Israeli student arrested for Nazi salute at Auschwitz

(A7) An Israeli high school student was arrested on Sunday after making a Nazi salute at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during a school trip to Poland, Ynet reported.

The 12th-grade student, part of a delegation from a northern Israeli high school, performed the gesture under the infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work Sets You Free”) sign at the camp’s entrance, according to the report.

He was taken into custody by Polish authorities and later released after paying a fine of 1,500 zloty.

Israel’s Education Ministry condemned the act, emphasizing its seriousness. “This behavior is entirely unacceptable, contradicts the values of Israeli education, and undermines the significance of the trip to Poland,” the ministry stated, adding that the student would face disciplinary action upon his return.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum also denounced the incident, describing the Nazi salute as a symbol of the antisemitic ideology that led to the mass murder of millions during World War II.

“Committing such an act at the historical site, where Nazi Germany murdered approximately one million Jews, along with tens of thousands of Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and others, is not only deeply offensive and morally reprehensible but also a violation of the law,” the museum said.

The student’s high school stated that it was addressing the matter internally and stressed that the act did not represent the school’s values. The student claimed he had been waving rather than intentionally making a Nazi salute.

Polish law strictly prohibits the public display of Nazi symbols, with offenders facing penalties of up to two years in prison.

In 2013, two Turkish tourists gave Nazi salutes outside the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp.

They took pictures of each other making the offensive gestures underneath the “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign. They were subsequently each sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for three years, and fined.