|
Judging from the impassioned negative
responses by prominent Polish public figures to the launching
this week of the "Operation:Last Chance"(O:LC) infoline in Warsaw, one can only wonder why the efforts to bring local
Nazi war criminals to justice in Poland have aroused such
antagonism among the very people whom one would have expected
to be their most ardent supporters. If former Foreign Minister
Bronislaw Geremek, whose father was murdered in Auschwitz,
reacts with "disgust and anxiety," and former dissident and Gazeta Wyborcza editor Adam Michnik describes the project
as dangerous and former Foreign Minister and Righteous Among
the Nations Wladyslaw Bartoszewski says that such an operation
is worthless, my conclusion is that either the Polish public
is suffering from a severe case of misinformation regarding
O:LC's goals and methods, or there is something much deeper
behind this opposition.
Let me begin therefore with the essential facts. I believe that the basic motivation
for the project should be entirely obvious. The time left during which Nazi war
criminals can be brought to justice is rapidly running out. At most, we have
only a few years in which such trials can be held. In that context, it is important
to remember that although many Holocaust perpetrators have been convicted, many
thousands remain unprosecuted for their crimes, especially in Germany and Austria,
but also in Eastern Europe, where numerous local collaborators actively participated
in the implementation of the Final Solution, at times exhibiting zealous initiative
even without the encouragement or assistance of the Nazis. This was especially
true in the Baltics, but also
in the Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, and Belarus, where the Nazis allowed
local collaborators to play an important role in the apparatus of mass murder
and in the actual killings, but it is also true to some extent in Poland as clearly
shown in the case of Jedwabne, which was not the only place in Poland where Poles
committed crimes against Jews.
If we take into account that well over one million of the Jews murdered in Eastern
Europe were killed individually by shooting and that it takes tens, if not hundreds,
of thousands of men to organize and carry out an operation of this sort over
such a wide geographic area, it becomes obvious that the number of those involved
was enormous and that many of these criminals have never been held accountable
for their crimes. This situation is clearly reflected, for example, in the fact
that during the past year at least 335 new investigations of Nazi war criminals
were initiated in nine countries(quite a few as a result of O:LC) and as of March
31,2004, the cases of 940 Holocaust perpetrators were being investigated all
over the world.
I cannot imagine, however, that any of this is the cause for the harsh criticism
in Poland of O:LC, so let us turn to its practical aspects. Adam Michnik is quoted
as saying that "a
denunciation for money...opens the doors of hell to the squaring of accounts[and]
of false charges," but frankly, it is very difficult to take his argument seriously. Does anyone
think that each piece of information will not be carefully examined to verify
its authenticity? Can anyone imagine that we would publicize the names of people
suspected of murder without a comprehensive investigation? In that respect, I
can assure Mr. Michnik that we have no intention of allowing ourselves to be
exploited for any foul purposes.
That brings me to the issue of the financial rewards being offered for information,
a situation which I admit is not ideal. Indeed, in a perfect world, there would
be no need for such deals and gimmicks, but our reality is far from ideal and
the offer of rewards for information leading to the capture and/or prosecution
of criminals is accepted practice throughout the civilized world. Thus the notion
of paying some unsavory character to help convict a Nazi war criminal makes my
stomach turn, but I realize that under the current circumstances that might be
necessary to achieve the desired result.
At the same time, it should be clear, that if not for the rewards, this project
and the cause that it seeks to advance, would not receive any public or media
attention whatsoever. The fact that a relatively-modest sum of money is being
offered has brought the subject of bringing Nazis to justice to its proper place-television
screens, radio broadcasts and the front pages of important newspapers.
Thus it appears that the reasons for the vociferous opposition in Poland to O:LC
are much deeper and stem from certain Polish sensitivities regarding the history
of World War II and how Poland currently deals with such issues. To begin with,
the argument was made by Prof. Witold Kulesza, among others, that the project
implies criticism of Poland's efforts to prosecute Nazi war criminals, despite
the fact that Poland has been among the few countries which have consistently
made a serious effort to bring such criminals to justice. In fact, nothing could
be further from the truth. The Wiesenthal Center has been in close contact with
the Institute of National Memory since its establishment and appreciates its
important achievements which we have publicly praised.
If anything, our confidence in the IPN has motivated us to launch O:LC in Poland,
where thanks to the IPN, justice can be achieved in Nazi war crimes cases. At
the same time, we are aware, that the IPN, by law, cannot launch certain uniquely
innovative initiatives such as O:LC and therefore we are willing to do so to
be of assistance.
A second argument, presented by Adam Michnik, asks why Holocaust perpetrators
should be prosecuted exclusively as opposed to other genocidists. In this regard,
I totally agree with Michnik and have often publicly expressed my fullest support
for the prosecution of Communist criminals and Rwandan Hutu genocidists among
others. Having said that, two things should be obvious, that Holocaust criminals
deserve priority because of the shortage of time left to prosecute them and that
the Simon Wiesenthal Center's expertise and mission relate to them rather than
to the others. I personally would very much welcome the establishment of an institute
like our own dedicated to bringing the "other" mass
murderers to justice.
Finally, we are left with the issue of Poland's image, as presented by Bronislaw
Geremek who indicated that he preferred that "the
whole world knew how much good Poles did for other Poles by saving Jews.” That
is indeed a very noble enterprise, but one which tells only part of the story
of the Holocaust in Poland. Thus while Poles can be extremely proud of the activities
of Zegota, a Polish organization especially founded to rescue Jews, and of the
heroism of the other Polish Righteous Among the Nations, the sad truth is that
many Poles participated in the murder of their Jewish neighbors and others assisted
the Nazis in doing so, and that truth must be confronted honestly. Of course
Polish leaders would prefer that their country be regarded exclusively as a victim
of the Nazis, but that is not the entire truth and it is extremely important
that the whole historical picture emerge clearly and be visible to all.
I sincerely believe that one of the ways to help do so, is to bring the guilty
to justice in Poland, and in that regard we hope that O:LC will not only succeed,
but that even its current detractors will ultimately recognize its importance
and value for their country.
|
|