Board of Deputies Vice President: ‘Polish Restitution Bill is an act of legislated desecration’

Board of Deputies Vice President David Mendoza-Wolfson has called on Polish President Andrzej Duda to veto the Restitution Bill passed by the Polish senate yesterday, calling the Bill an act of ‘legislated desecration’.

David said: “The Polish Sejm’s rejection of the Senate’s amendments to the Restitution Bill is awful, but regrettably unsurprising. The bill that is now heading to President’s Duda’s desk is an act of legislated desecration and dishonours not just the victims of the Holocaust but also that of the communist regime. The Bill is unjust to both Jews and non-Jews who are simply wishing to be treated with the morality and decency they deserve and to receive adequate compensation for what is rightfully theirs. On behalf of the UK Jewish community, I implore President Duda to veto this legislation, as is within his power, in order to honour the memory of the Holocaust and the rights of its victims. The Board of Deputies will continue to work with international partners, including the World Jewish Restitution Organisation, and raise our significant concerns with Lord Pickles, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Post-Holocaust Issues, with the British Embassy in Warsaw and with the Polish Embassy in London.”