In July of 2026, Shoah Truths traveled to Poland for the 85th anniversary commemoration of the Jedwabne Massacre.
We walked the path along which the Jewish community was forced toward the barn where they would be burned alive.
We were surrounded by people who weaponize history by denying and distorting what occurred in Jedwabne. They call for exhumation, an act that would further disturb the victims' souls and violate the sanctity of their resting place.
Dozens of police officers protected our freedom of association and religion. Their presence prevented a repeat of last year’s events, when these groups blocked the Jewish community from leaving after the ceremony.
We arrived at the same grounds where the barn once stood. But we were not alone.
We prayed alongside the Marshal of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Marshal of the Senate Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, members of the Polish executive branch, Israel's Ambassador to Poland Yaakov Finkelstein, Rwanda Ambassador to Poland Professor Anastase Shyaka, British Ambassador to Poland Dame Melinda Simmons, Chairman of Yad Vashem Dani Dayan, the U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Ellen Germain, and a staff member from the U.S. Embassy Warsaw.
During our 36-hour visit, we met with Marshal of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty and Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek to discuss Holocaust denial and distortion, antisemitism, and historical memory.
These denial attacks desecrate the memorial, violate the right to truth and memory, promote violence and hatred, and unlawfully injure the honor of the victims and their descendants.
We attended a dinner hosted by Israeli Ambassador Yaakov Finkelstein, alongside U.S. Ambassador Tom Rose, U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Ellen Germain, Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Michaela Küchler, and American Jewish Committee (AJC) leaders.
We returned to Warsaw for conversations with journalists, an interview with Polish national television, and a beautiful Shabbat dinner with Poland’s vibrant Jewish community at the JCC Warszawa.
Where do we go from here?
ST will inspire Gen Z to become custodians of history, who learn from the past to build a better future.
History may not repeat itself, but it rhymes. We must confront Holocaust denial and defend the truth.
