The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau, dismissed Jarosław Nowak from the position of the government’s plenipotentiary for contacts with the Jewish diaspora. Earlier, Nowak was interviewed in the British media, where he said, that Poland “at some point” would have to do something about the restitution of Jewish property.
According to the Polish media, the government plenipotentiary for contacts with the Jewish diaspora, Jarosław Nowak, criticized the actions of PiS governing party towards Jewish communities in an interview for the British newspaper “Jewish News”. Nowak called the amendment to the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), preventing Poland from being considered co-responsible for the Holocaust as “one of the stupidest amendments ever to appear in the law”.
The plenipotentiary added that, in his opinion, the discussion on the topic should take place at an academic level, and publishing a debunking article with counter-arguments is challenging the research spirit.
– This is not a role for judges or anyone else. You cannot really effectively discuss books containing theories or research, if you have not conducted your own research and found your own opinions on this subject – assessed Nowak. He also stated that Poland, at some point, would have to do something about the restitution of Jewish property.
The Act on the Institute of National Remembrance, passed in March 2018, caused a diplomatic conflict with the United States and Israel. The regulation aimed at preventing the falsification of Polish history in Poland and in the world, introduced a fine or imprisonment of up to three years for attributing the responsibility for genocide committed against Jews during the war to Poles.
In June 2018, Poland withdrew the regulation, and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the Prime Minister of Israel stated in a joint statement that Israel did not agree to actions of blaming Poland or the Polish nation for atrocities committed by the Nazis and their collaborators.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński