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Statement of protest on the court ruling regarding two Holocaust historians

The International Association for Spielrein Studies expresses its support for two leading Holocaust scholars Barbara Engelking and Jan Grabowski, co-editors of the historical book Night without an End. Fate of Jews in Selected Counties of Occupied Poland (Polish Center for Holocaust Research, 2018). A defamation lawsuit was brought against the historians by a woman, backed by the Polish League Against Defamation, claiming that the good name of her uncle was tarnished in the book. The court decided that Engelking and Grabowski were wrong to trust the testimony of a Holocaust survivor. It was decided that they have to issue a written apology.

As a scholarly organisation, we stand for the academic freedom to conduct historical research. We are concerned that the trial itself and the decision of the court will undermine the independence of scholarly work, and discredit the overall work of Holocaust researchers and stop them from investigating the truth about the involvement of Polish citizens in the Nazi crimes against Jews. 

The lawsuit and the court ruling is yet another indication of Poland’s turn in a very dangerous direction heading toward authoritarianism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia.

The International Association for Spielrein Studies

Klara Naszkowska, Founding President 

Adrienne Harris, Founding Member 

John Launer, Founding Member

Pamela Cooper-White, Member of the Board