Poland’s Jewish community received its first formal apology for the atrocities of the Holocaust five years ago by their president, Aleksander Kwasniewski.
Kwasniewski spoke about his support for the Jewish people during a talk May 17, sponsored by the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life and Culture and the Jewish Heritage Initiative in Poland at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.
“I’m satisfied that after 10 years of my administration, we have protection of the Jewish community. We have taken responsibility of the past,” he told close to 400 Jewish and Polish Bay Area residents.
Kwasniewski issued a formal apology for the atrocities of the Holocaust during a memorial ceremony in Jedwabne, Poland, on July 10, 2001. During his two terms as president, from 1995-2005, Kwasniewski made a conscious effort to make amends with Poland’s Jewish population.
Christopher Kerosky, honorary consul of the Republic of Poland in San Francisco, named Kwasniewski’s support for the Jewish History Museum scheduled to open in Warsaw, denouncement of pogroms against the Jewish people, and his hard work to improve relations with Israel as examples of the former president’s efforts to improve Jewish relations.
“It is not an overstatement to say that no one has done more to advance Jewish-Polish relations than President Kwasniewski,” Kerosky said.
Poland had one of the biggest Jewish communities in the world before World War II, and Kwasniewski credits Polish Jews with many important contributions, including music, literature, science and politics. Many Polish Jews went on to become Israeli leaders, including Shimon Peres, Menachem Begin and David Ben Gurion.
Polish and Jewish roots have intertwined for almost 1,000 years, and Kwasniewski said this gives Poland a strong obligation to honor the Jewish community and Israel.
“For me, it was a part of my life,” he said. “Such links, such unbelievable links — we have a lot.”
Kwasniewski has shown support for Israel through economic and academic efforts, and by sending troops to Iraq in support of the United States.
“I worked very hard for the best relations [between Poland and Israel] for the 10 years I served as President. And the results were not bad,” he added, half teasing.
“My only wish is for my successor to continue this important relationship.”
Kwasniewski expressed concern about the Palestinian leadership of Hamas. He said that although Hamas was the choice of the Palestinian people, they need to renounce terrorism, enact a peaceful policy and make peace a high priority.
“The Palestinians could become an important player on the international stage, if they revoke violence,” he said.
Among the close to 400 people in attendance May 17 were some Polish Jews who hold distrust for their birth country.
“Not many Poles think the way he does,” said Jakob Atlas. “You see the same hatred today — before, during and after the Holocaust, the same hatred.”
Atlas was fired from his job in Poland in 1969 because he was Jewish. He was forced out of the country with $5 in his pocket.
During the post-World War II communist years, anti-Semitism was still very strong. Atlas said a common saying used by parents to scold their misbehaving children was: “If you don’t stop acting out, I’m going to give you to the Jews.”
“Poland will never be a safe place for Jews. This is the wrong place to again build a Jewish community,” he said.
Yet Kwasniewski believes that reconciliation is the way to move forward, and the most important task facing the world today.
“We speak about reconciliation because we speak not only about the past. We speak about tolerance. We speak about respect for human beings. We speak about respect for everybody who lives on this soil. We speak about our life,” he said.
Kwasniewski is Poland’s second democratically elected president, after decades of communist rule. He is the first president of Poland to serve two full terms — and live to tell about it. Other presidents had been forced out or killed before completing a second term.
The former president will be in the Bay Area until June 8 as a fellow with the Taube Foundation. Director Tad Taube invited Kwasniewski to share his efforts on behalf of the Jewish people.
“President Kwasniewski is a true friend of the Jewish people throughout the world,” Taube said.