Polakow.
AJC
American Jewish Committe
A Century of Leadership
April 23, 2009
H.E. Agnieszka Magdziak – Miszewska
Ambassador of Poland to Israel
16, Soutine St.
64684 Tel-Aviv
Your Excellency,
On behalf of the American Jewish Committee we wish to convey to you our
distress and anger over the disreputable comments by Rabbi Zalman Melamed
(echoing the deplorable comments made some months ago by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner)
that insult Poland and are an embarrassment to the Jewish People and the State
of Israel. While the pain of past historical experience is profound and
requires an extra measure of tolerance, the defamation of the Polish people
as a whole, especially today, is totally intolerable and unacceptable.
Aside from Poland's admirable modern democratic civil society, we are grateful
for its close relationship with the State of Israel and especially
appreciative of the principled stand Poland took a few days ago in the wake of
the outrageous hijack of the Durban II conference.
We assure you that the views of Melamed and Aviner do not represent the vast
majority of Israelis let alone of the Jewish People, and we reiterate our
desire to continue to advance the new and excellent relationships between our
peoples.
Sincerely,
Rabbi David Rosen Dr Eran Lerman
International Director of Interreligious Affairs Director,
Israel/Middle East Office
Israel/Middle East Office: Beit Moses, 11 Mesilat Yesharim St. × P.O. Box
37068 Jerusalem 91370
E-mail: Israel@ajc.org.il × Fax: 02-6256527 × Tel: 02-6255281
