On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Polish party pushes bill against Jewish reparations

A far-right faction of Poland’s parliament, Kukiz 15, submitted a bill to protect Poland against Jewish claims for the Holocaust.

By World Israel News Staff

A far-right faction of Poland’s parliament, Kukiz 15, chose Holocaust Remembrance Day, which takes place today, to submit a bill to protect Poland against Jewish restitution claims for the Holocaust.

On Tuesday, punk rock musician turned politician Paweł Kukiz, who founded Kukiz 15, after doing surprisingly well in his 2015 run for president, posted on Facebook that “in order to protect Poland as much as possible against possible Jewish claims resulting from U.S. law 447, we are submitting a bill for the protection of property of the Republic of Poland against claims regarding non-hereditary property.”

Mr. Kukiz refers to the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 2017, which “requires the Department of State to report to Congress assessing the national laws and enforceable policies of covered countries regarding the identification and return of, or restitution for, assets wrongfully seized or transferred during the Holocaust era.”

Kukiz 15 appears to be playing on Polish fears regarding the section of the law that deals with “the restitution of heirless property to assist needy Holocaust survivors.”

The Jewish Press quotes Polish news website wyborcza.pl, which says “the 447 right-wing law adopted by the U.S. Congress scares voters in Poland. … it serves to demand in the future compensation from the Polish state for real estate lost during World War II by Polish Jews. It is to apply to property for which there are no claims from former owners or their heirs.”

Kukiz 15 holds about 30 seats in the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament. It won 42 percent among voters aged 18 to 29 in the 2015 presidential election.