Polish nationalist leader denounces antisemitism, lauds Israel
The head of Poland’s right-wing nationalist Law and Justice Party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, denounced antisemitism Monday and lauded the “great state” of Israel during a ceremony commemorating Polish citizens who protected the country’s Jews during the Nazi Holocaust.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, head of Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice Party. Credit: Piotr Drabik via Wikimedia Commons
Numerous international dignitaries, including officials from Israel, the U.S. and Britain, attended the event, which was facilitated by From the Depths, an organisation established by descendants of Holocaust survivors.
In his remarks, Kaczynski characterised antisemitism as being “very dangerous” and commended Israel for its “power of spirit, power of the mind, determination and courage.”
Kaczynski’s statements came after Polish-Jewish leaders called on the politician to denounce rising antisemitism within the country in August.
“We are appalled by recent events and fearful for our security as the situation in our country is becoming more dangerous,” Leslaw Piszewski, head of the Jewish community in Poland, and Anna Chipczynska, head of the Warsaw Jewish community, wrote in a letter to Kaczynski.
The Polish-Jewish leaders also wrote that the current climate in Poland is reminiscent of 1968, when the then-Communist government waged an antisemitic campaign that culminated in the expulsion of thousands of Jews.
JNS.org
