On Tuesday, April 14, 2015, An-Najah Youth Exchange Program (Zajel) organized a seminar on the morals, lessons and outcomes of the Polish Revolution.

  Mr. Mark Brayk, Monitor of the First Democratic Polish Elections in the late 1980s, talked about the Solidarity Movement lead by Lech Walesa. He talked about the movement’s attempts to dissolve the ruling government, holding a democratic state and negotiating the government in 1989 during the round table negotiation. Mr. Brayk talked about the gradual reforms in Poland to become an independent democratic state.

Mr. Brayk concluded the seminar by making a quick analogy between the Polish and the Palestinian revolutions and the complications accompanied with each. He also expressed his understanding of the difficulties the Palestinians are going through.

Notes:

– Lech Walesa was born in 1943. He was a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, philanthropist and human-rights activist. Being a charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity (Solidarnosc), the Soviet bloc’s first independent trade union. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995.