish Cultural Center
This is your chance to attend a course of Polish during the summer Polish School at the Polish Cultural Center The school offers separate courses in Polish for children and adults in July and August. Classes are at weekly meetings that are 2 hours each, price is $100 a month. Please find detailed info here,
The University of Washington has established the Maria Kott Endowed Professorship of Polish Studies at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. This is the first endowed professorship of Polish Studies on the West Coast of the United States and is in perpetuity, which assures that the Polish language and culture will be taught at
James Allen Hicker, one of the pillars of the Polish community of Tacoma, has passed away peacefully on December 1, 2021, after a short illness. He was 88. James was born on May 3, 1933, in Tacoma. He attended Lincoln High School and graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1955 with a BA
Kamila Kanczugowski, the well known and liked chef in the Polish community, accepted a new position at the Polish Cultural Center Dom Polski; for now it is on a temporary basis. She has already started, so you can drop by to enjoy your favorite Polish dishes right away. Kamila is mostly known from Sebi’s Bistro
The local Polish Choir Vivat Musica! presents a recording with a medley of Polish patriotic songs celebrating Poland’s Independence Day on November 11. The date commemorates the anniversary of Poland regaining its independence in 1918 after over a century of partitions. You can listen to this recording on YouTube.
Starting this fall, the J. Słowacki Polish School in Seattle has a new principal. Maria Grabowska, who has led the school since 2014, has retired and Milena Dickens accepted the position. Thank you, Marysia, for your gentle leadership and especially for keeping the school running during the pandemic. The Polish community is grateful to you!
On October 16, 2021, Jarosław Łasiński, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, honored local Polish-Americans with the following medals: Bogdan Smyczynski of Tacoma and Józef Eugeniusz Kucharczyk of Auburn each has received The Cross of Freedom and Solidarity, awarded to the former Solidarity activists by the President of Poland. Jerzy and
Kaysy Ostrom has directed a play I Never Saw Another Butterfly, performing live at the main stage of the Studio East theatre in Kirkland, from October 8 to 17, 2021. Kaysy is a granddaughter of Krystyna Balut, who was a child survivor of the brutal WWII deportations of Poles by the Soviet Union and in
Marion Jan “Marian” Ossowski, a longtime member of the Polish community, died on September 13, 2021 after battling COVID-19 for several weeks. He was 70. Regretfully, Marion was not vaccinated; his wife Alicja, who survived COVID-19 and recovered, urges everyone to get vaccinated. Born in Szczecin in 1951 and trained as a railway technician, Marian
Memories from Polish Scouting in Seattle and with Scoutmaster Martha Golubiec. To honor the 35th anniversary of Polish Scouting in Seattle, the local scout troop Kaszuby is creating a memory book to commemorate the milestone. The troop asks the current and past Polish scouts from Seattle and Tacoma and their families to submit their memories,
This year will be the 40th anniversary of the imposition of the Martial Law in Poland on December 13, 1981. For all who lived through it, including the Polish News editor, it was a terrible shock. Many people died, thousands of Solidarity activist went to jail, and countless lives were broken. The military coup crushed
Anna Kulakowska has launched a new initiative at the Polish Cultural Center with an audacious goal to start a theatre! Together with Paulina Phung, she is organizing a theatrical group and calling on all theatre enthusiasts – actors, makeup artists, set designers, script writers and more to get in touch.There is a history of a children theatre,
The Consulate General of Poland in Los Angeles does not plan a passport visit to Seattle before or during summer 2021; the program to visit different cities has been suspended since spring 2020. A consular visit in the fall is a possibility, but it’s not decided yet – it would come to pass only if
Polish Festival Seattle will have a livestream video on the Festival day, July 10, 2021 showcasing traditional Polish costumes along with dance, music and other activities. We invite members of the Seattle Polish community and also our PNW neighbors to submit short videos that go along with this summer’s costume theme or just show off
The spring quarter at the University of Washington brings again courses that can draw people interested in Polish language and culture. As usual, seniors 60+ can register to listen to these courses for a token fee (in range of $10) through the UW Access Program. Notable courses include: Second-year Polish with instructor Krystyna Untersteiner; the coursereinforces the
Poland and the United States have an agreement about Social Security systems for their citizens; Poles living in the USA can receive Polish social security benefits managed by the Polish state insurer ZUS as well as American benefits. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ZUS moved to online its 2021 consultation tour of American cities for the
Situation changes quickly indeed! Our last week tips how to find a vaccination appointment are already obsolete. The vaccination site in Wenatchee and Kennewick are still available, but there is a better way to find an appointment provided by local tech volunteers. Their new WA COVID Vaccine Finder site aggregates information from different places offering
The Wspólnota Polska Association and the Świat na Tak Foundation in Poland invite children and teachers from Polish schools abroad to the 2021 edition of the annual contest “Be a Pole”. The students can prepare a work of visual art, a short poem or essay in Polish or a video clip illustrating one of the
Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association (SGSCA) is preparing a presentation about Martha Golubiec’s contributions to the SGSCA and its programs. She was a co-founder of the organization. Please share your pictures, stories, fun facts, video clips and other memories that can be used in the tribute to Martha.More: Please contact the SGSCA President, Zbigniew Konofalski. Read Martha’s obituary.
Martha Golubiec, a longtime member of the Polish community, died on January 22, 2021 in Seattle after a long illness. Bursting with energy and ideas, she was a community pillar since the 1960s till recently. During this time, she initiated, spearheaded or contributed to many of the developments that were crucial to the community centered
Marek’s Bakery and Deli is Now Hiring! Needed: an event person to sell Pączki at events and farmer markets. Must be 21+ because some of our events are in a brewery. Send resume to mareksbakery@gmail.com
Due to the pandemic and state wide restrictions on public gatherings, the Polish Home Association election season is different than usual. As election procedures evolve and keep changing, the following is a list of most important aspects of this year’s annual meeting and elections as of January 14, 2021. Usually, the elections for different officer
Taking into account the current pandemic situation, the Trustees and Officers of the Polish Home Association decided to postpone the opening of the dining room and the bar at the Polish Cultural Center Dom Polski till further notice.
The winter quarter at the University of Washington brings again courses that can draw people interested in Polish language and culture. As usual, seniors 60+ can register to listen to these courses for a token fee (in range of $10) through the UW Access Program. Notable courses include: Second-year Polish with instructor Krystyna Untersteiner; the course is
Update in January 2021. There are still no visits planned for the nearby future. You have to fly to LA to file an application in person. You can also fly to Vancouver, BC, but you cannot currently drive there from Seattle. To schedule a visit, use the online reservation system System Zdalnej Rejestracji (e-konsulat.gov.pl) In
While American citizens cannot enter the EU countries, you can fly to Europe on a different passport, such as a Polish one. There are two ways to do it: on regular flights or “rescue” flights. For regular flights, it’s the usual. You can book a flight on a regular airline such as Delta using your
The local Polish Schools in Bellevue and Seattle are adapting to the difficulties created by the pandemic with their school year starting around mid-September. There is also a recommendation for an online school in Poland. Szkoła Polska im. Ks. J. Twardowskiego w BellevueThe School will have all the classes online, which is the same way the
Polish News looks for a new editor-in-chief to take over our news service from Ryszard Kott. If you are interested in joining Seattle Polish News, or discussing what it would involve, please contact Ryszard. The Seattle Polish News is an independent news service serving Seattle and the Pacific Northwest since 2002. Since the beginning it
Zbigniew Konofalski returns as the Festival Director after the resignation of Michal Friedrich. The Festival will take place at the Egyptian Theater during one weekend of November 8-10. SPFF will be screening some of the newest films from the 2024 Gdynia Festival, like “White Courage”, “Simona Kossak”, and “Kulej.” More: SPFF website
Update as of Oct 31, 2024: SPF has received about $1,700 in PayPal donations and $2,000 from PHA; together with $5,000 from SPF, $8,700 has been wired to the Caritas charity in Poland. Dear Friends of Poland, As you have seen in the news, there has been terrible flooding in Central Europe, including Poland, recently.
The restaurant and the bar at the Polish Cultural Center have closed for the summer. The summer break will last two months, through July and August. Both the restaurant and the bar should reopen as usual on the first Friday after Labor Day, that is on September 13, 2022. More: Polish Cultural Center website
The movie “Porcelain War” has won the Best Documentary and the Golden Space Needle awards at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival. Sidorska was the principal producer and the creative force behind the movie; she is also a member of the Polish community in Seattle. The film received the US Grand Jury Prize at the
Dr. Agnieszka Jeżyk has just arrived in Seattle for her new position as the Maria Kott Endowed Assistant Professor of Polish Studies at the UW Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. In January 2024 she started teaching her first course “Modern Polish Literature in English” focusing on intellectual and cultural history in literary works during
Update: Natasza is now expected in Seattle at the beginning of October. Local Polish bikers and fans prepare a welcome for her. If you are interested in meeting Natasza etc. please contact Krzysztof at krystof_pk@q.com. World traveler Natasza Caban has started her motorcycle tour of the America’s. After gaining fame for sailing solo around the
At the recent meeting with the Polish community of Seattle, the Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm, Małgorzata Gosiewska, decorated the following people with Polish orders and medals. Father Andrzej Galant of the Polish Parish in Seattle received a Knight’s Cross of the Order Polonia Restituta, the second highest Polish civilian order, and also a
The grand piano in memory of Barbara Strutynski has been purchased! On behalf of the Seattle Polish Foundation and the Polish Home Association I would like to express our deepest gratitude to all people whose generosity made it possible. I have never seen such a swift, widespread, and generous support and such a big outpouring
The winter quarter at the University of Washington brings again courses that can draw people interested in Polish language and culture. As usual, seniors 60+ can register to listen to these courses for a token fee (in range of $10) through the UW Access Program. Notable courses include: More: Registration for the current quarter through the Access
Friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help the Mroz family with the medical and funeral bills. Please contribute to this fund if you can. Andre Mroz fell ill early November and ended up in the ICU fighting for his life. Andre lost his fight on November 19,2022. The family needs assistance with medical
Andrzej Mroz, the former Solidarity leader, local community activist and one of the most recognizable members of the Polish community died on November 19, 2022, due to complications after a cardiac arrest. He was 67. Andrzej Antoni Mróz was born on June 21,1955 in Bliszczyce in Silesia, Poland. He obtained a vocational school diploma as
The Seattle Polish Film Festival announced viewers’ choice award for the best movie of the festival. The Seattle Spirit of Polish Cinema Award goes to the following movie: The runners up with the same number of votes were For the best documentary, a Certificate of Recognition went to Congratulations! More: SPFF website
Dear Members and Friends of the Polish Community, Thank you for your incredible support for the grand piano fundraiser in memory of Barbara Strutynski! We have received about $42,000 in donations, which is more than we expected, and donations are still coming in! We appreciate that very much as it makes it possible to buy a better quality
At the annual Recognition Gala at the University of Washington on September 16, Ryszard Kott and late Maria Kott have been recognized among the 2022 UW Laureates for their contributions over the years to the Polish Studies program at the UW Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. The Slavic Department is currently looking for candidates for the Maria
Barbara Strutynski, an outstanding longtime member of our Polish community died on August 24, 2022, in her home with her family by her side. She was almost 86. Known to everybody as “Pani Basia”, Barbara was a community pilar, active since the early 1960s untill the pandemic. During this time, she founded and directed different
The Polish public movie producer, Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych (WFDiF), created a movie streaming platform “35mm.online” presenting Polish cinematography. About 4000 fully digitalized and restored movies are now available for viewing. The platform is available on the web, as a mobile application and as a smart TV application. The website works in Polish and
This is your chance to attend a course of Polish during the summer Polish School at the Polish Cultural Center The school offers separate courses in Polish for children and adults in July and August. Classes are at weekly meetings that are 2 hours each, price is $100 a month. Please find detailed info here,
The University of Washington has established the Maria Kott Endowed Professorship of Polish Studies at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. This is the first endowed professorship of Polish Studies on the West Coast of the United States and is in perpetuity, which assures that the Polish language and culture will be taught at
James Allen Hicker, one of the pillars of the Polish community of Tacoma, has passed away peacefully on December 1, 2021, after a short illness. He was 88. James was born on May 3, 1933, in Tacoma. He attended Lincoln High School and graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1955 with a BA
Kamila Kanczugowski, the well known and liked chef in the Polish community, accepted a new position at the Polish Cultural Center Dom Polski; for now it is on a temporary basis. She has already started, so you can drop by to enjoy your favorite Polish dishes right away. Kamila is mostly known from Sebi’s Bistro
The local Polish Choir Vivat Musica! presents a recording with a medley of Polish patriotic songs celebrating Poland’s Independence Day on November 11. The date commemorates the anniversary of Poland regaining its independence in 1918 after over a century of partitions. You can listen to this recording on YouTube.
Starting this fall, the J. Słowacki Polish School in Seattle has a new principal. Maria Grabowska, who has led the school since 2014, has retired and Milena Dickens accepted the position. Thank you, Marysia, for your gentle leadership and especially for keeping the school running during the pandemic. The Polish community is grateful to you!
On October 16, 2021, Jarosław Łasiński, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, honored local Polish-Americans with the following medals: Bogdan Smyczynski of Tacoma and Józef Eugeniusz Kucharczyk of Auburn each has received The Cross of Freedom and Solidarity, awarded to the former Solidarity activists by the President of Poland. Jerzy and
Kaysy Ostrom has directed a play I Never Saw Another Butterfly, performing live at the main stage of the Studio East theatre in Kirkland, from October 8 to 17, 2021. Kaysy is a granddaughter of Krystyna Balut, who was a child survivor of the brutal WWII deportations of Poles by the Soviet Union and in
Marion Jan “Marian” Ossowski, a longtime member of the Polish community, died on September 13, 2021 after battling COVID-19 for several weeks. He was 70. Regretfully, Marion was not vaccinated; his wife Alicja, who survived COVID-19 and recovered, urges everyone to get vaccinated. Born in Szczecin in 1951 and trained as a railway technician, Marian
Memories from Polish Scouting in Seattle and with Scoutmaster Martha Golubiec. To honor the 35th anniversary of Polish Scouting in Seattle, the local scout troop Kaszuby is creating a memory book to commemorate the milestone. The troop asks the current and past Polish scouts from Seattle and Tacoma and their families to submit their memories,
This year will be the 40th anniversary of the imposition of the Martial Law in Poland on December 13, 1981. For all who lived through it, including the Polish News editor, it was a terrible shock. Many people died, thousands of Solidarity activist went to jail, and countless lives were broken. The military coup crushed
Anna Kulakowska has launched a new initiative at the Polish Cultural Center with an audacious goal to start a theatre! Together with Paulina Phung, she is organizing a theatrical group and calling on all theatre enthusiasts – actors, makeup artists, set designers, script writers and more to get in touch.There is a history of a children theatre,
The Consulate General of Poland in Los Angeles does not plan a passport visit to Seattle before or during summer 2021; the program to visit different cities has been suspended since spring 2020. A consular visit in the fall is a possibility, but it’s not decided yet – it would come to pass only if
Polish Festival Seattle will have a livestream video on the Festival day, July 10, 2021 showcasing traditional Polish costumes along with dance, music and other activities. We invite members of the Seattle Polish community and also our PNW neighbors to submit short videos that go along with this summer’s costume theme or just show off
The spring quarter at the University of Washington brings again courses that can draw people interested in Polish language and culture. As usual, seniors 60+ can register to listen to these courses for a token fee (in range of $10) through the UW Access Program. Notable courses include: Second-year Polish with instructor Krystyna Untersteiner; the coursereinforces the
Poland and the United States have an agreement about Social Security systems for their citizens; Poles living in the USA can receive Polish social security benefits managed by the Polish state insurer ZUS as well as American benefits. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ZUS moved to online its 2021 consultation tour of American cities for the
Situation changes quickly indeed! Our last week tips how to find a vaccination appointment are already obsolete. The vaccination site in Wenatchee and Kennewick are still available, but there is a better way to find an appointment provided by local tech volunteers. Their new WA COVID Vaccine Finder site aggregates information from different places offering
The Wspólnota Polska Association and the Świat na Tak Foundation in Poland invite children and teachers from Polish schools abroad to the 2021 edition of the annual contest “Be a Pole”. The students can prepare a work of visual art, a short poem or essay in Polish or a video clip illustrating one of the
Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association (SGSCA) is preparing a presentation about Martha Golubiec’s contributions to the SGSCA and its programs. She was a co-founder of the organization. Please share your pictures, stories, fun facts, video clips and other memories that can be used in the tribute to Martha.More: Please contact the SGSCA President, Zbigniew Konofalski. Read Martha’s obituary.
Marek’s Bakery and Deli is Now Hiring! Needed: an event person to sell Pączki at events and farmer markets. Must be 21+ because some of our events are in a brewery. Send resume to mareksbakery@gmail.com
While American citizens cannot enter the EU countries, you can fly to Europe on a different passport, such as a Polish one. There are two ways to do it: on regular flights or “rescue” flights. For regular flights, it’s the usual. You can book a flight on a regular airline such as Delta using your
The local Polish Schools in Bellevue and Seattle are adapting to the difficulties created by the pandemic with their school year starting around mid-September. There is also a recommendation for an online school in Poland. Szkoła Polska im. Ks. J. Twardowskiego w BellevueThe School will have all the classes online, which is the same way the