Ambassador AndrzejKurnicki
Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Canada
443 Daly AvenueOttawa, Ontario K1N 6H3

Tuesday January 30,2018

‍

Dear Ambassador Kurnicki,

I am writing this letterregarding Poland’s proposed legislative change to the Institute of NationalRemembrance Act, which would criminalize reference to any responsibilityby the Polish government or people for atrocities committed during theHolocaust. 

As an organization that is dedicated to educating about the atrocitiesof the Holocaust and that is a friend of many Holocaust survivors of Polishdescent, it is a very troubling proposal. It is ourconcern that the proposed legislation could have the consequence of silencingdiscussion by academics and others as to the historical truths regarding thecollaboration and complicity of members of the Polish population with theirNazi occupiers during the Holocaust.  

The concerns with this legislation were well articulated ina statement from the Polish Center for Holocaust Research on January 29, 2018,which explained that “the new legislation would constitute an unprecedented(and unknown in a democratic system) intrusion into the debate about Polishhistory. Historical truth, which becomes known in the course of thorough,document-based historical research, cannot be decreed. The law which has beenvoted is an instrument which can muzzle discussions surrounding independentscientific inquiries which shed light on the complex history of the Holocaust.The popularization of this research cannot be subject to control and politicalpressures.”

If the call of “Never Again” is to hold firm in generationsto come, then we must counter any attempt to restrict the voice of Holocaustsurvivors and others who seek to thoroughly examine the responsibilityfor the atrocities that took place during World War II. While the Polishpeople clearly suffered under the brutal occupation of the Nazis, researchers have documented Nazi reliance upon Polish agencies, includingthe police and railroad officials, to carry out their genocidal plans. Eyewitnesses have given testimony to the participation of Polishneighbors in atrocities such as the 1941 massacre at Jedwabne. It isthese truths that must be spoken about alongside the fact that Polish individualsmake up the largest nationality among theranks of the Righteous Among The Nations.

We encourage the Polish government to rethink this proposed legislationin light of the concerns of historians and Jewish people all over theworld. As we engage students and educators in learning opportunities atthe Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies on a daily basis,we will continue to support research into the complex history of bystanders,victims and perpetrators during the genocidal “Final Solution” of the GermanThird Reich in frank but respectful dialogue.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of our concerns.

Sincerely,

Avi Benlolo
President & CEO
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies