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Judging from the impassioned
negative responses by prominent Polish public figures to the launching
this week of the "Operation:Last Chance"(O:LC) infoline
in Warsaw, one can only wonder why the efforts to bring local Nazi
war criminals to justice in Poland have aroused such antagonism
among the very people whom one would have expected to be their
most ardent supporters. If former Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek,
whose father was murdered in Auschwitz, reacts with "disgust
and anxiety," and former dissident and Gazeta Wyborcza editor
Adam Michnik describes the project as dangerous and former Foreign
Minister and Righteous Among the Nations Wladyslaw Bartoszewski
says that such an operation is worthless, my conclusion is that
either the Polish public is suffering from a severe case of misinformation
regarding O:LC's goals and methods, or there is something much
deeper behind this opposition.
Let me begin therefore with the essential facts. I believe that the
basic motivation for the project should be entirely obvious. The
time left during which Nazi war criminals can be brought to justice
is rapidly running out. At most, we have only a few years in which
such trials can be held. In that context, it is important to remember
that although many Holocaust perpetrators have been convicted, many
thousands remain unprosecuted for their crimes, especially in Germany
and Austria, but also in Eastern Europe, where numerous local collaborators
actively participated in the implementation of the Final Solution,
at times exhibiting zealous initiative even without the encouragement
or assistance of the Nazis. This was especially true in the Baltics,
but also in the Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, and Belarus,
where the Nazis allowed local collaborators to play an important
role in the apparatus of mass murder and in the actual killings,
but it is also true to some extent in Poland as clearly shown in
the case of Jedwabne, which was not the only place in Poland where
Poles committed crimes against Jews.
If we take into account that well over one million of the Jews murdered
in Eastern Europe were killed individually by shooting and that it
takes tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of men to organize and
carry out an operation of this sort over such a wide geographic area,
it becomes obvious that the number of those involved was enormous
and that many of these criminals have never been held accountable
for their crimes. This situation is clearly reflected, for example,
in the fact that during the past year at least 335 new investigations
of Nazi war criminals were initiated in nine countries(quite a few
as a result of O:LC) and as of March 31,2004, the cases of 940 Holocaust
perpetrators were being investigated all over the world.
I cannot imagine, however, that any of this is the cause for the
harsh criticism in Poland of O:LC, so let us turn to its practical
aspects. Adam Michnik is quoted as saying that "a denunciation
for money...opens the doors of hell to the squaring of accounts[and]
of false charges," but frankly, it is very difficult to take
his argument seriously. Does anyone think that each piece of information
will not be carefully examined to verify its authenticity? Can anyone
imagine that we would publicize the names of people suspected of
murder without a comprehensive investigation? In that respect, I
can assure Mr. Michnik that we have no intention of allowing ourselves
to be exploited for any foul purposes.
That brings me to the issue of the financial rewards being offered
for information, a situation which I admit is not ideal. Indeed,
in a perfect world, there would be no need for such deals and gimmicks,
but our reality is far from ideal and the offer of rewards for information
leading to the capture and/or prosecution of criminals is accepted
practice throughout the civilized world. Thus the notion of paying
some unsavory character to help convict a Nazi war criminal makes
my stomach turn, but I realize that under the current circumstances
that might be necessary to achieve the desired result.
At the same time, it should be clear, that if not for the rewards,
this project and the cause that it seeks to advance, would not receive
any public or media attention whatsoever. The fact that a relatively-modest
sum of money is being offered has brought the subject of bringing
Nazis to justice to its proper place-television screens, radio broadcasts
and the front pages of important newspapers.
Thus it appears that the reasons for the vociferous opposition in
Poland to O:LC are much deeper and stem from certain Polish sensitivities
regarding the history of World War II and how Poland currently deals
with such issues. To begin with, the argument was made by Prof. Witold
Kulesza, among others, that the project implies criticism of Poland's
efforts to prosecute Nazi war criminals, despite the fact that Poland
has been among the few countries which have consistently made a serious
effort to bring such criminals to justice. In fact, nothing could
be further from the truth. The Wiesenthal Center has been in close
contact with the Institute of National Memory since its establishment
and appreciates its important achievements which we have publically
praised. If anything, our confidence in the IPN has motivated us
to launch O:LC in Poland, where thanks to the Injustice can be achieved
in Nazi war crimes cases. At the same time, we are aware, that the
IPN, by law, cannot launch certain uniquely innovative initiatives
such as O:LC and therefore we are willing to do so to be of assistance.
A second argument, presented by Adam Michnik, asks why Holocaust
perpetrators should be prosecuted exclusively as opposed to other
genocidists. In this regard, I totally agree with Michnik and have
often publically expressed my fullest support for the prosecution
of Communist criminals and Rwandan Hutu genocidists among others.
Having said that, two things should be obvious, that Holocaust criminals
deserve priority because of the shortage of time left to prosecute
them and that the Simon Wiesenthal Center's expertise and mission
relate to them rather than to the others. I personally would very
much welcome the establishment of an institute like our own dedicated
to bringing the "other" mass murderers to justice.
Finally, we are left with the issue of Poland's image, as presented
by Bronislaw Geremek who indicated that he preferred that "the
whole world knew how much good Poles did for other Poles by saving
Jews.” That is indeed a very noble enterprise, but one which
tells only part of the story of the Holocaust in Poland. Thus while
Poles can be extremely proud of the activities of Zegota, a Polish
organization especially founded to rescue Jews, and of the heroism
of the other Polish Righteous Among the Nations, the sad truth is
that many Poles participated in the murder of their Jewish neighbors
and others assisted the Nazis in doing so, and that truth must be
confronted honestly. Of course Polish leaders would prefer that their
country be regarded exclusively as a victim of the Nazis, but that
is not the entire truth and it is extremely important that the whole
historical picture emerge clearly and be visible to all.
I sincerely believe that one of the ways to help do so, is to bring
the guilty to justice in Poland, and in that regard we hope that
O:LC will not only succeed, but that even its current detractors
will ultimately recognize its importance and value for their country.
Dr. Efraim Zuroff
Director, SWC-Israel
Coordinator, SWC Nazi war crimes research worldwide
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