Statement from the Executive Director

On behalf of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research we are deeply saddened and disturbed by the recent legal proceedings brought against Polish scholars Professors Barbara Engelking and Jan Grabowski, co-authors of the two-volume study "It's still night. The fate of Jews in selected counties of occupied Poland.” This study questions the widely promoted official position in Poland that Poles were exclusively the victims of war-time atrocities and rescued Jews on a massive scale.

The legal proceedings and other forms of harassment and intimidation of these scholars attack the very foundation of a free and open society. Scholarly freedom, critical inquiry and free expression allow us to acknowledge and learn from the past to create a better future. In attempting to quash academic and public discourse through political or judicial pressure, the present Polish government recalls the dark period of Soviet cultural and social repression. It is confounding and unfortunate that these tactics persist in 2021. Have we learned nothing?

YIVO stands in solidarity with the brave scholars and the pursuit of academic freedom and truth.

Jonathan Brent
Executive Director/CEO
The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research