David Strathairn as Jan Karski in My Report to the World: The Story of Jan Karski

Karski is an extraordinarily compelling figure in history. His life is so moving and heroic in such a quiet way. Hes part of a tradition of whistleblowers, people who bear witness to events. He put himself in grave danger, and saw it as his mission, his duty, what he was on earth for.  - David Strathairn

This July we invite you to public performances of the play titled My Report to the World: The Story of Jan Karski--written by Clark Young and Derek Goldman, and directed by Goldman award-winning director, playwright, professor, and Artistic Director of the Davis Performing Arts Center at Georgetown University--as part of a workshop residency to be held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in downtown Manhattan.

Starring David Strathairn, the Oscar-nominated actor (Good Night and Good Luck, Lincoln), the play recounts the astonishing, and largely unknown, story of Polish World War II hero and Holocaust witness Jan Karski. Karski's determination to save Jews from extermination at the hands of the Germans in Nazi-occupied Poland sent him on a dangerous mission, alerting the Americans and the British to the horrors of the Holocaust. A rousing adventure story with elements of a spy thriller, Karski's journey is an inspiring story of heroism and courage.

The show takes audiences from Karski's childhood in the Polish countryside, to the Warsaw Ghetto and German Nazi camps, to a fateful meeting with President Roosevelt, to Karski's shattering and revelatory testimony in Claude Lanzmann's epic documentary Shoah. As realized through Strathairn's sensitive portrayal, Karski is shown to be a man of deep courage, faith, and remarkable wit.

From director Derek Goldman: "Karski's story reminds us that wherever people had the courage to speak up, lives were saved. It is no accident that Karski himself was such a passionate believer in theater, as the story of his life lends itself to what theater does best - bearing witness, bringing history alive, and moving us toward a deeply felt awareness of our world."

Originally conceived in partnership with the Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University, the first reading of the play was part of the Karski Centennial at Georgetown in April 2014, followed by a staged reading in Manhattan in December. Performances have taken place in Washington, D.C. and Warsaw (at the opening of the Museum of History of Polish Jews.)

The creative team is joined by New York-based Bisno Productions, in planning for a full-scale theatrical experience to be shared with regional and international audiences. The play will also serve as an educational vehicle so that Karski's extraordinary moral courage and belief in man's capacity to do good will inspire students around the world.

Award Winning Journalist & Author Andrew Nagorski in conversation with Mr. Strathairn following the performance.

• July 15 at 1pm & 7:30 p.m.
• July 22 at 7pm
• July 23 at 3pm
• July 25 at 9:30 p.m.

Museum of Jewish Heritage
36 Battery Place, New York, NY
http://www.mjhnyc.org