Poland’s prime minister paid tribute on Friday to Jews murdered by Nazi Germany and to the Poles who risked their lives or died helping Jews during the brutal occupation of World War II.
Mateusz Morawiecki lit a candle and appeared to pray before a plaque outside the Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in the southern Polish village of Markowa. He then visited the museum, which is devoted to the Polish Christian wartime helpers.
Morawiecki’s visit comes amid a bitter diplomatic spat with Israel over pending Polish legislation which criminalizes references to Poland’s complicity in the Holocaust.
Israel fears the legislation will be used to whitewash the involvement of some Poles in killing Jews. Polish leaders say they simply aim to protect historical truth.
Morawiecki insisted on Thursday on Polish state television TVP that Poland would “never limit the freedom to debate the Holocaust.”
The premier also indicated Poland was aware of Israeli concerns over the bill, despite going ahead with it days after agreeing with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold talks with Jerusalem over its contents.
“We understand the emotions of Israel. We need a lot of work to make our common, often complicated, history possible to tell together,” he said.
