Israeli student arrested in Poland for performing a Nazi salute at Auschwitz
A 12th-grade Israeli student was arrested on Sunday for making a Nazi salute at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during a school trip to Poland.
The student, who was visiting the site as part of a high school delegation from northern Israel, performed the gesture beneath the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work Sets You Free”) sign at the entrance of the former Nazi death camp. He was detained by authorities and later released after being fined 1,500 zloty (approximately $370).
Israel’s Education Ministry strongly condemned the incident, stating that it was treating the matter with “the utmost severity” and that the student would face disciplinary action upon returning home. “This behavior is entirely unacceptable, contradicts the values of Israeli education, and undermines the significance of the trip to Poland,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau museum also denounced the act, calling the Nazi salute a symbol of the antisemitic ideology responsible for the suffering and deaths of millions during World War II. “Committing such an act at the historical site, where Nazi Germany murdered approximately one million Jews, along with tens of thousands of Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war, and others, is not only deeply offensive and morally reprehensible but also a violation of the law,” the museum stated. Security personnel reported the incident to the police, who launched an investigation.
The student’s high school addressed the situation internally, emphasizing that the act did not reflect the institution’s values. The local municipality also announced its own investigation into the matter. The student, when questioned by authorities, claimed he had been waving and not intentionally making a Nazi salute.
Polish law strictly prohibits the public promotion of Nazi symbols, with violations punishable by up to two years in prison. In a similar incident earlier this year, a Dutch tourist was arrested and fined for making a Nazi salute at Auschwitz, later describing the act as a “bad joke.”
