In a significant step toward cultural repatriation, 76 Greek Jewish artifacts are set to return to the Jewish Museum of Greece in Athens, following a landmark agreement announced during a working meeting in Warsaw.
Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, attending the Informal Council of EU Culture Ministers, met with her Polish counterpart, Minister of Culture and National Heritage Hanna Wróblewska, to finalise the deal.
The artifacts, currently housed at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, were discovered in Lower Silesia and hold deep historical and emotional significance for Greece’s Jewish community. Mendoni emphasised the importance of their return, stating, “Preserving historical memory is our duty to the Greek Jewish communities, to the relatives of those murdered in the crematoria, and to future generations.” She acknowledged the bureaucratic challenges of repatriation but stressed Greece’s commitment to seeing the process through, with a target completion date of 2025.
Wróblewska echoed Mendoni’s sentiments, affirming Poland’s support for returning cultural treasures to their places of origin as an act of historical and cultural justice. The collaboration between Greece, Poland, and the Jewish Museum of Greece has been hailed as a model of international cooperation. Piotr Rypson, Poland’s Director of Cultural Heritage, and Zanet Battinou, Director of the Jewish Museum of Greece, presented the documentation efforts that have paved the way for this repatriation.
Strengthening Greco-Polish Cultural Ties
The meeting also highlighted the growing cultural partnership between Greece and Poland. Mendoni expressed satisfaction with the collegial atmosphere that has fostered closer ties, extending beyond repatriation to include potential exchanges in cinema, contemporary art exhibitions, and craftsmanship—proposals met with enthusiasm by Wróblewska.
During her visit, Mendoni toured the Jewish Historical Institute, guided by Director Dr. Michal Trębacz through the Emanuel Ringelblum archive, where she viewed some of the 76 artifacts slated for return. She also met with Joanna Mytkowska, Director of Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art, who expressed admiration for Athens’ National Museum of Contemporary Art and a desire for future collaboration.
A Broader Call for Repatriation
Mendoni seized the opportunity to raise Greece’s national demand for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures in Athens, thanking Poland for its unwavering support. “We are grateful for the Polish government’s consistent backing of Greece’s request, as expressed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk during his meeting with our Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis a year ago here in Warsaw,” she said. Wróblewska reaffirmed Poland’s firm stance on the issue, calling for the permanent return of the Parthenon Sculptures to their homeland.
Accompanying Mendoni were Greece’s Ambassador to Poland Niki Kamba, Director of International Relations and the EU at the Ministry of Culture Giorgos Kalamantis, Jewish Museum Director Zanet Battinou, and other ministry officials. The agreement marks a milestone in preserving cultural heritage and reinforcing the bonds between Greece and Poland, with the return of the artifacts poised to honour the memory of Greece’s Jewish communities on an international stage.
(Source: In.gr)
