Honorary Doctorate to Be Presented to President of Poland

February 26, '2004

IsraelNN.com

The President of Poland, Alexander Kwasniewski, will receive an honorary doctor of philosophy degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Sunday, Feb. 29. The ceremony will take place at 18:00 in the Atzmaut-Mexico Hall on the Mt. Scopus campus of the university. Among those attending the event will be President Moshe Katsav, ambassadors and members of the Knesset. The degree text cites President Kwasniewski as "a firm proponent of rapprochement between his country and the Jewish people," noting his active involvement in "the ongoing Jewish-Polish dialogue" and his furthering of efforts to call attention to the role played by Jews in Polish history and culture.

Czech Hamlet roots for Kerry as 'native son'
Brian Whitmore
Boston Globe
February 29, 2004

A year ago, Klech, the mayor of this Czech hamlet, sent Kerry an e-mail message wishing the Massachusetts senator good luck. But Klech's enthusiasm has nothing to do with the Democratic front-runner's positions.

"I don't know what his policies are," Klech said. "I don't even know the difference between the Republicans and Democrats."

Like others in Horni Benesov, a poverty-stricken village of about 2,500 people, Klech is for Kerry because he views him as a native son.

About two weeks before Klech sent his good-luck e-mail, a Boston Globe genealogical search found that Kerry's grandfather, Fritz Kohn, was born to a Jewish family in Horni Benesov, changed his name to Fredrick Kerry, and converted to Roman Catholicism before he emigrated to the United States in 1905. Fredrick Kerry was reported to have committed suicide in a Boston hotel washroom in 1921.

That report was little more than a curiosity until Kerry's string of Democratic primary victories have made him the favorite to face President Bush in November. But since Kerry's rise, the citizens of Horni Benesov, in the Czech Republic's depressed industrial belt near the Polish border, have something to cheer for.

"We feel proud that a person who could become president of the mightiest country in the world has roots in Horni Benesov," said Maria Culakova, who operates a small cafe in the center of town. She added that she hopes Kerry will visit some day.