An IDF reservist who visited the Auschwitz death camp in Poland last week as part of the IDF's "Witnesses in Uniform" educational program is to be disciplined after hanging a sign at the site saying, in Polish, "You also had a part in this," Army Radio reported Sunday.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said the soldier had pulled out the handwritten sign while the delegation of soldiers was preparing for a group photo. He put up the sign to protest the recent Polish law that makes it illegal to suggest publicly that Poland, which was occupied by Germany in 1939, or the Polish people were responsible for the crimes committed by the Nazis during World War II.
"The security staff at Auschwitz spotted the sign and reported it to the museum management. When the head of the delegation was informed, the cadet was identified and he admitted his action. The course commander spoke with him and impressed upon him the seriousness of what he had done," the IDF said.
According to the Army Radio report, the sign prompted controversy. The reservist was filmed by the Polish security staff and a complaint was filed against him.
Under the law, he should have been arrested, but the Polish authorities preferred not to detain him to avoid a diplomatic incident.
The IDF issued a statement condemning the act, calling it "against the military's values and the essence of the 'Witnesses in Uniform' delegation." It said he would be disciplined in the coming days.
The IDF said it places "great importance" on Holocaust education and it would continue to teach soldiers and officers about the history of the Holocaust and continue the "Witnesses in Uniform" visits to the site.
