The Nazis, the Soviets and Moral Relativism in Eastern Europe (AUDIO INTERVIEW)

As world leaders gather in Jerusalem for the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, the festering issue of national accountability is more than just something to talk about

Some 50 world leaders – among them 26 heads of state, four heads of government and four kings – have descended on Jerusalem for the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, marking 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.

It’s a solemn affair aimed at showing solidarity with the Jewish people, but also at the notion that such a catastrophe should never be allowed to happen again.

Yet there is controversy. At least two eastern European leaders – Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda – are snubbing the forum. Duda, who is feuding with Russian President Vladimir Putin, is unhappy that Putin received an invitation to speak while he didn’t. Nauseda is staying away out of solidarity with Duda, though both are scheduled to attend Monday’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremonies at Auschwitz.

All of this highlights a troubling aspect of Holocaust revisionism in eastern Europe, where people who fought the hated Soviets are considered national heroes even if they killed Jews alongside the apparently less-hated Nazis.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff, a renowned Nazi hunter, has dedicated much of his work to the issue of national accountability – or the lack thereof – in countries once dominated by Moscow. The Media Line discussed this with him in two parts.

Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Part 1:

Dr. Efraim Zuroff, Part 2: