Poland in Lebanon

In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the death of Fr. Prof. Kamil Kantak—chaplain to the Polish community in Lebanon during and after the Second World War, member of the Council of the Reduta Eastern Institute, and author of The History of the Polish Refugee Community in Lebanon, 1943–1950 (Beirut, 1955)—the outgoing Consul of the Republic of Poland Aneta Ananicz, paid a visit to the Polish War Cemetery in Beirut.

During the visit, and at the request of Professor Jan Malicki, Director of the Centre for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw, a commemorative candle bearing the ribbon of the Centre for East European Studies was placed at Fr. Prof. Kantak's grave. The tribute honoured his pastoral and scholarly work, as well as his contribution to preserving the continuity of Polish Eastern studies in exile.

This gesture forms part of the commemorations marking the anniversaries of the Centre for East European Studies and the legacy of the pre-war Eastern Institute, whose successor was the Reduta Eastern Institute, established in Jerusalem in 1943 and later operating in Beirut before relocating to London. Commemorating Fr. Prof. Kamil Kantak is an expression of remembrance for his service to the Polish refugee community in Lebanon and his role in preserving the intellectual heritage of Polish Soviet and Eastern European studies in exile.