{"id":16463,"date":"2026-07-10T17:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T17:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/16463\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T17:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T17:39:10","slug":"polish-nationalists-protest-commemoration-for-nazi-era-polish-massacre-of-jews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/16463\/","title":{"rendered":"Polish nationalists protest commemoration for Nazi-era Polish massacre of Jews"},"content":{"rendered":"

JEDWABNE, Poland (AFP) \u2013 Poland\u2019s Jewish community, political leaders and ordinary citizens on Friday commemorated a massacre of hundreds of Jews killed by their Polish neighbors 85 years ago, as far-right activists protested nearby, denying Polish guilt.<\/p>\n

There was heavy police presence at the site of the 1941 Jedwabne massacre \u2014 a former barn in which local Polish farmers locked up around 300 Jews, including women and children, before setting it on fire.<\/p>\n

Right next to the ceremony, about 1,000 people attended demonstrations and a Catholic mass organized by far-right parties, who refuse to acknowledge the responsibility of Polish villagers for the killings.<\/p>\n

Several participants in the commemoration were draped in Israeli and EU flags, as they paid their respects at a monument erected in 2001 to mark the site of the pogrom.<\/p>\n

Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich called for unity as demonstrations carried on outdoors, inviting participants in the ceremony to read out together the names and occupations of Jews murdered in Jedwabne.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n

An official investigation confirmed in 2003 that the massacre had been carried out by Poles from Jedwabne, rather than by Nazi German occupiers.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPolice officers stand guard during a gathering of far-right supporters at the Jedwabne massacre monument honoring the memory of the town\u2019s Jewish residents murdered on July 10, 1941 by their Polish neighbors, in Jedwabne, north-eastern Poland, on July 10, 2026. (Wojtek RADWANSKI \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

This stood in contrast to long-held historical narratives in Poland, and ultra-nationalist groups continue to challenge the investigation\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n

They argue that exhumations of the victims \u2014 halted in 2001 for religious reasons at the request of the Jewish community \u2014 must be resumed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as we do not know the truth, there will be divisions,\u201d Elzbieta Rybarska, carrying a Polish flag, told AFP.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA man holds an umbrella and a Polish national flag at a gathering of far-right supporters who question the guilt of the Polish citizens responsible for the massacre in Jedwabne, on the sidelines of an official ceremony at the Jedwabne massacre monument honoring the memory of the town\u2019s Jewish residents murdered on July 10, 1941 by their Polish neighbors, in Jedwabne, north-eastern Poland, on July 10, 2026. (Wojtek RADWANSKI \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone were not afraid of the truth, the exhumation would have been carried out long ago,\u201d Rybarska, carrying a Polish flag, added.<\/p>\n

Among the organizers of the protest was the far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown party, whose leader is Grzegorz Braun.<\/p>\n

He once caused a scandal by using a fire extinguisher on a menorah<\/a>, a ceremonial candleholder, to interrupt a Jewish religious ceremony in the Polish parliament.<\/p>\n

Around 40 other Jews from Jedwabne were killed by the villagers in ways other than in the burning barn, and several other massacres of Jews took place in the region during the German occupation of Poland in World War II.<\/p>\n

68-year-old Jerzy Orlos, who came to the commemoration draped in an EU flag, told AFP he attended \u201cto experience the shock of how terrible the division of the nation is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPoland\u2019s Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich (2ndL) leads Kaddish at the monument to the wartime Jedwabne massacre during ceremonies honoring the memory of the town\u2019s Jewish residents murdered on July 10, 1941, by their Polish neighbors, in Jedwabne, north-eastern Poland, on July 10, 2026. (Wojtek RADWANSKI \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Yet, he added, \u201csuch a ceremony is of course proof that we remember the deceased.\u201d<\/p>\n

Centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who was not at the ceremonies, said the 85th anniversary of the massacre should serve as \u201ca lesson about (Poland\u2019s) national conscience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like all Poles to assume responsibility for what we are proud of\u2026 but also that we be capable\u2026 of assuming responsibility for what does not do us honor,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPoland\u2019s Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrives for the EU summit in Brussels, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo\/Omar Havana)<\/p>\n

The history of the Jews of Jedwabne resurfaced in 2001, when Polish-American historian Jan T. Gross highlighted the role of Polish villagers in his book \u201cNeighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Revelations about the history of the village sent shockwaves through the country and led to an official apology to the Jewish community from then-president Aleksander Kwasniewski.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a man, a citizen and president of the Republic of Poland, I ask their forgiveness in my own name and in the name of those Poles whose consciences are shaken by this crime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Following the ceremony, Chief Rabbi Schudrich spoke out against divisive narratives surrounding the history of the massacre.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has nothing to do with an attack on Polish identity,\u201d the Rabbi, a dual Polish-American citizen, told AFP.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you are honest about yourself, you can then be that much more honest going into the future,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tJerzy Karwowski (2ndL), who was born in Jedwabne and now lives in the USA, holds a placard reading in Polish \u2018We demand the truth about Jedwabne, apologise for the crimes against the Polish nation\u2019 as he takes part in a gathering of far-right supporters during a ceremony honouring the memory of the town\u2019s Jewish residents murdered on July 10, 1941 by their Polish neighbours, in Jedwabne, north-eastern Poland, on July 10, 2026. (Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

In Poland, the center of the genocide of millions of Jews perpetrated by the Nazis, thousands of Jews were also killed by Poles, particularly in rural areas.<\/p>\n

However, many in Poland also risked their lives to save Jews.<\/p>\n

More than 7,000 Poles \u2014 more than any other nationality \u2014 have been recognised as \u201cRighteous Among the Nations\u201d by Israel.<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n

There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n

As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re really pleased that you\u2019ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n

For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n

Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JEDWABNE, Poland (AFP) \u2013 Poland\u2019s Jewish community, political leaders and ordinary citizens on Friday commemorated a massacre of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[729,792,10985,3958,9],"class_list":["post-16463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-poland","tag-grzegorz-braun","tag-holocaust","tag-jedwabne","tag-jews-in-poland","tag-poland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}