POLAND — Police officers from Germany and Austria participated in a multi-day field study visit across Poland, examining key Holocaust sites and the role of law enforcement as perpetrators during the Second World War.
The visit formed part of the ongoing Police and the Holocaust initiative and focused on deepening participants’ understanding through direct engagement with historical locations connected to persecution, deportation, and mass murder.
The program began in the city of Zamość, where participants explored the traces of pre-war Jewish life and examined how the city’s landscape was transformed under German occupation. From there, the group traveled to Józefów, where discussions centered on the local Jewish community and its destruction.
At a nearby forest, participants visited the site of the July 13, 1942 massacre, where German police units murdered approximately 1,500 Jews. The site served as a stark case study of the direct involvement of law enforcement officers in mass killings, reflecting the broader role of German police forces in the murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews across Europe.
The following days took participants to key sites associated with Operation Reinhard. In Bełżec, the group examined the remains of the former death camp and surrounding infrastructure, including the site of the commandant’s office and the local railway system used to facilitate deportations. Participants were given time to engage with the memorial and its exhibition, reflecting on the scale and organization of extermination.
At Sobibór, the program incorporated recently uncovered photographic material from perpetrator Johann Niemann, offering insight into the perspective of those who carried out the crimes. Discussions focused on how such systems of mass murder were implemented, as well as on the history of the site after 1945 and the evolution of its memorialization. Participants also visited a nearby execution site, where they explored the challenges faced by those who attempted to escape, including in the aftermath of the Sobibór uprising in October 1943.
The final stage of the visit took place at Majdanek, where participants examined the differences between concentration and extermination camps, with particular attention to “Aktion Erntefest” in November 1943. During this operation, approximately 40,000 Jewish men, women, and children were murdered across multiple sites, including Majdanek, Poniatowa, and Trawniki.
Each day concluded with structured reflection sessions, allowing participants to process the historical material and consider its implications for their roles as contemporary law enforcement officers.
The initiative is implemented by an international consortium of partners, including What Matters and the World Jewish Congress, in cooperation with governmental and educational institutions across Europe. By engaging directly with sites of persecution and confronting the role of police in the Holocaust, the program seeks to strengthen historical awareness and reinforce the ethical responsibilities of law enforcement in democratic societies.
Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
