Posmysz died at a hospice in Oświęcim on August 8 at the age of 98, and it was her wish to be buried close to the place of her incarceration from May 1942 to January 18, 1945.
Zofia Posmysz died at a hospice in Oświęcim, southern Poland, on August 8, at the age of 98. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell
In a letter to mourners, President Andrzej Duda described Posmysz as “a custodian of the memory of what must never be forgotten.”
He said she “went through hell, incarcerated for three years behind barbed wire … but treated her rising from suffering and death as an obligation to be a witness.”
Duda recalled in his letter that Posmysz was a frequent visitor to the Auschwitz Museum to share her experience with younger generations.
"All those who had a chance to take part in these meetings still remember her calm, modest words: ‘I am grateful that you wanted to listen to me.’ But it is us who owe her our gratitude," Duda wrote.
U Photo: PAP/Tomasz Wiktor
German Catholic priest Manfred Deselaers, who has worked at the Centre for Dialogue and Prayer in Oświęcim for many years, recalled in his homily the premiere of the opera The Passenger, based on Posmysz’s novel, at the National Opera in Warsaw.
Posmysz came to the stage after the last curtain call. ”There was a standing ovation, which, we all felt, could not end for we could not be grateful enough to her for her work," Deselaers said.
"Zofia Posmysz won a victory over Auschwitz. With her heart of flesh she won a victory over the hell of the hearts of stone," he added.
He referred to Mieczysław Weinberg’s opera, which, apart from Poland, was staged in many countries, including Austria, Britain, Spain, Germany and the United States.
In addition to The Passenger, which has been translated into 15 languages, Posmysz wrote several novels. She worked for many years for public broadcaster Polish Radio’s cultural section.
In 2020, she received the Order of the White Eagle, the highest Polish state distinction.
(mk/gs)