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A Holocaust memorial in the southeastern Polish town of Dukla was defaced over the weekend in an appalling act of vandalism that came amid a surge of inflammatory antisemitic rhetoric in Poland.
Graffiti bearing a Nazi swastika and the word “Palestine” was spray-painted directly onto a plaque commemorating the town’s Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The memorial, located on the ruins of a synagogue and Jewish cemetery, had been erected as a symbol of remembrance and coexistence between Jewish and Polish communities, the former of whom were almost entirely wiped out during the Holocaust.
The desecration was reported by the Dukla Shtetl Association, a local organization dedicated to preserving the town’s Jewish heritage. Association leader Jacek Koszczan called the incident a “hateful hooligan act” and said the community was “embarrassed” by what had taken place — emphasizing that it was not just a Jewish issue, but one that wounds the shared moral fabric of the town.
In an effort to counter the hatred behind the attack, the Dukla Shtetl Association extended an offer to the perpetrators to participate in historical and educational workshops on Jewish history and the Holocaust. “We invite you to workshops, read books, and engage in discussions,” the group stated. “Knowledge reduces fear and can be a way to dialogue, change in attitude, and greater openness.”
Authorities in the Podkarpackie region swiftly condemned the act, with a regional spokeswoman calling it “unforgivable.”
Local police have launched an investigation, and the community is demanding swift and decisive legal action.
The incident occurred just days after far-right Polish MEP Grzegorz Braun sparked global outrage by denying the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz, accusing the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum of spreading “pseudo-history,” and echoing the antisemitic blood libel by claiming that “ritual murder is a fact.”
The Auschwitz Museum has announced it will pursue legal action. In Poland, Holocaust denial is a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison.
“Poland stands at a crossroads and must confront this hatred immediately,” said Meir Bulka, chairman of J-nerations. “Last Thursday, we saw history distorted as a Polish parliamentarian blatantly denied the Holocaust, receiving applause from a mob.”
The defacement in Dukla reflects a broader trend across Europe, where antisemitic hate speech and Holocaust distortion are increasingly being mainstreamed and politicized. As the living memory of the Holocaust fades, voices of hate are growing louder — making the task of remembrance and truth-telling more urgent than ever.
