‘Very worrying’ that Shoah historian forced from job by new Polish law

The head of the Holocaust Education Trust in Britain has said it is “very worrying” if a Polish Holocaust historian has been forced to move jobs because of a new law banning reference to ‘Polish death camps’ and Polish complicity.

HET’s Karen Pollack reacted to news that Dr Adam Pulawski – who specialises in the study of Polish-Jewish relations during the Second World War – he has been forced to switch jobs because of his research by the Institute for National Remembrance.

“This is very worrying,” said HET chief executive Pollack. “We have previously made our concerns clear – that this law could stifle objective research, discussion and education about the history of the Holocaust.”

She added: “It is important, now more than ever, that we uphold the truth of the Holocaust as it moves further away from our living history rather than quashing research.”

Pulawski’s research areas included examining “how the Polish authorities, both underground in the occupied country and working in exile, responded to the murder of their Jewish compatriots”.

In February, Poland’s government outraged Israeli and Jewish Diaspora groups by passing a law that banned the blaming of Poland for any crimes committed during the Holocaust. Lawmakers say Poland was under Nazi occupation at the time, but researchers say studies should be free to examine any claims of complicity.

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