In the international press, Oswiecim is often equated with Auschwitz, and the terrible atrocities committed against Jews in World War II are sloppily laid at the feet of Poland. To combat that, the city of Oswiecim has recently called for a name change for Auschwitz. Our meeting with the mayor explored this issue, along with the broader subject of what brings people to live is Oswiecim, a town permanently linked to such incredible tragedy.

The raw transcript of our interview with the mayor follows:

TLP: People around the world and in America wonder why do people live in Oswiecim?

Mayor: Mainly because good people live here and many others join in. The other reason is associated with the history of our town. It has over 800 years of history, and most of it has been good for people of different ethnicities and communities who lived here together in peace. Except, of course, for the time when Poland was under Nazi occupation, when Poles, Jews and people of other nations were exterminated. And now, after the Second World War, it is the time of paying respect to all of the victims and to work together in order to bring about peace in the world. I think these are the main reasons.

TLP: How do the people of Oswiecim view Auschwitz?

Mayor: Unequivocally as a tragedy of that time, a tragedy which began for the people of Oswiecim and Brzezinki on June 14, 1940 when the first transport arrived and Auschwitz began. This tragedy has touched so many people - Poles, Russians, etc. - culminating in the extermination of Jews, Roma Gypsies, and people of other nations. It is viewed by all of us as a place where the greatest respects have to be given to victims of that period.

TLP: In the US and other countries the camps Auschwitz-Birkenau are sometimes referred to as "Polish concentration camps." And there has been a movement, a suggestion, to change this to "Former Nazi Concentration Camps Auschwitz-Birkenau." Could we learn your opinion about this situation, about changing the names of the camps so the people will not think that they were Polish death camps but rather Nazi death camps?

Mayor: I can answer this simply and unequivocally. If one talks about Polish concentration camps it only shows that one has no idea of the history of that time and talks nonsense. In 1939, after Germany defeated Poland and occupied it, Poland disappeared from the map. There was no Poland and thus there could not be any Polish concentration camps. Secondly, regarding Oswiecim, the name Oswiecim also disappeared in November 1939, when all of the information signs with the name of ÒOswiecimÒ in offices, railroad stations, etc. were removed and replaced with the name Auschwitz.

A new, exemplary German town called Auschwitz was born and Oswiecim remained only in the consciousness of Poles. It was supposed to be a German exemplary town. God save us from such a standard!

I have to add one more thing. Most of the Poles were evicted from their homes, Jews were evicted from their homes, and those few Poles who remained, helped while risking their lives and their families' lives to provide medicine, food, and correspondence between prisoners and their families. A number of them paid with their lives for this assistance, and if there are some ignorant people in the USA and other countries accusing inhabitants in occupied Oswiecim, rather than Auschwitz, then it is simply an indignity. I am convinced that when one learns what the situation was, one won't do it again.

TLP: Given the presence of the camps of Auschwitz in the town of Oswiecim where do the people of Oswiecim find hope for the future? Does the presence of the camps burden their hearts? How do they find hope? Do they feel uplifted for the future in the presence of the camps?

Mayor: I think we could try to answer this in the following way: That what happened during World War II was caused by Nazi Germany. Polish inhabitants attempted to help people who were in the camp irrespective of whether they were Poles, Jews, Russians, or others. Whenever possible they tried to bring food. From the statements of many prisoners it has become clear that without the help of the few remaining Poles in Oswiecim (the majority of the population then was German settlers) those who survived would not have. For example, Julius Goldstein, who survived the Auschwitz hell, says that without the help of Poles he would not be here.

I would like to stress that thanks to the comments of Julius Goldstein who is a founder of the Auschwitz International Committee and of many other prisoners who were lucky to survive we have learned not only of the tragic events themselves but also of the facts that even under the most difficult circumstances there was a constant hope for help from outside and a strong belief that the evil would end. I think this is an important lesson for the future and that this hope for a better future is further strengthened by comments made by many prisoners on the occasion of annual camp meetings. They strive for a world without hate, free from anger and mutual distrust, but based on friendship, collaboration and dialogue irrespective of race, ethnicity, or religion. We always can find a common language. These views of the former prisoners have had a great impact on the young inhabitants of Oswiecim. We should not only remember the evil past but also be able to draw pertinent conclusions. And one more short comment - from the hate of the Second World War, from Auschwitz to Oswiecim, the town of peace.

TLP: Although we are sixty years past Auschwitz there still is terrorism. How do you, as a leader, find hope on personal level, given the state of the world?

Mayor: That is a good question. As we said earlier, the horrible events of World War II took place in a town that was named Auschwitz and we are back in Oswiecim, and yet we see that the evil continues, that wars keep breaking out, and that terrorism is rampant. It is almost hard to believe. I still think that the idea, advanced by former prisoners, of building a mound of memory and conciliation aids the attempts at developing a dialogue. It is only through such dialogue that we can learn of other people's problems and perhaps help to resolve them. We can't afford to be aloof; it is only through our engagement in working together that we shall have a chance of living in peace.