On 23 November, Israel’s Yad Vashem posted a controversial statement on X claiming Poland first forced Jews to wear a distinctive sign, sparking a swift reaction from Poland’s foreign ministry.
Scandalous Yad Vashem Post on X
The post alleged that “Poland was the first country in which Jews were forced to wear a distinctive mark to isolate them from the surrounding population.” It cited an order from Hans Frank dated 23 November 1939, stating that all Jews aged 10 years and older had to wear on the right shoulder a white, 10‑cm‑wide linen sash marked with a blue Star of David.
The claim caused an uproar online, prompting a response from the Polish government.
Polish Foreign Ministry Responds
Spokesperson Maciej Wewiór quoted the Auschwitz Museum, saying: “If anyone should know the historical facts, it is Yad Vashem. They must fully understand that Poland was occupied by Germany at that time, and that it was the Germans who introduced and enforced this anti‑Jewish law.”
Wewiór added that Yad Vashem is planning to open a branch in Germany and expressed “honest hope that this false and distorting message has nothing to do with that.” Meanwhile, Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote in English: “Please clarify that the reference is to Poland occupied by Germany.”
What Is Yad Vashem?
Yad Vashem, founded in 1953 in Jerusalem on Mount Herzl, is dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. Its name, meaning “place and name,” is drawn from the Book of Isaiah.
The institute documents the Jewish people’s history during the Holocaust, commemorates each of the six million victims, awards the title “Righteous Among the Nations,” and preserves evidence of the genocide for future generations through archives, libraries, schools, and museums.
Located on Mount of Remembrance, Har Hazikaron, Yad Vashem is a vast complex surrounded by tree‑lined avenues leading to museums, exhibitions, archives, sculptures, and monuments.
