Marta Cienkowska made the remarks on Wednesday at Between Life and Death. Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust, an exhibition showcasing stories of Holocaust survivors and rescuers from 13 European countries.
"We live in times when the world seems extraordinarily unstable," minister Cienkowska said.
"Principles once considered inviolable are now being questioned. International law is being broken. Civilians are becoming targets. The language of dehumanisation is returning."
The minister stressed the importance of passing on Holocaust memory to future generations, particularly as the number of living survivors dwindles.
Organizers say the exhibition "pays tribute to those who, during the Second World War – despite the threat of imprisonment, deportation, or death – chose to help persecuted Jews."
"By combining the stories of rescuers and survivors, the exhibition shows the complexity of human relations under the extreme and varied circumstances of the war."
It features testimony from 84-year-old Elżbieta Ficowska, a Holocaust survivor saved by Poles during the war.
"I am living proof that the Holocaust happened and that I survived it," she told the opening ceremony.
Poland's UN ambassador Krzysztof Szczerski highlighted the scale of Polish rescue efforts during the German occupation, noting that over 7,000 Poles have been recognised as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem – the largest national group.
The exhibition includes profiles of diplomats who saved Jewish lives, including Polish envoy to Switzerland Aleksander Ładoś, who issued false passports to Jews fleeing persecution.
Part of the Holocaust and the UN Outreach Programme, the exhibition will continue touring internationally, the minister said.
It is organised by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity in cooperation with Warsaw’s POLIN Museum and other partners.
(ał)
Source: PAP, Polish Cultural Institute New York