The 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation should be a solemn moment of reflection, a time to remember the unimaginable horrors endured by the Jewish people and to reaffirm the commitment to “Never Again.” Instead, Poland has desecrated this sacred commemoration by threatening to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he attends the ceremony.

This threat stems from an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued in 2023 against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging war crimes. Many nations, including the United States, rejected the ICC’s jurisdiction, citing legal flaws and political bias. Yet Poland has gone further, weaponizing Auschwitz as a stage to enforce this warrant.

Auschwitz is the site where over one million Jews were systematically murdered, a place of mourning and resilience. For Poland to exploit this space to target Jewish leadership is not justice; it is humiliation, erasure and blatant antisemitism.

Historical Revisionism And Antisemitism

This is not the first time Poland has tried to undermine Jewish voices. The country has a troubling history of rewriting its role in the Holocaust, from criminalizing discussions of Polish complicity to repeatedly downplaying Jewish suffering. Using Auschwitz in this way perpetuates a chilling pattern. It silences Jewish leadership under the guise of legal obligation.

Auschwitz is not just a historical site. It is the epicenter of Jewish tragedy and a stark warning about the dangers of unchecked hatred. For Poland to turn this commemoration into a political weapon dishonors the memory of those who perished and silences the voices of those who should be central to its observance.

This act mirrors the antisemitism we have faced here at home. Let us not forget that Auschwitz is the very place where protesters in Teaneck told members of our Jewish community to “go back to [Auschwitz].” Antisemitism may take different forms globally and locally, but the message is the same, to exclude, erase and dehumanize.

The Dangers of Silence

The Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers; it began with the normalization of antisemitism. Today, hatred against Jews often disguises itself as legality, neutrality or justice. If we fail to call it out, if we allow Auschwitz to be misused in this way, we become complicit in the erasure of our own history. Ignoring hate does not make it disappear; it allows it to fester and grow, leaving it for the next generation to confront.

No one is fighting for the survival of the Jewish people or our civil rights except for ourselves and those who have demonstrated true allyship. The allies who proved themselves on and after October 7, and the ones who would have hidden us in the darkest times, are the ones we must stand with now. If someone was not an ally on that day, they cannot claim to be one now.

A Call to Action

We must demand that Auschwitz remains a place of solemn respect, not political manipulation. We cannot allow history to repeat itself. Auschwitz reminds us that silence in the face of antisemitism is complicity. The world has vowed, “Never Again.” Now is the time to prove it.

Standing against hate means being specific, not vague. It requires naming antisemitism directly and rejecting the false equivalencies that diminish Jewish suffering. The Jewish community deserves more than vague promises of unity. It deserves acknowledgment, respect and an unwavering commitment to combat antisemitism.

Lessons for Today

Antisemitism is insidious. It does not always come in the form of overt hate. Sometimes, it hides in policies or resolutions that fail to address the targeting of Jews adequately. Sometimes, it is disguised as a call for neutrality in the face of clear injustice. And sometimes, it takes the form of an arrest warrant issued for the leader of the Jewish state at a site that epitomizes Jewish genocide.

True unity does not come from diluting the experiences of one group to appease another. It comes from addressing injustice in its specific forms and ensuring that no group’s suffering is minimized or erased.

Auschwitz represents a profound connection to Jewish history and survival. It stands as a reminder of what unchecked hatred and indifference can lead to. Poland’s threat to arrest Netanyahu silences Jewish voices at the very place where they should be most heard.

As Auschwitz teaches us, silence is never neutral. Silence is complicity. Let us commit to confronting antisemitism with courage in all its forms.

Hillary Goldberg is a Teaneck Town Council member and Teaneck High School graduate.