In response to reports in Israeli media regarding the removal of historical artifacts from the Warsaw Ghetto area from Poland, the Jewish Historical Institute, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and the Warsaw Ghetto Museum, as institutions established to protect and commemorate the history of Polish Jews, remind everyone that if an archaeological site is discovered during construction, excavation, or by chance, it should be secured, any work that could potentially damage it should be stopped, and the matter should be immediately reported to the appropriate institutions: the offices of monument conservators and starosts (in Warsaw, the City Hall) or the police. Similarly, conducting archaeological research or searching for historical artifacts requires obtaining a permit from the provincial conservator, and the export of artifacts abroad is limited and strictly regulated by law.
We are outraged that Holocaust-related artifacts may be being illegally traded. We therefore appeal to all those who have knowledge of such memorabilia to report them to the appropriate institutions. This will ensure that they are properly and professionally secured and thus preserved. The most valuable artifacts, after conservation, are made available to the general public in museums, allowing every visitor to participate in preserving the memory of the tangible and intangible heritage of Polish Jews.
We hope that the shocking situation described above will be clarified and that similar incidents will not occur in the future.
Monika Krawczyk, director of the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute
Albert Stankowski, director of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum
Zygmunt Stępiński, director of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
