Poland commemorates WWII atrocities with Kielce pogrom 80th anniversary and Roma Holocaust remembrance

On 3 July 2026 Poland observed the 80th anniversary of the 1946 Kielce pogrom. The commemoration began with an inter‑faith prayer at the Jewish cemetery, continued at the Menorah monument, and included a reading of victims’ names by youth from the YouthBridge project. A concert in Kielce Cathedral featured a tenors and an organ, while Bogdan Białek, honorary president of the Jan Karski Association, and Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich recalled the massacre of at least 40 Jews and urged that the tragedy not divide today.

On 2 August, designated as European Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day, ceremonies will be held at the former Auschwitz II‑Birkenau “Zigeunerlager”. Władysław Kwiatkowski, director of the Auschwitz Centre of History and Culture of Roma, together with representatives of the Polish Roma Association and the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, will lay wreaths and deliver speeches remembering the roughly 4.3 thousand Roma murdered in the camp’s gas chambers. The events are organized in cooperation with the Auschwitz Museum.