Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski said on Radio ZET on November 27 that Israel will not respond to the Jad Waszem Institute’s post and that Poland cannot compel a reply.
Deputy Minister’s Response to Radio ZET
Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, Poland’s deputy foreign minister, was asked on Radio ZET why Poland had not demanded apologies from Israel for the Jad Waszem Institute’s anti‑Polish post. He said Poland was not interested in apologies; instead it wants the post to be historically accurate.
Polish Protest and Communications
He noted that the ministry had already protested: the Israeli ambassador was summoned, a protest note was issued, and he voiced strong remarks on social media. Bartoszewski said the Israeli side was “completely silent” at the moment. He added that Israel hides behind its status as a non‑state organization, criticized the chairman of Jad Waszem sharply, has not received a reply, and that the Israeli ambassador described the situation as a misunderstanding; he reiterated that the organization cannot be forced to publish an apology.
Content of the Jad Waszem Post
The Jad Waszem Institute published a post on 23 November describing the treatment of Jews during World War II, stating that Poland was the first country to force Jews to wear a distinctive sign to isolate them. The post also recalled that on 23 November 1939 Governor Hans Frank issued a decree requiring all Jewish men aged 10 and older to wear a white cloth band with a blue Star of David on their right shoulder.
Jad Waszem provided a link to a longer article elaborating on the event.
Polish Clarifications and Contextual Additions
After the post, former foreign minister Radosław Sikorski demanded that the entry be clarified to note that Poland was under German occupation. Online users added this context, and the institute later posted that the directive was a command from German authorities, as stated in the linked article.
