Poland’s government is preparing to pass this year its first-ever national strategy plan for fighting antisemitism and strengthening Jewish life, the country’s justice undersecretary announced on Monday.
Maria Ejchart made the announcement at the annual conference in Krakow of the European Jewish Association, a Brussels-based body representing Jewish community interests in Europe.
“Last week, the draft resolution of the Council of Ministers on the adoption of the national strategy for countering antisemitism and supporting Jewish life for 2025-2030 was entered into the list of legislative and programmatic work of the government,” Ejchart told some 200 Jewish community delegates and politicians at the event.
The plan, which allocates budgets and sets out priorities, is currently under consultation, and Ejchart said she believed it would be passed this year.
The surge in antisemitism that has occurred throughout Western Europe after Oct. 7, 2023, was felt also in Poland, “where the situation has been relatively calm so far,” said Ejchart.
In Warsaw, Gdańsk, Kraków and Września, “we had to deal with the boycott, disruption of artistic performances, cancellation of events with the participation of guests from Israel,” she continued. This happened alongside “antisemitism that had a rather traditional form,” she added.
Last month, Grzegorz Braun, who represents the Confederation of Polish Crown Party at the European Parliament, held an antisemitic bookfair at a hotel in Krakow.
Among the books were manuscripts titled “Meet the Jew!”, “Jews and Freemasons in Common Work,” and “Ukropolin,” a book about the alleged plan to use the war between Russia and Ukraine to take over Poland, the TVN24 network reported.
The event was held in parallel to the Krakow Bookfair, whose organizers declined to offer Braun a spot, saying “there is no room for racism” at the event.
Also during the EJA conference, Polish State Secretary Wojciech Kolarski read to the participants a welcoming address by Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who stressed the commonalities of the Polish and Jewish histories, including during the Nazi occupation of Poland.
