Slavija 30090101

Betrayal of a nation: The Polish President apologizes

On July 10, 2001 the Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski has made a formal apology to the Jewish victims of the massacre in a small village of Jedwabne. A monument has been erected in their honor. Up to 1,600 Jews were killed in the village in 1941 only weeks after the town came under German occupation. The controversial apology was prompted by a recent publication of a book that claimed the Polish residents of Jedwabne, rather then the German forces, killed the local Jewish populace. What is most interesting about this case is the lack of actual evidence. The Polish government has formed a commission to investigate the matter. As to date, only 200 bodies of the estimated 1,600 have been exhumed, and investigators are beginning to doubt the original estimation. Still according to a BBC news report, no final findings have yet been released, mainly because of objection of Jews to the examination of the buried bodies.

Elder residence of the village have recalled the massacre saying that the Germans ordered the killings and forced a number of local residences to carry it out. Statements that are backed up by the findings of numerous standard German army cartridges and shreds of German uniforms. Surprisingly many Jews reacted with anger to the apology, claiming that the role of the Polish people was underplayed. A number of Jewish leader believed that this is forcing the Polish people to reexamine themselves as victims and to admit their role in the Holocaust. Indeed, the mere fact that a Polish President would ever apologize to the Jews on Poland's behalf is an absolute bewilderment and insult to the Polish population as a whole. Opinion polls showed that nearly 80% of Poles were displeased with Kwasniewski's actions. Historically, Poland has always displayed a tolerance uncommon amongst her European neighbors. During the middle ages, when Jews were persecuted and expelled from virtually every other nation in Europe, the Poles offered them safe refuge where they could freely practice their religion and live in peace. Furthermore it was due to Poland's sizable Jewish population that made her the major target for Nazi Germany. The result of World War II left one out of every five Poles dead. No other country had as high per capital death rate. Many Poles risked their lives and endangered their families by offering help and aid to Jews during the War.