The remains of a local synagogue and a memorial at a Jewish cemetery were defaced with a swastika and other anti-Israel slurs in Poland.
By Rachel Avraham
According to a recent report published in Yedioth Achronot, unidentified vandals defaced two Jewish sites in Dolka, Poland, over the weekend, spray-painting anti-Israel slurs and Nazi swastikas on the remains of a local synagogue and a memorial at the Jewish cemetery. According to the report, the synagogue, located in southeast Poland, was destroyed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, while the cemetery’s memorial, built in recent years by townspeople, symbolizes pre-Holocaust coexistence between Poles and Jews.
The Dukla Shtetl Association, an organization dedicated to preserving the region’s Jewish heritage, reported the incident to the local police, the Jerusalem Post reported. “We are, as an Association that deals with the heritage of Dukiel Jews, but also, as citizens of Dukla, embarrassed by this hateful hooligan act,” Jacek Koszczan of The Dukla Shtetl Association, told the Jerusalem Post.
The association extended an invitation to the perpetrators to participate in historical and educational workshops designed to help them understand the gravity of their actions, the Jerusalem Post reported. “We expect decisive action from law enforcement, and we hope that the vandals will face harsh consequences. What we can offer is an environment that deals with history and learning, educating those who committed this heinous act. We invite you to workshops, read books, and engage in discussions. Knowledge reduces fear and can be a way to dialogue, change in attitude, and greater openness,” the association said in a statement.
Authorities in the Podkarpackie region swiftly condemned the act, with a regional spokeswoman calling it “unforgivable,” the Combat Antisemitism Movement reported. According to the report, local police have launched an investigation, and the community is demanding swift and decisive legal action.
The incident occurred just days after far-right Polish MEP Grzegorz Braun sparked global outrage by denying the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz, accusing the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum of spreading “pseudo-history,” and echoing the antisemitic blood libel by claiming that “ritual murder is a fact,” the Combat Antisemitism Movement reported. According to the report, the Auschwitz Museum has announced it will pursue legal action. In Poland, Holocaust denial is a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison, the Combat Antisemitism Movement noted.
“Poland stands at a crossroads and must confront this hatred immediately,” said Meir Bulka, chairman of J-nerations. “Last Thursday, we saw history distorted as a Polish parliamentarian blatantly denied the Holocaust, receiving applause from a mob.”
According to the Combat Antisemitism Movement, “The defacement in Dukla reflects a broader trend across Europe, where antisemitic hate speech and Holocaust distortion are increasingly being mainstreamed and politicized. As the living memory of the Holocaust fades, voices of hate are growing louder — making the task of remembrance and truth-telling more urgent than ever.”
