The Polish parliament is currently debating a bill that would make the return of Jewish property from the Holocaust era to Holocaust survivors and their descendants virtually impossible. Israel strongly condemns this. Read the statement by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid:
"Preserving the memory of the Holocaust and ensuring the rights of Holocaust survivors, including the restitution of Jewish property from the Holocaust era, are central components of the experience of the State of Israel and its defined identity. They are also important elements of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs' endeavors. This is a duty rooted in values, morality, and history, and one we fulfill with pride.".
The 2009 Theresienstadt Declaration calls on all states to act in accordance with the restitution of Jewish property stolen during the Holocaust. Israel expects these states to act in accordance with this principle. Poland's withdrawal from the declaration is extremely worrying and serious.
Poland's proposed law will ultimately prevent the restitution of Jewish property or compensation payments to Holocaust survivors and their descendants. This is a terrible injustice and a disgrace that violates the rights of Holocaust survivors, their descendants, and members of the Jewish communities in Poland that existed for centuries.
This immoral law will seriously damage relations between the two countries.
We take seriously the attempt to prevent the restitution of property stolen by the Nazis (and their collaborators) in European countries during the Holocaust to its rightful owners. No law will change history. It is a disgrace that will neither erase the horrors nor the memory of the Holocaust.
The State of Israel will stand as a bulwark to defend the memory of the Holocaust, as well as the honor and property of Holocaust survivors. Poland, on whose soil millions of Jews were murdered, knows what is right.” (Israeli Embassy Berlin)
