Majdanek
Poland: Removing Locked Gates And Breaking Locks Is OK For Death Camp Visitors
Warsaw, Poland 1 August, 2007 Visitors to the Majdanek Nazi death camp museum located near Lublin, Poland apologized that they did not know it was wrong to remove a locked gate from its hinges and break the locks on doors to get into the closed exhibit.
Arriving at about closing time, a group from of Orthodox Jews found that the entrance to one of the barracks was already locked.
After failing to communicate with camp security because they spoke only Hebrew, they removed the gate from it hinges.
They then found that a door to the barracks was locked. So they broke the lock.
The Police were called.
"The entire incident was a misunderstanding," Lublin police spokesman Witold Laskowski told Poland's TVN 24 news channel.
The group was apparently not very well prepared to come to Poland in that only a couple could speak a little English and they had no guide or translator that spoke either Polish or English. Additionally they did not know that removing gates to closed exhibits and breaking locks is wrong in Poland.
They apologized. They will pay about $400 in compensation for the damage and will continue on their trip.
Concern has been expressed that they may be in danger. In this case they were unable to understand that a security guard did not want them to do what they did. In that they are not aware enough to at least stop and try to find out what a security guard is trying to say before proceeding, the concern is that they may do something that will end up with them getting hurt.
Update: The Israeli Embassy in Poland has issued an apology related to this matter.
Update: Also read a Jewish view on visitors to Poland A new Poland, a new paradigm http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/882562.html
Update: And Jewish reaction specific to this event. Haredim visiting Majdanek vandalize death camp http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3432851,00.html
Update: Ambassador David Peleg: "These incidents are a stain on Israel's good name" http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3432851,00.html
Update: 60 years after the Holocaust Jewish diversity flourishes in Poland http://www.eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=12119
Update: Poland is not Shoah-land http://www.wbj.pl/?command=article&id=38312
Update: Poland's Jewish Renaissance http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2719741,00.html
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