The Simon Wiesenthal
Center today publically responded to the numerous criticisms voiced
during the past week by Polish officials and public figures of
the opening in Warsaw of its special phone line for “Operation:
Last Chance” in Poland. In an op-ed published in the leading
Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza this morning, the Center’s chief
Nazi-hunter Israel director Dr. Efraim Zuroff, who coordinates
the project, delineated the project’s goals and methods of
implementation and countered the various arguments marshaled by
Polish personages against its launch in Poland. Zuroff stressed
the necessity of the project, given the limited time during which
Holocaust perpetrators could still be brought to justice, and the
need for such an operation in Poland, where numerous members of
the local population assisted the Nazis in the mass murder of the
Jews.
According to Zuroff:
“…
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 “Operation:
Last Chance” will not only succeed, but that even its current
detractors will ultimately recognize its importance and value for
their country.”
For more information call: 972-51-214156
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