The Board and the Founders of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ) strongly condemn the articles in the September issue of the Polish Forbes magazine (09/2013) about Jewish institutions in Poland, including FODZ, as damaging the good name of people involved in FODZ’s activities, including its officers, employees, partners, sponsors, and friends.

The comments about FODZ in these articles were based on allegations and not on verified facts.  In our opinion, the articles’ allegations against FODZ contradict the public mission carried by the media by the authors of the articles, the editorial staff, and the publisher of Forbes magazine (the German Ringier Axel Springer company).

The Board would like to stress that FODZ complies with legal regulations, binding in Poland, that oblige FODZ to submit activity and financial reports to the registry court, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, and the tax office.  Additionally, even though it is under no legal obligation to do so, the financial report of the foundation is verified each year by independent auditors.  All these documents are publicly available.  For this reason we dismiss, as untrue, the articles’ allegations regarding management of the assets by FODZ.

The Board condemns speculation in the articles about the “Jewishness” of specific persons and imputations of corruption and ill-will to people involved in the difficult task of pursuing restitution within the established regulatory process.  The language in the Forbes articles about the restitution process is totally negatively towards the restitution process.  The articles allegations also discourage our partners in the renovation and commemoration projects for key sites constituting the Jewish heritage in Poland.

We appreciate all the expressions of solidarity and support that we have received.