European Central: Remembering the Holocaust Without Russia
Sean Gallup
Usually, Russia has a role in Poland’s annual remembrance of the liberation of Auschwitz. However, due to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine Russia was not invited. Russia voiced its displeasure about this, considering this is the first year that Russia was not part of the official ceremony. The director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, Piotr Cywiński, made it clear he did not feel capable of sending a letter to the Russian ambassador in the current context. Auschwitz is a vital part of remembering the Holocaust as the death camp is the location where 1 million out of 6 million Jews were killed between 1940 and 1945.
Soviet Union’s Role In the Liberation Of Auschwitz
Every January 27th, the liberation of Auschwitz is remembered since it happened in 1945. The Nazis attempted to destroy evidence of the camps, but they were too late. The world would eventually learn the extent of Nazi Germany’s war crimes in Poland as was evident by the existence of the camps and crematoria, along with clothing seized from hundreds of thousands of Jews. This is largely possible due to Soviet troops catching the Nazis off-guard and reaching the camp before all evidence was destroyed. Nazis forced 15,000 healthier prisoners to participate in death marches into territory still under the control of the Reich meanwhile around 9,000 of the sickliest prisoners were left behind at Auschwitz. When the Germans left, there was no food, energy, or even water. The Soviet Soldiers had no idea what to expect awaited them when they first arrived at the death camp.
A major aspect of the liberation of Auschwitz was the kindness that Soviet soldiers showed the prisoners who were left to die. Due to those soldiers' efforts, around 7,500 of the prisoners left behind managed to recover and survive the ordeal. The soldiers helped set up hospitals with local Polish townspeople assisting, and the Polish Red Cross helped care for the sick for months. This helps explain why Russia has always been present at the event remembering the liberation of Auschwitz, until now. Considering the dire conditions that the Soviet Union found at Auschwitz, the Polish government finds the current invasion of Ukraine inexcusable. Poland has taken in the most Ukrainian refugees since the invasion started in February of last year.
The conflict between Israel And Poland Over Holocaust Law
This is not the first time there has been some controversy over how Poland remembers the holocaust. Israel canceled school trips to Poland last fall due to disagreements over the educational content of the trips along with how security would be organized. Poland demands Israel respect the Polish Holocaust Law, adopted in 2018. The law makes it criminal for people to accuse Poland of having any responsibility for the holocaust as the nation views itself also as a victim of Nazi Germany. Israel is against this stance and the government under President Reuven Rivlin stated that "Poland and Poles had a hand in the extermination" in reference to the Jews murdered in the Holocaust.
Poland created its holocaust law in response to death camps located in the nation as “Polish death camps”. Law and Justice, the political party that currently is in control of the Polish government argue that the Polish State was wiped off the map under Nazi German and Soviet occupation. As the Polish State did not exist during Soviet and Nazi German occupation, it cannot be held responsible for Nazi Germany constructing death camps and facilitating the murders and torture of millions. During this occupation, over 5 million Polish citizens died, and three million were Jewish.
Poland is serious about the law as can be seen by the firing of a diplomat. The diplomat in question, Jaroslaw Nowak was fired after an interview with Jewish News, a British newspaper. He was fired after describing Poland’s Holocaust Law as “one of the stupidest amendments that was ever done by any law”.
Poland’s View On Restitutions
Besides anger over Poland’s Holocaust Law, Israel is furious with Poland over a Holocaust Property Law. This legislation limits the ability of Polish property owners who owned property before World War II to submit claims for restitution of their properties seized by the Nazis or Soviet regimes. Yair Lipid, then Foreign Minister of Israel in the fall of 2021 argued that this would disproportionately impact Jewish families. Polish President Andrzej Duda however disagrees since it applies to all prewar property owners. President Duda also argues this is necessary to give a sense of security to those in the modern property market. Lipid, however, insists he will continue to oppose this law because restitution of property is not just a discussion of money. Poland was home to the largest Jewish community in Europe before the war and the homes seized are all that remain of their prior lives.
At the moment there is a lot of anger in Europe towards Russia due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, Germany was viewed very negatively in the past due to the six million people murdered during the Holocaust by the Nazis. It will take time to repair and normalize relations between Russia and the rest of Europe and Russia needs to understand this. Poland also has to realize that while the holocaust may be the result of the actions of Nazi Germany, Jews with Polish ancestry seek to have a connection with the previous lives of their families. Homes previously seized serve as a connection to the past.
