National Polish American - Jewish American Council

Response to Rabbi Avi Weiss on the Nazi Death Camp Memorial in Belzec

August 6, 2002

Belzec is an Important Step on the Road to Polish-Jewish Reconciliation.

Rabbi Avi Weiss´s op-ed in the June 28 edition of „Forward” and his open letter in the July 19 edition of New York „Jewish Week” correctly indicate that memorializing the Nazi death camp at Belzec is a complicated issue. Nonetheless, the National Polish American - Jewish American Council considers the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum´s joint initiative with the Government of Poland to construct a fitting memorial for the 600,000 Jews who perished at Belzec to be yet another milestone in the improvement of Polish-Jewish relations. We trust that the Holocaust Museum and the Polish Government will develop a memorial that complies with Jewish law, ensuring that the dignity and sanctity of the site are protected.

The project in Belzec and the constructive cooperation that has formed between the Holocaust Museum and the Polish Government represents an essential process of reconciliation between Poles and Jews. From the time Poland regained its independence in 1989, every Polish government has taken pain-staking steps to improve Polish-Jewish relations, to educate its people about the events and lessons of the Shoah, and to accurately and appropriately commemorate the Nazi´s evil attempt at destroying European Jewry. Gratuitous attacks on the good faith efforts of the Holocaust Museum and the Polish Government are not helpful and can only serve to inflame the situation, introducing unnecessary barriers to what is already a fruitful and constructive cooperation.

The unprecedented debate over Polish responsibility in Jedwabne was indeed a highlight of Poland’s deep-rooted democratic values and traditions. The two-year investigation uncovered the participation of Poles in the mass murder of Jews at Jedwabne July 10, 1941. Instead of avoiding this dark period in his country´s history, Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of the Republic of Poland, personally presided over ceremonies commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the massacre, asking for forgiveness and vowing to continue working to bring the two communities closer together.

In his speech at Georgetown University, as part of a state visit to the United States two weeks ago, President Kwasniewski spoke at length about the state of Polish-Jewish relations today and the need to enhance cooperation between the two communities. He mentioned the meaning of Holocaust remembrance and education - in Poland and throughout the world - as an important component of Polish-Jewish reconciliation. We believe the Belzec memorial will build on the candor and optimism of President Kwasniewski toward even better relations between Poles and Jews.

For more than two decades, the National Polish American - Jewish American Council has brought together leaders of the Jewish and Polish communities in America to discuss issues of common concern. The Council’s mission has always been, and remains today, to convene the leadership of both of these significant communities on a regular basis to grapple constructively with their shared past and to shape better future relations, both in the United States and in Poland.

With the words of President Kwasniewski still fresh in our minds and the growing importance of Polish-American and Polish-Israeli relations, we encourage the Museum and the Polish Government to continue their work with the Belzec memorial, not only because it will provide a dignified memorial to the victims and their descendants, but also because it will positively affect Polish-Jewish relations.

Martin I. Bresler and John J. Pikarski, Jr., co-chairman, National Polish American - Jewish American Council; Guy Billauer, Executive Coordinator