Poland comes to terms with war-time massacres of Jewish citizens

Ceremonies are taking place in Poland this week to mark the 70th anniversary of a series of massacres committed by Poles against their Jewish neighbors during World War II. But some groups are still in denial.

A ceremony in the eastern town of Jedwabne, Poland, on Sunday marked one of the darkest chapters in the nation's history. Leading Polish politicians, the Israeli ambassador to Poland and the country's chief rabbi were joined for the first time by a Polish Roman Catholic bishop on the site where Polish villagers turned on and massacred their Jewish neighbors during the World War II.

The Soviets occupied the area when war broke out in 1939. After the Nazis attacked the USSR two years later, confusion and mayhem gripped Jedwabne. Historians estimate that the massacres of Jews took place in over 50 places in the region, killing thousands.

Jacob Baker survived the massacre and now lives in the US. He can still remember the cries of Jewish villagers being killed by their neighbors.

"It was the most horrible day, because people were dragged out of their houses: men, women, infants, children," Baker said in a film that documents the massacre in Jedwabne....

Read entire article at Deutsche Welle (Germany)

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Ceremonies are taking place in Poland this week to mark the 70th anniversary of a series of massacres committed by Poles against their Jewish neighbors during World War II. But some groups are still in denial.