The Virtus et Fraternitas Medal (Polish name: ''Medal Virtus et Fraternitas'';

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "Courage and Brotherhood") is a Polish

state decoration A state decoration is an object, such as a medal or the insignia of an order, that is awarded by a sovereign state to honor the recipient. The term includes: *Civil awards and decorations *Military awards and decorations See also * State order ...

established on 9 November 2017. It is awarded by the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...

on recommendation of the director of the

Pilecki Institute The Pilecki Institute ( pl, Instytut Pileckiego) is a Polish government institution in care of preserving the memory, documenting and researching the historical experiences of Polish citizens and increasing awareness regarding totalitarianism in th ...

as a token of commemoration and gratitude to those who provided aid and assistance to Polish citizens against Soviet and Nazi Germany war crimes as well as other crimes motivated by

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

committed between 1917–1990. It is also bestowed to honor individuals who voluntarily keep alive the memory of those who did not survive the war or the forced deportations, and found their graves abroad. The medal has been conceptually compared to

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

's Righteous Among the Nations Awards.

Design

The medal is round and silver. On the obsverse it is inscribed "VIRTUS ET FRATERNITATIS" (''virtue and brotherhood''). In the center of the medal carved stylized image of the White Eagle. The cross is 36 mm in diameter. The Virtus et Fraternitas Medal is suspended from a purple ribbon, 36 mm wide. Symmetrically arranged along the edges of the ribbon are gold stripes each 4 mm wide, both 4 mm from the edge.

Recipients

The medal was awarded for the first time on 19 June 2019. Among the awarded were: * Tassybay Abdikarimov * Oleksandra Vaseyko *

Chaim Eiss Chaim Yisroel Eiss (1876–1943, he, חיים ישראל אייז) was an Agudath Israel activist and writer. He also was among the founders of the Agudath Israel in 1912. During the First World War, Rebbe Eiss set up an aid system that locate ...

* Zinaida Giergiel * Anatolij Giergiel *

Władysław Konopczyński Władysław Konopczyński (26 November 1880 – 12 July 1952) was a leading Polish historian'' Encyklopedia Polski'', p. 305. and publisher of primary-source materials.''Encyklopedia powszechna PWN'', vol. 2, p. 539. Life Władysław Konopczyńs ...

* Juliusz Kühl * Aleksander Ładoś * Władysława Nagórka * Antoni Nagórka * Konstanty Rokicki * Stefan Ryniewicz * Adolf Henryk Silberschein * Lóránd Utassy The second awarding of medals took place on June 2, 2021 at the

Presidential Palace in Warsaw The Presidential Palace ( Polish: ''Pałac Prezydencki'') is the official residence of the Polish head of state and president alongside the Belweder Palace, located in Warsaw, Poland. Originally constructed in 1643 as an aristocratic mansion, it ...

. They were given to the following persons: * Maria Bazeluk * Petro Bazeluk * Ecaterina Caradja * Petro Hrudzewycz * Jenő Etter * Anna Jelínková * Jan Jelínek * Jozef Lach * Žofia Lachová The third award ceremony of medals took place on June 15, 2022 at the Belweder Palace in Warsaw. They were given to the following persons: * Raymond Voegeli * Marie Gorius * Eugène Gorius * Rosalie Fogel * Jeanine Humbert * Léon Humbert * Hélène Pionstka *

Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand La ...

Janet Fraser Janet Fraser (née Munro, formerly Kemp; 31 January 1883 – 7 March 1945) was a New Zealand community leader and the wife of Peter Fraser, who was the 24th Prime Minister of New Zealand (1940–49) during the Second World War. She was bor ...

* Aristides de Sousa Mendes * César de Sousa Mendes * Pedro Correia Marques * Ján Klinovský * Julien Bryan * Paul Super * Elna Gistedt-Kiltynowicz * Kateryna Bojmistruk * Fedor Bojmistruk * Mykhailo Susla * Józsefné Margit Károlyi * Edith Weiss * Erzsébet Szapáry * Antal Szapáry On 20 December 2022 were decorated: * Ilona Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka * Trofim Danieluk * Zinaida Samczuk * Hanna Skakalska (1905–1987) * Hanna Skakalska (1887–1966) * Musij Skakalski On 6 July 2023 were decorated: * Semen Biliczuk * Ustyna Kowtoniuk * Sawa Kowtoniuk * Paraskewa Padlewska * Lubow Parfeniuk * Anton Parfeniuk * Piotr Parfeniuk * Oksana Karpiuk * Jewhenia Bondaruk * Prokop Bondaruk * Anastasija Koreń * Mykoła Koreń * Sofia Kyc * Pawło Kyc * Herasym Łukiańczuk * Wołodymyr Kryżuk

Design

Recipients

See also

References

See also