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Human rights group considers travel warning for Jews visiting Poland

Simon Wiesenthal Center says Jews will face 'increasing threats' if antisemitism continues unabated

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The Simon Wiesenthal Center, the US-based Jewish human rights organisation, is considering issuing a warning urging Jews not to travel to Poland following its strained relations with Israel.

Poland came under international scrutiny this month when it approved a law which would see those found guilty of suggesting that the country was complicit in the Holocaust facing jail time. 

The move attracted criticism, most notably from Israel and the United States. 

Last week the SWC announced it was considering issuing a “travel advisory” urging Jews to limit their visits to the Eastern European country, travelling only to attend ancestral graves and Holocaust-era death camps. 

In a statement, it said: “We would take such action with great reluctance. We are not enemies of Poland.  

“But in 2018, we fear for a Poland that has now seen the history of the Holocaust recast by political forces who seek to bury the ugly past that includes the murder of Jews by Poles during the Holocaust and in the immediate aftermath of [the Second World War]. 

“If the anti-Semitism unleashed continues unabated, Jews will face increasing threats.  

“The SWC will be closely monitoring the situation in the coming weeks and months and will act accordingly.” 

Headquartered in Los Angeles, the SWC is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organisations in the world, with more than 400,000 member families in the US. 

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