Poland Outraged After MP Attacks Menorah At Hanukkah

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

WARSAW (Worthy News) – Poland’s new prime minister, Israel, and the United States have condemned a far-right Polish legislator for extinguishing candles on a menorah lit for Hanukkah in the Polish parliament.

Grzegorz Braun, a far-right parliamentarian, was shown on television spraying the menorah with a fire extinguisher.

As haze filled the area, the parliament took a break in proceedings to deal with the incident. Braun was suspended for the rest of the day by the speaker of parliament, Szymon Hołownia. “There will be no tolerance for racism, xenophobia, antisemitism … as long as I am the speaker of parliament,” Hołownia said while denouncing Braun’s actions.

It was the first crisis for Donald Tusk, who became the new prime minister of Poland on Tuesday after his new government won a vote of confidence ousting the rightwing nationalist cabinet.

After he delivered a keynote speech to parliament outlining his plans for office, he described the incident as “a disgrace.”

“This is unacceptable. This can’t happen again,” Tusk said.

Rabbi Sholom Ber Stambler, who has lit the menorah in parliament for the last 17 years, said Braun was “an antisemite who wanted to attract attention.” He suggested the stunt had had the opposite intended effect as he received “many phone calls and messages” from Polish legislators and others. “Everyone sends me so much solidarity and care, feeling sorry and apologizing for this,” Ber Stambler added.

CHILDREN SUFFERING

He told the media that he was in the next room when Braun launched the attack, but his children were still around the menorah and got foam from the fire extinguisher in their mouths

Israel’s ambassador to Poland, Yacov Livne, expressed outrage, saying on social media platform X: “SHAME. A Polish parliament member just did this. Few minutes after we celebrated Chanukah there.”

The U.S. ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, agreed, writing on X: “Poland has experienced the atrocities of the Holocaust, and this disgusting act of hatred reminds us all why we must remain vigilant and fight anti-Semitism every minute of every day.”

Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś of Poland’s Catholic church said in a statement that he was ashamed of Braun’s actions. “[I] apologize to the entire Jewish community in Poland.”

Asked just after the incident if he was ashamed, Braun replied: “Those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed.” He left the chamber, shaking hands with other far-right lawmakers.

The incident overshadowed Hanukkah, also spelled as Chanukah, the Hebrew word for “dedication.” The Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights” marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century before Christ, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.

In countries such as Poland, where many Jews died in the Holocaust, it is also seen as a way to celebrate Jewish culture at a time of mounting global tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.

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