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- October 17, 202612°
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Jedwabne massacre commemoration in Poland overshadowed by far-right protest
The commemoration for Jews killed by Polish villagers in Jedwabne in 1941 took place simultaneously with demonstrations by far-right groups denying Polish responsibility. An official investigation had confirmed the role of Poles in the massacre.
The 85th anniversary commemoration of the Jewish massacre in the Polish town of Jedwabne during World War II, in which an official investigation confirmed the responsibility of Polish villagers, was divided by far-right protests. While political leaders, members of the Jewish community and citizens attended the commemoration ceremony on Friday, far-right activists gathered right next to the site.
According to AFP reporters, heavy police measures were taken at the site where local Polish farmers locked about 300 Jews in a barn and burned them in 1941. Adjacent to the commemoration, around 1,000 people attended demonstrations organized by far-right parties and a Catholic mass. These groups refuse to accept Polish responsibility for the massacre.
Challenge to the official historical narrative
The official investigation completed in 2003 confirmed that the Jedwabne massacre was carried out not by Nazi German occupiers but by Poles from Jedwabne. This finding contradicts long-held historical narratives in Poland. Far-right nationalist groups dispute the investigation's conclusions and demand the resumption of the exhumation of victims, which was halted on religious grounds in 2001.
Among the organizers of the protest was the far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown party, led by Grzegorz Braun. Braun had previously caused a scandal by spraying a fire extinguisher on a menorah to disrupt a Jewish religious ceremony in the Polish parliament.
At the commemoration, Poland's Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich called for unity as demonstrations continued outside and invited participants to read together the names and professions of the Jews killed in Jedwabne. Some participants wrapped themselves in Israeli and US flags and observed a moment of silence in front of the monument erected in 2001.
National conscience and division
Center-right Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who did not attend the ceremony, said the anniversary of the massacre should be "a lesson about national conscience." Tusk stated, "I would like all Poles to take responsibility for the things we are proud of... But also to be able to take responsibility for the things that do not bring us honor."
The history of the Jews of Jedwabne resurfaced when Polish-American historian Jan T. Gross highlighted the role of Polish villagers in his 2001 book "Neighbors." These revelations sent shockwaves through the country and led then-President Aleksander Kwasniewski to formally apologize to the Jewish community.
After the ceremony, Chief Rabbi Schudrich said, "This has nothing to do with an attack on Polish identity. When you are honest with yourself, you can be much more honest about the future."
In Poland, the epicenter of the Nazi genocide of millions of Jews, thousands of Jews were also killed by Poles, especially in rural areas. However, many in Poland risked their lives to save Jews. More than 7,000 Poles have been recognized by Israel as "Righteous Among the Nations," a number greater than any other nation.
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