A memorial stone in the forest outside of Malinowo, Poland, where a group of Jews were hiding before they were discovered and killed. [Photo: Maciek Nabrdalik for The New York Times]
Nationalists in many countries have often denied or distorted the history of the Holocaust in an effort to burnish the image of their nations. In an example of court-enforced distortion, this week in Poland courts handed down a verdict in the defamation case against two Holocaust scholars. Professors Barbara Engelking of the Polish Center for Holocaust Research and Jan Grabowski a professor of history at the University of Ottawa, were ordered to make a retraction and public apology for information they published in 2018.Jointly with the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) the Claims Conference issued a statement immediately following the verdict; “The history of the Holocaust requires independent scholarly research that must not be subject to pressure by politicians and the courts.” (click here to see the complete statement.
