(Jewish Group) Polish nationalists disrupt commemoration for Jewish pogrom victims

Several dozen nationalist protesters disrupted a commemoration ceremony for Jewish victims of a 1941 pogrom in Jedwabne, Poland, symbolizing the country’s fraught debate over who should be blamed for World War II-era atrocities.

The nationalists brought flags and signs and disturbed people praying at the site of the pogrom on Saturday, the exact anniversary of the event. A much larger group, including Poland’s chief rabbi and Catholic clergymen, gathered on Sunday, after the Jewish sabbath, to commemorate the victims.

Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that a few nationalists showed up on Sunday as well, but the group was much smaller.

“It was a small group of maybe 5-6 people who actually did nothing to interfere with the ceremony,” he said.

Still, he said the moment points to a “very serious issue,” involving the Polish government’s stance on Holocaust memory.

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