2018 Consular Report | Taube Philanthropies

ANNUAL CONSULAR REPORT

Submitted January 10, 2019

Honorary Consuls for the Republic of Poland
in the San Francisco Bay Area
THADDEUS N. TAUBE and CHRISTOPHER A. KEROSKY

Description of the internal situation within the consular region

Internal social and political structure (with an account of the outcome of Presidential, Congressional and important local elections).

Honorary Consuls Taube and Kerosky are in communication with the Mayor of San Francisco, Mayor London Breed.
Honorary Consuls Taube and Kerosky both know the Governor-Elect of California, Governor Gavin Newsom. Honorary Consul Taube is a long-time friend of outgoing Governor Jerry Brown. Both Honorary Consuls know all of the congressional representatives.
Our Consular offices regularly attend the meetings of the Consular Corps in San Francisco, which meet once monthly at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Francisco.
On May 4, 2018, the annual Polish Flag Raising at San Francisco City Hall was held to celebrate Polish Constitution Day. A representative of San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell and Honorary Consuls Taube and Kerosky presided over the flag raising. As is customary, the Mayor proclaimed May 4th as Polish Constitution Day in San Francisco and presented a framed declaration to both Honorary Consuls.
On December 19th, Honorary Consuls Tad Taube and Christopher Kerosky, and Deputy Honorary Consul Shana Penn, attended the annual Consular Corps Holiday Party, representing the Honorary Polish Consulate.

General situation and economic policy (consequences of the financial crisis).

Elements of the internal situation that may have bearing on or influence Polish interests (e.g. economic, political or social situation, for example unemployment).

Honorary Consul’s relations with the local authorities and institutions (including state members of the House of Representatives and the US Senate), and possibilities of engaging them in the consular work.)

Hon. Consuls Taube and Kerosky continually meet and correspond with local authorities and institutions as relevant. Of utmost priority is advocacy for increased trade between Poland and Northern California.

Description of the cooperation with Poland within the consular region

Regional cooperation (e.g. sister cities).

July 19, 2018: Honorary Consul Tad Taube and Shana Penn met with Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Piotr Wilczek and Filip Jaśinski, First Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Polandin Belmont during the Ambassador’s visit to the Bay Area.
The Honorary Consulates play a leadership role in the San Francisco-Kraków Sister Cities Association. The relationship, which Consul Taube initiated in July 2007, was discussed between the Mayors, their offices, and the Consulate offices for over 18 months. In May 2009, the agreements were prepared and were officially signed in Kraków by Mayor Jacek Majchrowski and, representing Mayor Gavin Newsom, Consul Kerosky and Consul Taube, on July 1, 2009. The San Francisco-Kraków Sister Cities relationship is the first such Eastern European relationship for San Francisco. Honorary Consuls Taube and Kerosky co-host many Sister Cities events. For further information please see the website: sfkrakow.org; Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SanFranciscoKrakowSisterCities; and blog: sistercities.org. This relationship was recently renewed by both cities.
Consuls Kerosky and Taube have continuously worked closely with the Silicon Valley Acceleration Poland (SVAC) Center since it opened in 2013. This continued in 2018.

Consul Kerosky has prepared and revised a special Guide to Opening a Business in California in both English and Polish languages for SVAC participants. Consul Kerosky also prepared a Guide to Visas for Businessmen for SVAC participants. Both guides are for use in the business trainings taking place in coordination with the SVAC.
Consul Kerosky through his assistant Pawel Trela has provided training to SVAC participants as a mentor in corporate, contract and business law in the U.S. as well as advise participants on other legal subjects including visas. Mr. Trela has provided these services on a regular basis at SVAC since it opened in 2013.

Visit of the “Dar Młodzieży” Tall Ship to San Francisco

First Day: December 18, 2018.

On December 18, 2018, the Polish tall ship "Dar Młodzieży" arrived in San Francisco. Honorary Consuls Christopher Kerosky and Tad Taube worked with the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the Mayor’s Office, and Officials of the Port of San Francisco to arrange a berth for the ship in central San Francisco at Pier 15 on the Embarcadero, with very good public access.
The Consuls worked with CBP to facilitate visa issues that arose for many of the crew during their stay on the West Coast. Among other things, Consul Kerosky obtained special permission from CBP for the film crew to arrive and board the vessel. Other visas of crew were extended through the intervention of the Consuls office with CBP.

Second Day: December 19, 2018.

Honorary Consuls Christopher Kerosky and Tad Taube and Mr. Michael Nerney, Deputy Director of the Port of San Francisco participated in an afternoon welcoming ceremony on board the ship for the Captain and crew of the "Dar Młodzieży". Channel 7 ABC News as well as other media covered the ceremony.
A small reception was held in the Captain’s salon after the ceremony.
From 2-6 pm, the "Dar Młodzieży" was open to public for delegations from the City of San Francisco, the press, Polonia and the public in general.

Third Day: December 20, 2018

A morning Greeting and Reception on the Ship for Commandant David
Taliaferro, Commandant of Cadets at the California State University
Maritime Academy, and Captain Jarrod Devine, Professor and with the
Naval Reserve Officers Training Corp at the University of California at Berkeley.
From 12-6 pm, the Ship was open to public for delegations from the City of San Francisco, the press, Polonia and the public in general.
Łowiczanie Polish Folk Dance Ensemble, with Director Mary Kay Stuvland, sang Christmas carols and holiday songs for the ship’s crew and the public on board the ship.
The San Francisco museum “The Exploratorium”, located at Pier 15 where the Tall Ship was docked, hosted a program within their “After Dark” event with the Captain and members of the crew speaking to the local public about the “Dar Młodzieży”, her voyage, and the centenary of the Polish modern republic.
Honorary Consul Tad Taube hosted a VIP reception at the Waterfront Restaurant in honor of the “Dar Młodzieży” docked in San Francisco. The reception was attended by: Consul General for the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles Jarosław Łasiński; Mr. Tad Taube, Honorary Consul; Mr. Christopher Kerosky, Honorary Consul; Ms. Shana Penn, CEO, Taube Philanthropies; Ms. Caria Tomczykowska, President of Polish Arts and Culture Foundation; Ms. Deborah Novachick, Maritime Liason and Interfaith Coordinator; Mr. Alex Sawsienowicz, Assistant to Consul Kerosky; Mr. Andrzej Arendarski, President, National Chamber of Commerce; Ms. Bozena Wróblewska, President, Polish Chamber of Commerce Promotion Centre; Mr. Wawrzyniec Maziejuk, President, Polish Association of Processors and Producers of Organic Products “Polish Ecology” + Maritime and Community Dignitaries (according to the list).

Fourth Day: December 21, 2018.

A special interdenominational sunrise service was organized at the Legion of Honor to welcome San Francisco the Polish Tall Ship, the “Dar Młodzieży”. A delegation from the ship attended as well as Honorary Consul Kerosky. Later the crew was taken by bus to the Golden Gate Bridge and given a tour of important San Francisco landmarks.
A special reception with gourmet Polish food, hosted by the Consul General & Polish National Chamber of Commerce, was held on board the ship, and was attended by approximately 150 VIP guests from the City of San Francisco government, other state and local government organizations, local businesses, entrepreneurs in the food and wine industry, members of the press, and other dignitaries. The reception was attended by: Consul General for the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles Jarosław Łasiński; Mr. Tad Taube, Honorary Consul; Mr. Christopher Kerosky, Honorary Consul; Ms. Shana Penn, Deputy Honorary Consul; Ms. Caria Tomczykowska, President of Polish Arts and Culture Foundation; Ms. Deborah Novachick, Maritime Liason and Interfaith Coordinator; Mr. Alex Sawsienowicz, Assistant to Consul Kerosky; Mr. Andrzej Arendarski, President, National Chamber of Commerce; Ms. Bozena Wróblewska, President, Polish Chamber of Commerce Promotion Centre; Mr. Wawrzyniec Maziejuk, President, Polish Association of Processors and Producers of Organic Products “Polish Ecology” + Maritime and Community Dignitaries (according to the list).
From 3-6 pm, the Ship was open to public for delegations from the City of San Francisco, the press, Polonia and the public in general.

Fifth Day: December 22, 2018.

Consul General Jarosław Łasiński and Honorary Consul Christopher Kerosky participated in a farewell ceremony for the Captain and crew of the "Dar Młodzieży" at 10 am, on board the ship.

Economic and scientific cooperation (including universities).
Cultural and educational cooperation (e.g. student exchange).

Winter 2017/2018: Honorary Consul Taube’s philanthropic foundations sponsored the broadcast of “Raise the Roof” on American Public Television in winter 2017 into 2018. “Raise the Roof” is a documentary on the research and erection of the close-to-scale model of the Gwoździec Synagogue, housed at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
Fall 2017-Spring 2018: Consul Taube supports POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews Global Education Outreach Program (GEOP), which in 2018 supported 6 doctoral seminars with 14 participants; 4 fellowships and 2 international interns; 9 travel grants; 3 research workshops and 7 distinguished lectures; 2 conferences, and; answered 1,240 queries, was visited by 3,502 guests, and added 20,000 records to the genealogical database at POLIN Museum’s Genealogy Center. The research fellows included Graduate Theological Union, in Berkeley, CA, student Eleanor Shapiro.
2018: 2018 marks the fourth year of the Taube Foundation For Jewish Life & Culture’s involvement as co-publisher of Gazeta: Quarterly Newsletter of the American Association for Polish-Jewish Studies.
January 22-28, 2018: Jonathan Ornstein, Executive Director of JCC Krakow visited the Bay Area. Honorary Consul Taube arranged meetings for him with Bay Area organizations.
January 26-February 2, 2018: Janusz Makuch, Executive Director of the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, visited the Bay Area. Honorary Consul Taube arranged meetings for him with Bay Area organizations.
March 25-April 1, 2018: Hillel at Stanford toured Poland with Taube Jewish Heritage Tours on a tour titled “Multiculturalism and Nationhood: Poland Past and Present” to learn about Jewish revival in Poland. The tour was sponsored and organized by Hon. Consul Taube’s philanthropic foundations.
April 12-17, 2018: Honorary Consul Taube’s philanthropic foundations supported and hosted the visit of Dr. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Chief Curator of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, to the Bay Area in April 2018. Dr. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett spoke at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco; held a workshop titled “The Role of Museums in Historical Debates” at the University of California, Berkeley - Graduate Theological Union; and delivered a lecture “Jewish Museums in Europe: Cabinet of Curiosities” at Stanford University.
April 13, 2018: Sean Taube, son of Honorary Consul Tad Taube, represented Honorary Consul Taube at the Diplomatic Righteous Among Nations talk by Shlomi Kofman, Consul General for Israel to the Pacific Northwest, and moderator Michael Pappas, Director, San Francisco Interfaith Council – Moderator, held at the Commonwealth Club of California.
April 15-22, 2018: Taube Philanthropies’ Shana Penn participated in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ceremonies and commemorations in Warsaw, Poland in April 2018, including attending the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Commemoration at the invitation of Republic of Poland President Andrzej Duda. During her visit, she met with Republic of Poland Culture Minister Piotr Gliński. Deputy Hon. Consul Penn’s op-ed of the ceremony was published in the J. The Jewish News of Northern California, May 7, 2018.
May 10-14, 2018: Honorary Consul Tad Taube’s philanthropic foundations supported the visit of Rabbi Leor Sinai, co-Head of the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, to Poland, organized by the Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland, based in Warsaw. Rabbi Sinai met with Jewish community members for a Jewish cultural exchange.
May 19, 2018: On behalf of Hon. Consul Taube, Agnieszka Ilwicka, Research Fellow at the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture and graduate student of Yiddish language, attended the annual PolCA Polish Heritage Festival in Belmont, CA.
June 11, 2018: Taube Philanthropies and Republic of Poland Minister of Culture Piotr Gliński co-hosted the first of two Taube Irena Sendler Memorial Awards at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Minister Gliński was an excellent co-host and partner for the program and Honorary Consul Tad Taube was honored to collaborate with the Minster and Ministry. The award receipient was Norman Conard, a renowned educator from Kansas who, together with his high school students, brought the untold story of Irena Sendler to public view, illuminating her historical importance and enabling the world to celebrate her anti-Nazi activism in her own lifetime and in perpetuity. Conard was the first American to receive the award.
June 12, 2018, Honorary Consul Tad Taube was honored with an Honorary Doctorate from Jagiellonian University in Kraków for his work rebuilding Jewish life and culture throughout Poland. Mr. Taube is the only philanthropist among very few non-academics to receive this honor in the course of the award’s 200-year history.
June 13, 2018: The Galicia Jewish Museum in Kraków held the naming ceremony of the newly opened Taube Family Gallery. The opening of the Gallery was support of Honorary Consul Tad Taube’s philanthropic foundations.
June 23-July 1, 2018: Deputy Consul and San Francisco-Kraków Sister Cities Association Vice President Shana Penn attended the 28th Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków. At the same time, Ms. Penn met with Kraków community leaders and officials in promotion of the San Francisco- Kraków Sister Cities Cooperation Agreement.
June 24, 2018: Hon. Consul Taube’s philanthropic foundations supported the performance of Mona Golabek’s “Children of Willesden Lane” a one-actor play with a classical piano performance at the Galicia Jewish Museum. Performed around the world, the play is based off an eponymous book about Golabek’s mother’s journey from Vienna to London on the Kindertransport.
June 28, 2018: The second 2018 Irena Sendler Memorial Award ceremony was held at the Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków. The first musician to receive the award, Ola Bilińska was honored for her work preserving and performing Yiddish music. Through this ceremony, an auspicious development occurred: Filip Jaśinski, First Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, D.C., was in attendance and invited Ms. Bilińska and her ensemble, Libelid, to perform at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, D.C. in partnership with the Embassy of Israel, Honorary Consul Tad Taube, and Taube Philanthropies at a later date in 2018.
June 28, 2018: Sean Taube, representing his father, Honorary Consul Tad Taube, attended the dedication of the Sister Cities of San Francisco Directional Signs at the invitation of then-City of San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell. Honorary Consul Taube was one of the coordinators of the San Francisco-Kraków Sister Cities relationship.
June 18, 2018: Wrocław University’s recently named Taube Department of Jewish Studies opened their newly renovated class rooms, offices, conference and seminar rooms, and the Department’s first dedicated space for its library. The renovations were made possible by a multi-year grant awarded by Hon. Consul Taube’s philanthropic foundations, beginning in 2016. The new space is located in a historic 18th-century building on the Isle of Sand on the banks of the Oder River in Wrocław. At the opening, a $25,000 grant in honor of the unveiling was announced that will support faculty research.
August 24-27, 2018: Dr. Dariusz Stola, Director of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, visited the Bay Area. On August 27, Dr. Stola delivered a talk on the Museum at a VIP luncheon to friends of Honorary Consul Tad Taube. Honorary Consul Taube is the largest American sponsor of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
September 20, 2018: Taube Philanthropies’ Shana Penn participated in the Conference of the Anniversary of 100 years of Women’s Political Rights at Jagiellonian University, Kraków.
September 20, 2018: Taube Philanthropies’ Shana Penn took part in JCC Krakow’s Taube Family Playground and Shana Penn Garden ribbon-cutting, officially opening the new addition to the Jewish Community Center in Kraków. Honorary Consul Taube’s philanthropic foundation supported and named the playground and garden.
October 2, 2018 - January 31, 2019: dr hab. Jolanta Ambrosewicz-Jacobs, UNESCO Chair for Education about the Holocaust Lecturer at the Institute of European Studies, Jagiellonian University, and friend of Honorary Consul Taube’s philanthropic foundations, conducted research at the Graduate Theological Union, in Berkeley, as a Kosciuszko Foundation Fellow. Honorary Consul Taube’s philanthropic foundation supported the lectures she delivered during her time in the Bay Area.
October 15, 2018: Dr. Karen Underhill, Associate Professor of Slavic and Baltic Languages and Literature at the University of Illinois at Chicago, delivered a lecture with Cantor Sharon Bernstein at The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life on the rediscovered works of Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem, titled “Sholem Aleichem on the South Side of Chicago: The Story and Songs of the Rediscovered 1905 Musical Stempenyu”. Honorary Consul Taube and his philanthropic foundations supported the visit of Dr. Underhill to the Bay Area.
October 17-21, 2018: Honorary Consul Taube’s philanthropic foundations hosted the visit of Dr. Marcin Wodzinski to the Bay Area. During his visit he held lectures at Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, as well as at the Taube Department for Jewish Studies at Stanford University. He lectured on Hasidism in Poland and Eastern Europe, the topic of his newest book published in 2018.
October 15-17, 2018: Jonathan Ornstein, Executive Director of JCC Krakow visited the Bay Area. Honorary Consul Taube arranged meetings for him with Bay Area organizations.
October 16-18, 2018: Janusz Makuch, Executive Director of the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, visited the Bay Area. Honorary Consul Taube arranged meetings for him with Bay Area organizations.
October 23-26, 2018: A symposium and film screening to launch the Taube Family Holocaust Education Program at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA featured the history of Emanuel Ringelblum and the Oneg Shabbes Archive in both an all-day symposium and two film screenings. Presenters included: Dr. Samuel Kassow, Charles H. Northam Professor of History at Trinity College and author of the book Who Will Write Our History?; Dr. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Chief Curator of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews; Roberta Grossman, director of the new film “Who Will Write Our History”; and Nancy Spielberg, producer of the same film. The film screenings marked its premier in the southern United States.
November 7-11, 2018, Taube Philanthropies hosted the visit of Hillel Warsaw Executive Director Magda Dorosz to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she met with Hillel organizations at University of California Berkeley and Stanford and other relevant organizations.
November 13, 2018: John Connelly, Professor of History and Director of the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies at University of California, Berkeley delivered a lecture entitled "Poland at 100: The Continuing Challenges of Nationhood" at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), in Berkeley. Honorary Consul Taube, the Krakow-San Francisco Sister Cities Association, and the GTU cohosted the lecture.
December 3-10, 2018: After meeting at the Irena Sendler Memorial Award at the Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków, Filip Jaśinski and Dagmara Jaśinska, both of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, invited musician Ola Bilińska and her ensemble, Libelid, to perform at the Polish Embassy in the United States in a concert co-sponsored by the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C., in celebration the 70th anniversary of Israeli independence and the 100th anniversary of Polish independence respectively. The concert took place on December 3rd. Libelid then performed at the Graduate Theological Union on December 6th and at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco on December 8th, both sponsored by Honorary Consul Taube and Taube Philanthropies. On December 9th, the ensemble performed in Los Angeles, hosted by the Polish Consulate in LA.
December 14, 2018: Annual Slavic Choral Christmas Concert, featuring Łowicznie Polish Choir. Mary Kay Stuvland, Secretary of the San Francisco-Kraków Sister Cities Association and Artistic Director of Łowiczanie Polish Folk Ensemble of San Francisco, was Co-Artistic Director of the Christmas Concert.

The image of Poland in local mass media.

Consular care extended to Polish citizens

Assessment how local authorities respect consular conventions and bilateral agreements.

Detentions, arrests, deportations and extraditions of Polish citizens and pertinent assistance of Honorary Consul.

Assistance extended by Honorary Consul to Polish citizens in emergency situations.

Situations have not arisen.

Polish-American issues

General characteristics of the Polish Diaspora in the consular region.

Estimated number of Poles and people of Polish origin who reside in the consular region, including Jewish communities of Polish descent;

Number of Poles and people of Polish origin in the San Francisco Bay Area: approximately 115,000
Number of Jews of Polish descent in the San Francisco Bay Area: approximately 138,000

Social composition of the local “Polonia” (immigration waves, social, religious and professional characteristics; internal relations between communities);

Migration tendencies (increasing, steady or decreasing: returns to Poland);

Major Polish-American organizations and scope of cooperation of Honorary Consul with them.

The following major Polish-American organizations work with the Consulates and have links of Consul Taube’s and Consul Kerosky’s Honorary Consul website: San Francisco-Kraków Sister Cities Association, Polonia San Francisco, Polonia in California, Polish Arts and Culture Foundation, Polish Club, Polish American Congress, Polish National Alliance #7, Łowiczanie Dance Ensemble, Polish American Social Club, East Bay Polish American Association, among others.

Honorary Consul’s cooperation with the Polish Diaspora in the consular region (please list and describe joint activities and mutual projects), including:

support extended to Polish-American organizations and communities, including those engaged in a Polish-Jewish dialog;

Many activities are incorporated into the programs of the San Francisco-Kraków Sister Cities Association, which enables Consuls Taube and Kerosky to create partnerships between non-Polonia civil and cultural organizations and Polonia organizations. Please see the Sister Cities website: sfkrakow.org. The Honorary Consulates also host academic and cultural leaders from Poland at Jewish, Polish, and civic institutions to foster Polish-Jewish dialogue, listed within this report.

support of education and youth projects, cultural initiatives and economic projects;

Please see Section II.

cooperation with the clergy;

Consul Taube has a close relationship with the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Rabbi Michael Schudrich. Consul Kerosky has worked closely with the Catholic Diocese of San Francisco on various matters. Both Consuls maintain relationships with the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, the largest religious educational institution in the area.

care extended to veterans and places of national remembrance;

Consul Taube is the largest American sponsor of POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Built on the historic site of the Warsaw Ghetto, the Museum faces the Warsaw Ghetto Heroes’ Monument. The Museum is in dialogue with the Monument, and together, the two complete the memorial complex. Consul Taube also supported the renovation of the Przysucha Synagogue, and the renovation of Wrocław’s White Stork Synagogue. In December 2018, Consul Taube hosted a reception to welcome Poland’s Tall Ship “Dar Młodzieży” to the Port of San Francisco on its round-the-world tour in honor of the 100th anniversary of Poland’s independence.

Organization

Structural organization of Honorary Consulate, number of employees and how many speak Polish.

Consul Taube:

Consul Taube, competent in Polish.
Mary Kay Stuvland, moderate Polish, represents Consul Taube in meetings.
Shana Penn, competent in Polish, represents Consul Taube in meetings.
Lina Broydo, moderate Polish, represents Consul Taube in meetings.
Laura Howard, no Polish language.
Vera Hannush, beginning Polish.
Maayan Stanton, competent in Polish.
Agnieszka Ilwicka, native Polish speaker.

Consul Kerosky:

Consul Kerosky, competent in Polish.
Pawel Trela, fluent in Polish, represents Consul Kerosky in meetings.
Magda Zimka, fluent in Polish, represents Consul Kerosky in meetings.
Consul Kerosky has 30 other staff with 7 offices in the Northern California region (specifically San Jose, Sacramento, Walnut Creek, Napa, Santa Rosa, Ukiah, and downtown San Francisco).

Office hours and accessibility of Honorary Consul (e.g. regular office hours and/or on-call availability).

Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Consulate’s amenities and work conditions, including the possibility of organizing professional consular office hours (including safe and fast Internet connection).

Yes, the Consulates have these amenities and working conditions.
Cooperation with Polish consular and diplomatic missions in the US.

The Honorary Consuls cooperate and collaborate with the Polish Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Polish Consulates in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.
Other conditions determining specific functions of the Consulate (e.g. dispersal of the Diaspora).

N/A
Potential capability of Honorary Consul to offer the following services:

attesting authenticity of signature or handwritten mark;

attesting conformity of a copy, excerpt, abstract or photocopy to the presented original or a certified copy of a document;

contracting loan agreements, after prior consultation with a professional consul with regard to form and amount of the financial assistance;

preliminary annual estimate of office expenses related to enlarged scope of services.

Proposals and motions

The Consuls will broaden and deepen their office’s community-wide outreach efforts, including expanded use of the media such as the local Polish radio program and Polish-language web pages now in development for Consular websites; dissemination of Poland-related information; servicing tourism needs of visitors to Poland; encouraging genealogical research; and arranging arts, business and technology connections between Poland and the Bay Area.
Consuls Taube and Kerosky will strengthen and continue to promote the activities of the San Francisco-Kraków Sister Cities Association.
It remains a major objective of the Consulates to promote Poland’s leadership role in the European Union and to publicize “The New Poland.”
Many of the various programs outlined in this report illuminate how the New Poland supports its Jewish cultural institutions and its diaspora. The diaspora’s vitality is enhanced by knowledge of its history and family roots and by intergenerational access to information and educational resources.
Together with Consul Kerosky, Consul Taube will continue to host diplomats and ordinary Polish citizens visiting the Bay Area.