Poland's Auschwitz-Birkenau Holocaust Museum Suffers Wave of Anti-Semitic Attacks
Source: The Guardian
Officials at Polands Auschwitz-Birkenau museum say they have suffered anti-Semitic attacks by Polish nationalists after the passing of a controversial Holocaust speech law last year, The Guardian reports. The law, which bans any suggestion of Polish complicity in Nazi atrocities, has reportedly sparked a tide hate, fake news, and manipulations against the museum, with nationalists accusing the staff of minimizing the suffering of 74,000 Polish prisoners by focusing on Jewish victims. The home of one Italian guide was reportedly vandalized with the Star of David equated to a Nazi swastika, while another museum guide was badgered on camera by a politician convicted of anti-Semitism and his supporters. Staff say they have also become the target of an online smear campaign, with the museum director, Piotr Cywiński, facing dozens of articles on dodgy websites, hundreds of Twitter accounts, thousands of similar tweets, profanities, memes, threats, slanders, denunciations. Paweł Sawicki, who is in charge of the museums social-media operations, told The Guardian: The collateral damage of the dispute is that Auschwitz became a target.
READ IT AT THE GUARDIAN
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/07/polands-holocaust-law-triggers-tide-abuse-auschwitz-museum
hedda_foil
(16,375 posts)I was born between BE Day and VJ Day. To the best of my knowledge, I have never experienced antisemitism... certainly not directly or overtly. But in our long history, there have been times of acceptance before. Take the highly assimilated Jews of Berlin in the 1920s and early '30s, for example.
Behind the Aegis
(53,975 posts)You are older than my parents, and thus, older than me, but I have experienced anti-Semitism multiple times in my life, and the experiences of my father and grandparents, it was almost a daily occurrence. I have met people my age (49 in ten days) that don't have any real experience, and the same for the younger generation, but to be honest many of them wouldn't know anti-Semitism if it goose-stepped kicked them in the head, I am just surprised you claim you have never experienced overt or direct anti-Semitism. I seem to recall you making this claim before, but without the age descriptor, so I just assumed, incorrectly it seems, you were around my age or younger.
Do you mind my asking where did you grown up? Was it in the States or abroad? City, rural? I think many of those factors also play a part in anti-Semitism. To be clear, I am not disputing your remarks, I am just really curious.
hedda_foil
(16,375 posts)My parents and grandparents experienced antisemitism but j really haven't. I sure as he'll recognize the signs and cues, and I've studied our history, so I'm not naive. Perhaps I've just been lucky.
Behind the Aegis
(53,975 posts)I am surprised too because you are from Chicago. Usually cities with sizeable Jewish populations have problems from the surrounding areas. Yeah, I am going with "luck".
appalachiablue
(41,168 posts)Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)radicalliberal
(907 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,975 posts)People don't care about the Holocaust. It is fading in memory and to many it is a footnote in history, unworthy of reflection in a sincere way. Holocaust denial has given way to Holocaust revisionism, which is becoming increasingly popular, and IMO, will eventually replace denial, but more revisionists will exist than deniers ever did.
appalachiablue
(41,168 posts)We've told her quite a bit about it, including the resistance and White Rose groups. She knows the history is so important.