Slovakia’s government apologized on Wednesday for World War II legislation that stripped the country’s Jews of their human and civil rights.
Marking the 80th anniversary of the “Jewish Code” adopted on Sept 9, 1941, the government said in a statement that it “feels a moral obligation today to publicly express sorrow over the crimes committed by the past regime.”
The code also prevented access of the Jews to education and authorized the transfer of their property to non-Jewish owners.
The government said the anniversary is an opportunity to remember the crimes against Slovak Jews.
Slovakia was a Nazi puppet state during World War II. It sent over 70,000 of its Jewish citizens to Nazi concentration camps, where most of them perished.
The code is considered one of the toughest anti-Jew laws adopted in Europe during the war.
(AP)
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14 Responses
There is a significant difference between Slovakia and Poland in WW2 and the Holocaust. Slovakia was a collaborationist “puppet” state of Nazi Germany since 1938, with its own virulently antisemitic leadership. Poland was a conquered enemy of Germany, whose own population suffered greatly under Nazi rule, and whom the Nazis openly planned to destroy as a people. Of course there was plenty of individual antisemitism and collaboration by Poles, but none of these were official actions by the state.
Restoration of Jewish neighborhood buildings in Bardejov, Slovakia (was in Hungary pre-WW1):
https://bardejov.org/
http://suburbiumbardejov.sk/en/
> POLAND SHOULD TAKE NOTE
Poland – that fought during WW2 against both Nazis and Soviets, formed a government-in-exile and an Army, revolted in Warsaw when Nazis were retreating and destroyed while Soviet Army was waiting patiently for that to happen – does not seem needing a note from collaborating countries. This is not to dismiss all kind of Polish-Jewish issues, of course.
Slovakia was a “puppet” state under German control, and where it appears that much of the population supported the new government, perhaps since the “new” puppet government was in fact the previous government’s regional legislature. Serious opposition only began when it was clear that Germany would lose the war. While Slovakia wasn’t as independent as Finland or Italy or Hungary, it was hard occupied territory with no free choice in matters.
Poland was a conquered territory whose government moved to London, and was administrated by the German military. Poland took a massive hit from the Germans (even ignoring the impact of the holocaust on Poland). Polish involvement in the holocaust was largely limited to traitors, who collaborated more out of fear of the Germans (who sent millions of Poles to their deaths).
The Poles are not being absurd by refusing to apologize for what the Germans did to Jews. The Slovaks on the other hand were willing accomplices.
Crimes committed by Poles & Slovaks against Jews during WWII and immediately thereafter are well documented by non-Jewish historians, journalists, writers, etc.
What is needed by Jews is to:
1) Do More Talmud T_rah (MTT) !!
2) More Davvening (MD) !!
3) More Chesed !! (MC) !!
A great Rabbi who I knew for almost 25 yrs said it best:
(..Rabbi are you afraid of dying ?? No, I’m not afraid of dying—but I am afraid of the judgment thereafter).. Leave the final judgement of all who are antisemites to the Almighty (HaShem) as Eli would agree.
All the best,
A goy, Gerry Mullen
YMSV
Aggya nek mek
Let us ask ourselves, is a 2nd holocaust R”L possible?
@ Akuperma
You stated The Poles are not being absurd by refusing to apologize for what the Germans did to Jews.
The Poles SHOULD apologize for what they did to Jews. You would be a fool to claim you are not aware of Polish actions after the Jews returned.
This is not to approve of the Polish ignoring the unmistakable stench of human flesh burning. Those were my grandparents.
Wow. Didn’t know there were so many antisemites on this site! Shame on you all! A significant portion of the Polish population collaborated willingly with the Nazis in killing Jews. And the Polish government itself made and continues to make it impossible for Jews to get compensation for our stolen land and property. The Polish, both the citizens as a while for the most part, along with the Government are no friend of the Jews and have plenty to apologize for instead of trying to rewrite history. Disgusting that Jews on this site are trying to help them whitewash history.
The difference between Poland and Slovakia is obvious, and the criticism of the article is thus justified. However, it is not true that, as BaisIsThePlace claims, “Of course there was plenty of individual antisemitism and collaboration by Poles, but none of these were official actions by the state”. The pre-war Polish state, as well as the government in exile, were just as antisemitic as the Germans. So were the Polish people as a whole, especially including the Partisans who were fighting the Germans, but would murder any Jew that fell into their clutches. Furthermore, the way they treated the returning Jews after the war showed that they approved completely of the Germans’ crimes against us, and were dismayed that we hadn’t all been wiped out.
The Polish GOVERNMENT per se may not bear responsibility.
But…… as a representative of its citizens it should perhaps apologize for the evil perpetrated by the vast majority of those citizens.
Then, there’s the issue of all the blatant anti semitic laws passed in the Sejm, yes, a government body, BEFORE WW2. Nothing to do with the Germans. How about an apology for those?
Don’t lose focus of who these dogs really are and always were. Don’t let them shirk responsibility and pass it off into the Germans.
My children live in Slovakia and in the 17 years they have lived there, they have only experienced one antisemitic attitude from one old hag. The Slovaks are extremely supportive, everyone knows the “Rabbin”, they even direct Jewish tourists to them. It’s a beautiful country and we feel far safer there than in London, Paris or Rome. We we there recently for the upsherenish of our einikel and it was a wonderful experience.
Obviously I can’t speak for the war years in Slovakia, but they commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day and September 9th is a “holiday” of remembrance as well. It might interest readers to know that Judaism is a recognized religion in Slovakia, but Islam is not: there aren’t any (official) mosques. The Slovaks try extremely hard to try to address their wartime actions in a positive way. But having studied Polish history in depth as well as teaching Holocaust studies, I can say that the Poles, together with the Ukranians, were not only complicit in the Shoah but were instigators and active participants in the massacres of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Jews. I don’t understand how some of you are so quick to deflect their responsibility. The facts are there.
Have you guys been totally duped by Polish revisionism? there are two facts which, while true, papers over the polish collaboration in the Holocaust.
1. many polish were killed in the Holocaust and a large proportion of Aushwitz was Polish political prisoners
2. Poland had the largest proportion by far of riteous gentiles who saved Jews
While both are true the following is also true:
3. Many many Polish people collaborated in the Holocaust, including the worst of the extermination camps like Belzec
4. polish police independently exterminated Jews
5. The many documented examples of poles burning barns filled with Jews and similar atrocity, not to mention e.g. the Kielce pogrom which took place AFTER the war
Other countries were worst, e.g. Lithuania but Poland had his share of Holocaust perpetration even if it was less per capita than other countries.
And Poland is adding insult to injury by rewiting History
*worse