An Open Letter to the friends of POLIN Museum
Dear Friends,
In light of unfounded allegations in the media by a single individual who claims that POLIN Museum cooperates with organizations that support Hamas and finance terrorism, we wish to defend POLIN Museum against such defamatory accusations.
Responding to the brutal massacre of innocent Israelis by Hamas on October 7, POLIN Museum has stood in solidarity with Israel and with efforts to free the hostages. The Museum has requested the Polish President's support in securing the release of hostages, in particular Alex Dancyg, a dear friend of POLIN Museum. The Museum issued multiple statements condemning the attack and publicly called for the immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas. Shortly after October 7, we illuminated the Museum building in Israel's colors and posted a photograph of the Museum team with the Israeli flag. On October 29, POLIN Museum participated in an event organized by the Embassy of Israel in Poland during which a table and 200 empty chairs, each one bearing the image, name, and information about a hostage still held by Hamas, stood in front of POLIN Museum and the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes.
POLIN Museum's firm stand on the October 7 attack has led to an unprecedented increase in anti-Israel and antisemitic hatred on our social media channels, especially before and during the annual Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Campaign on April 19. At a time when POLIN Museum is being attacked by nationalists, antisemites, and aggressive pro-Palestine activists, including a recent bomb threat, false claims that we cooperate with organizations supporting Hamas and financing terrorism pose an existential threat. These allegations must be vehemently denounced. We urge you to help us safeguard POLIN Museum's reputation, public trust, and future funding in the face of these attacks.
We wish to underscore our steadfast commitment to Israel. While we are always open to criticism and dialogue, we will never tolerate such unfounded and defamatory allegations.
Sincerely,
Zygmunt Stępiński
Director
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Piotr Wiślicki
President of the Board
Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland
