‘Polocaust’ museum would antagonize Jews, Polish government minister says
Jaroslaw Sellin walks back support for museum dedicated to millions of Poles murdered by Nazis, saying it would ‘provoke more tension’
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A “Polocaust” museum dedicated to non-Jewish Polish victims of the Nazis will not be built, as it would antagonize Jews, a Polish government minister who had supported the idea said.
Deputy Culture Minister Jaroslaw Sellin walked back his support of the idea floated last week by writer and scholar Marek Kochan, in the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, Reuters reported.
“Using the concept of ‘Polocaust’ in a way I understand it would hurt Jewish sensitivity and unnecessarily provoke more tension between our nations. The Polocaust museum will not be built,” Sellin said in an interview with Rzeczpospolita published Monday.
The Nazis murdered nearly 2 million Poles during World War II, and about 3 million Polish Jews.
Critics from many circles slammed the idea when it was published last week.
The suggestion comes on the heels of Poland’s recently passed Holocaust law criminalizing claims that the Polish nation or state is responsible for Nazi crimes. The new law has triggered protests from Holocaust survivors and Israeli leaders, as well as researchers, historians, journalists and Jews around the world.
The term Polocaust has been used on some Polish Twitter accounts since at least 2012. Poland already runs a Museum of World War II.
The Times of Israel Community.