Published: 1 March 2018
Last updated: 4 March 2024
They are worried about the “Holocaust bill” recently passed by the Polish government and the war of words that erupted in response on the international diplomatic level, as well as among the Polish public and the global Jewish community.
The concern is genuine, warranted and appreciated. We, the Polish Jewish community, are weathering challenging times. The country we call home can feel a little less welcoming these days. On one hand, young people who only recently discovered their Jewish roots have eagerly joined newly opened Hillel student organizations in Warsaw and Krakow. But they hold in the back of their minds a question of what the future may bring.
Polish Jewish leaders, too, are grappling with an uncertain future as we continue to build Jewish life in an environment that has taken a turn away from democracy toward populism.
That shift is never a good sign for Jews — or anyone in a free and open society. And now the Holocaust bill, which criminalises statements that the Polish nation had any responsibility in the Holocaust, may complicate our good relationship with our non-Jewish neighbours.
FULL STORY ‘Should I still visit Poland?’ (New York Times)
AND SEE
Rights group considering warning Jews against travelling to Poland (Telegraph)
Photo: The old town square in Plock (Andreas Meichsner/NYT)
