OVER 130 POLISH PUBLIC FIGURES APPEAL FOR HISTORICAL TRUTH
OPEN LETTER ON THE ACTIONS OF GERMAN MEMORY INSTITUTIONS
More than 130 prominent representatives of Poland’s intellectual, civil and historical communities – united across political lines – have issued an open letter to German and Austrian cultural institutions. The signatories express strong opposition to the promotion of a narrative that attributes complicity in the Holocaust to Polish officials under Nazi occupation.
The letter raises concerns about the endorsement of the book Polnische Bürgermeister und der Holocaust (Polish Mayors and the Holocaust) by historian Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe. It promotes the narrative that Polish mayors were a “key group” in the Nazi extermination system and “equal partners” of the occupiers.
“As members of the Polish academic community, we categorically reject this core claim as false, historically inaccurate, and academically flawed,” the letter states. The signatories express “deep concern” that institutions entrusted with documenting genocide, such as the Wannsee Conference Memorial, located at the very site where the “Final Solution” was initiated, or the Polish-German House in Berlin, might propagate such distortions.
The Case of Julian Kulski – A Symbol of Misrepresentation
The letter highlights a specific instance of historical misrepresentation: the use of an image of Julian Spitosław Kulski, the wartime mayor of Warsaw, on the cover of the book and in promotional materials. The signatories note that Kulski served with the consent of the Polish Underground State and the Polish Government-in-Exile, and assert that any suggestion of his involvement in the Holocaust constitutes “a blatant falsification of history”.
“It is worth recalling that Julian Spitosław Kulski was himself of Jewish descent. (…) During the war, Kulski hid Jews in his own apartment. (…) He saved the lives of tens of thousands of Polish citizens of Jewish origin.” The signatories also recall that Kulski was posthumously honoured for his efforts to save Jews, and that his great-grandfather was Dow Ber Meisels, the Chief Rabbi of Warsaw.
A Call for Integrity and Reconciliation
The signatories – representing diverse communities and political perspectives – emphasise that their aim is not confrontation, but the defence of historical truth, which they regard as essential to healthy Polish-German relations. While affirming Germany as “a valued neighbour and key partner,” they insist that these relations must be built on truth and mutual respect, not on reversing the roles of victims and perpetrators.
The authors of the letter also recall the tragic toll of the occupation: around 6 million Polish citizens were killed, including 3 million Polish Jews. They emphasise that the Polish administration operated under the absolute terror imposed by the Nazi regime. The letter also refers to critical academic reviews from the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), which highlight the selective use of facts and omission of the broader context of Nazi terror in the promoted narrative.
“The memory of the crimes committed by the National Socialist German regime should serve as a warning to all. We are obliged to preserve the memory of the victims, who can no longer speak for themselves,” “The memory of the crimes committed by the National Socialist German regime must serve as a lasting warning. We owe it to the victims – who can no longer speak for themselves – to safeguard historical truth,” the letter concludes.
The open letter has been shared with major cultural and academic institutions in Germany, Austria, Poland and Israel.
Letter for download (PDF):