WJC removes Stern's comments

Apparently, WJC became embarrassed of Maram Stern's comments on the issue of Auschwitz renaming, because the news note can no longer be found in the archive. For some time it will be available through the Google cache.

Henryk Świebocki answers Maram Stern

Swiebocki:

I wish to believe, that when you made the statement you were not driven by ill will. But it rather resulted from your unfamiliarity with the subject. I do not dare to suspect you of making a suggestion that Poles are, to a certain degree, responsible for Auschwitz, and “The government in Warsaw wants […] make clear that Poland had no involvement in the death camp”.

Are you aware of the fact, that Auschwitz, before it became one of the death centers for Jews, had been established by Nazi Germany to exterminate Polish population? And of the fact that its first victims were Polish citizens? And that at least 75 000 Poles perished in the camp, being the second largest group of victims?

Note: I don't think it has been proven that one of the aims of the Nazis when establishing the camp has been extermination of the Poles. But that does not diminish Swiebocki's other points.

WJC representative shows lack of logic

We have already written about Poland's request to change the designation of Auschwitz from "Auschwitz Concentration Camp" to "Former Nazi German Concentration Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau".

Now World Jewish Congress chimes in:

Polish request to rename Auschwitz site met with criticism

07 April, 2006

The Polish government's request to change the official name of the "Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp" to "Former Nazi German Concentration Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau" has been met with criticism. Maram Stern, deputy secretary general of the World Jewish Congress, said that "they want to redefine history by changing the name". Although the camp had been built and run by Nazi Germany, everybody in the area had known about its existence and workers were recruited from the Polish population in the neighboring village. The government in Warsaw wants the history of Auschwitz, which is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, to be separated from Polish history and make it clear that Poland had no involvement in the death camp. Officials in Warsaw expect an answer to the renaming request from UNESCO later this year.

Let's be frank here: Mr. Stern's claim is silly. To repeat, the proposed new designation is "Former Nazi German Concentration Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau". This describes the camp absolutely correctly. How can a correct description "redefine history"?

That "everybody in area knew about its existence", etc., does not change the fact that Auschwitz Birkenau was a German Nazi camp.

Really, it's not rocket science, Mr. Stern.

Update: the news item disappeared from the site. It will be available through the Google cache, until it expires.