Jewish groups slam Poland after property restitution law clears further hurdle
Campaigners call on President Duda to veto law that would prevent property and compensation claims that are over 30 years old
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
Israel, Jewish groups and the United States have condemned Poland’s parliament after MPs approved a bill that would prevent Jewish claims for compensation or for property seized during the Holocaust.
Yair Lapid, Israel’s foreign minister, said the new measures damaged “both the memory of the Holocaust and the rights of its victims.”
The new legislation would place a time limit on the period during which flawed administrative decisions, including on property ownership, can be challenged.
Jewish campaigners say families wiped out by the Holocaust will be affected because the new law prevents claims against any property that was later seized by Poland’s communist government.
Poland’s communist era ended in 1989 but subsequent governments have never passed a law that would regulate compensation or the return of seized property, unlike other European countries.
Wednesday’s vote means the bill, which introduces a 30-year time limit on property claims, will become law if it is not vetoed by President Andrzej Duda.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he was “troubled by legislation passed in Poland severely restricting restitution for Holocaust survivors and owners of property confiscated during the Communist era”.
We are troubled by legislation passed in Poland severely restricting restitution for Holocaust survivors and owners of property confiscated during the Communist era, and draft legislation that would gravely weaken media freedom. Our shared values are our mutual security.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 11, 2021
The Board of Deputies in the UK said the vote was “awful, but regrettably unsurprising.”
Vice President David Mendoza-Wolfson called on the Polish president to veto the bill: “The Bill is unjust to both Jews and non-Jews who are simply wishing to be treated with the morality and decency they deserve and to receive adequate compensation for what is rightfully theirs.
“On behalf of the UK Jewish community, I implore President Duda to veto this legislation, as is within his power, in order to honour the memory of the Holocaust and the rights of its victims.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.