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Memorial to Warsaw Ghetto Jews defaced in Poland

A memorial in Poland dedicated to the memory of the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto has been defaced, marking yet another instance of vandalism targeting Holocaust memorials in the country.

An anti-Israel rally in Warsaw, Oct. 5, 2024. Photo by Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images.
An anti-Israel rally in Warsaw, Oct. 5, 2024. Photo by Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images.

In the latest instance of vandalism targeting Holocaust memorials in Poland, a hateful message was recently scrawled on Warsaw’s Umschlagplatz monument, which commemorates the 300,000 Jews deported from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp in 1943. The hateful message read: “Warsaw 1943 = Gaza 2025.”

Since the start of the war in Gaza, several Holocaust memorials in Poland have been repeatedly vandalized. Recently, the central monument commemorating the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was also desecrated. Polish authorities have apprehended none of the culprits.

Israel’s ambassador to Poland, Yacov Livne, tweeted: “Shameful vandalism at Warsaw’s memorial for 300,000 (!) Jews deported to Treblinka. Poland has a special responsibility to protect Jewish & Holocaust sites; hold vandals accountable.” Livne urged Polish authorities to find and punish those responsible for these desecrations.

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