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Today, the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, expressed his deep remorse and regret for the suffering and destruction caused by Germany to Poland and its people.
On April 19, 2023, on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Poland.
All three Presidents bowed in front of the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in Warsaw at the beginning of the ceremony.
“”It is necessary and at the same time it is so hard to come here as a German and as the Federal President of Germany. The terrible crimes that the Germans committed here fill me with deep shame. At the same time, I am grateful and humbled by the fact that I can participate in these celebrations as the First Head of the German state. As German President, I stand before you today and bow before the brave fighters of the Warsaw ghetto. I bow in deep mourning before the dead”,
the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
The President’s speech was a powerful symbol of reconciliation between two neighboring countries that have had a tumultuous history. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which took place from April 19 to May 16, 1943, was a pivotal moment in the fight against Nazi oppression in Poland. The uprising was led by Jewish resistance fighters who fought bravely against overwhelming odds to resist their oppressors.
A miracle of reconciliation
“It is still a miracle that Jews and Poles shook hands with us Germans at all after the crimes of our ancestors.”
he added.