WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — Polish historian Krzysztof Jasiewicz was dismissed from the Polish Academy of Sciences for laying some blame on the Jews for the outbreak of the Holocaust.
Jasiewicz, 61, will lose his position as head of the Department of Analysis of Eastern Issues on June 1. He said he will appeal the decision.
In the interview published last month in a special edition of Focus magazine marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, Jasiewicz said that “generations of Jews worked for centuries to bring about the Holocaust”; that “without the active participation of the Jews the Holocaust would have been impossible”; and that “it is a waste of time to dialogue with the Jews.”
Eugeniusz Cezary Krol, the director of the Institute of Political Studies at the Polish Academy of Sciences, said in a statement that Jasiewicz was fired for violating the elementary standards of scientific rigor.
Scholars and historians at the academy protested what Jasiewicz said in the popular scientific magazine, saying his opinions were harmful.
In an article about the controversy, Jasiewicz told Do Rzeczy magazine, “The Jews accuse us [Poles] of the worst of everything; they are violent and arrogant against us. Our role in this dialogue is limited to apologizing.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
