Rzymowska MBE, best known for her leadership role as Vice President and Managing Director, EMEA at Celebrity Cruises – and named Diversity Trailblazer of the Year at TTG’s Travel Industry Awards in 2021 – has written the book with author Janet Pywell.
The book tells the story of Rzymowska’s parents, Barbara and Julian, with Barbara escaping Nazi persecution through the Kindertransport as a young girl, while Julian fled Warsaw through the city’s tunnels as a boy.
The memoir draws on hundreds of letters discovered in an unopened box in the attic of Rzymowska, who said the book was an opportunity to honour her parents.
“My commitment to inclusion has always been deeply personal, and this book shares the family story behind the values that have guided my life and career,” she said, speaking at the launch event at the Polish Hearth Club,
“Mum and Dad had experienced the consequences of hatred and exclusion, yet built a home filled with love and acceptance, and preserving their story has been a way of honouring them and sharing that legacy.
“At a time when antisemitism, racism and hatred are causing so much division and atrocity, I hope their experiences encourage readers to think about how we treat one another and the responsibility we all share to challenge prejudice and make people feel they belong.”
The title takes its name from the dash that appears between two dates on a gravestone, reflecting the idea that what matters most is everything that happens in between.
The Dash of Life was published on 8 October and is available on Amazon now.
