Poland says Israeli ambassador recognises concerns over Yad Vashem post
The meeting of the Israeli ambassador to Poland with a representative of the Polish foreign ministry concluded in a mutual understanding after Poland requested that Yad Vashem correct a misleading post on X concerning the treatment of Jews in World War Two, according to Poland's foreign ministry.
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski summoned the Israeli ambassador following a Sunday post by Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial institution, which read: "Poland was the first country where Jews were forced to wear a distinctive badge in order to isolate them from the surrounding population."
The post, however, did not mention that the country was under German occupation at the time. Instead, it linked to an article describing the 1939 decree issued by Hans Frank, governor of the German-occupied General Government, which required all Jews over the age of 10 to wear a Star of David armband.
The wording of the post prompted strong criticism from the Polish side. Sikorski responded early Monday, writing: "Please specify that it was 'German-occupied' Poland."
Yad Vashem later reposted the message, clarifying: "As noted by many users and specified explicitly in the linked article, it was done by order of the German authorities."
Maciej Wewior, the foreign ministry spokesman, told PAP on Tuesday that the meeting with Ambassador Yaakov Finkelstein and Deputy Foreign Minister Wojciech Zajaczkowski took place around midday that day with Finkelstein receiving Poland's concerns with "understanding."
"We will not allow for history to be simplified in this way and for such important historical facts to be omitted," Wewior said. "Yad Vashem is a major institution conducting Holocaust research and education, and it must be aware of the weight of its language."
He added that Poland did not seek an apology, but rather a correction to the misleading post. (PAP)
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