(JTA) — The fence of a Jewish cemetery in Poland was vandalized amid a fresh diplomatic crisis between that country and Israel over complicity in the Holocaust.
The words “Jesus is King” were written on the fence of the Jewish cemetery in Worclaw on Feb. 13. Several locals showed up earlier this week to paint over the slogan, Gazeta Wroclawska reported Sunday.
Reports, including by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, about another desecration in the nearby city of Świdnica were false, Polish official and Jewish community representatives said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week during a visit to Poland that some Poles collaborated with the Germans during the Holocaust. Despite a new law in Poland that forbids blaming the Polish nation for Nazi crimes, he said, speaking about the complicity of individuals is permissible.
But his comment, which was misrepresented in some media to include all Poles, triggered a diplomatic crisis. It escalated when Israel’s acting foreign minister, Israel Katz, said Sunday that Poles take in anti-Semitism with their mother’s milk.
The law last year triggered an earlier crisis, which Poland and Israel had resolved.
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.
