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Holocaust research could hinge on Polish libel case
ABC News
Guy Davies and Dragana Jovanovic
February 7, 2021, 8:15 AM
• 10 min read
LONDON and MOSCOW -- An unusual libel case in Poland pertaining to the Holocaust has the potential to affect both the future of academic research as well as how the country comes to grips with its treatment of Jews during WWII, advocates say.
The case is the first of its kind brought to the Polish courts since a controversial 2018 law from the nationalist government made it a civil offense to make false accusations about Poland's history in the Holocaust.
(EDIT)
"On the surface, the civil litigation at the heart of this story involves an old lady wanting to defend the good name of her family, allegedly tarnished by the authors of a book 'Night Without End,'" Grabowski told ABC News. "In reality, however, the entire lawsuit has been prepared, launched and financed by a militant right-wing, nationalistic organization funded directly by the Polish state and serving as a proxy for the Polish authorities," he added, referring to the RDI.
Grabowski, a professor of history at the University of Ottawa, also decried the reach of the claims in the case.
(EDIT)
The country has long struggled to come to grips with its wartime history. In 1939, 3.3 million Jews lived in Poland, but by the end of the war, 90% of them had died, with the remaining 300,000 survivors mostly living in the Soviet Union, according to the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
This is not the first time the role of Poland in the Holocaust has been called into question in recent years. A diplomatic spat ensued with Israel over the passing of the controversial law of 2018, which initially made it a criminal offense to make false accusations about Poland's history in the Holocaust. The law was later amended to make this only a civil offense.
The case is the first of its kind brought to the Polish courts since a controversial 2018 law from the nationalist government made it a civil offense to make false accusations about Poland's history in the Holocaust.
(EDIT)
"On the surface, the civil litigation at the heart of this story involves an old lady wanting to defend the good name of her family, allegedly tarnished by the authors of a book 'Night Without End,'" Grabowski told ABC News. "In reality, however, the entire lawsuit has been prepared, launched and financed by a militant right-wing, nationalistic organization funded directly by the Polish state and serving as a proxy for the Polish authorities," he added, referring to the RDI.
Grabowski, a professor of history at the University of Ottawa, also decried the reach of the claims in the case.
(EDIT)
The country has long struggled to come to grips with its wartime history. In 1939, 3.3 million Jews lived in Poland, but by the end of the war, 90% of them had died, with the remaining 300,000 survivors mostly living in the Soviet Union, according to the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
This is not the first time the role of Poland in the Holocaust has been called into question in recent years. A diplomatic spat ensued with Israel over the passing of the controversial law of 2018, which initially made it a criminal offense to make false accusations about Poland's history in the Holocaust. The law was later amended to make this only a civil offense.
Read full story at link: https://abcnews.go.com/International/holocaust-research-hinge-polish-libel-case/story?id=75707521
This is somewhat of a complex story. Poland's disturbing recent history is of a country that wants to deny its role in the Holocaust and has now taken the extraordinary step of trying to discourage scholars from writing about this topic. Some American historians, including Timothy Snyder, have tackled this subject quite recently and rather outspokenly. Anne Applebaum has also spoken out specifically on this matter. It will be interesting to see if the Polish government takes any action against them.