Poland recovers stolen Auschwitz sign, says thieves not neo-Nazis

who will go after steelng for cash. In Irsael we have sme IDF soldiers who smuugle out gns and sell it on black market. It ends up with criminals and also with Palestinian terrorists.Therewere terror attacks of Palestian dressed up as IDF soldiers and had IDF guns. In eastern Europe( Polnd, Czech epublic, Hubgary, Ukraina, and Russia petty some segents of the population are emboldned to steel WWII German memorobilia especially that there are very few Jews left and meories of their own millions killed by Nazis is fading.In the case of the Arbeit Macht Frei it was apparently ordeed by a Swede, eiher a Neo Na himslef or on order from Neo Nazis in urope to buy the sign.

Isn't it the biggest paradox of the robbery that this has shown a brotherhood of people of both our nations who were indignant at the robbery? Do we really need such events to start feeling the similarity of our adversity? Everybody of us became a victim by the thieves approach to steal the big part our historical memory.

Police claims that sign was going to be transport to sweeden and sold for 10k - 30k euro and than sold to someone else probably.

This sign was made by Polish prisoners in Polish part of the camp. Then I'm not shure if Israel is best place for it. This is symbol of suffering many nations, not only Jews.

I am in gratitude. BTW: I am a fan of Polish cuisine, your Turkey is the best!!!!

Poland claims that the thieves were not neo-nazis. I was last summer in Budapest and I witnessed how statues made of steel were stollen or defaced for resale. Even the well-known monument for the Jews who were shot into the Danube (shoes on the bank of the Danube) are being stollen, because of valued steel. The claim of the Poles might be true.

same as szmalcowniks who robbed hidding Jews of their money and turned them over to Gestapo for a reward. The five also stole the sign for turning it over to Nazi trophy collectors. How do you see the five,apparently with a criminal background known to polish authorities? Do they represent Polsih nations as a whole? Of course not. Most Poles during the war were not szmalcowniks. What is your mental frame of mind.? Do you defend their action? You should be ptoud of people like Jan Karski, (AK courier to Polish Government in London during WWII who reported on Ghettos and Dead Camps) Czekam na odpowiedz!

I think that good idea would be to donate some advanced security system to museum in Oswiecim. I think that there are many Israeli companies developing this kind of security systems. I propose to start some compaign in Israel on that subject. I believe it will be good response.

grateful and relieved.

I heard it was 1.1 million and now it's 1.5 mil. Those sound like some pretty flexible numbers created by theoriticians.

Similar to Salomon Morel ?

#6#7#19 This symbol became a part of popular history (which sadly happens to be a part of modern pop-culture) , yet the historical truth was slightly different than described in the article above. The gate with the infamous inscription lead to the camp Auschwitz 1, the first established by Germans in former Polish army barracks. Under this gate thousands of prisoners passed to perish from murderous toil, cold, starvation and inhuman treatment. Most of them were Christians (incl. resistance fighters, intellectuals, politicians, aristocrats, clergy), lots of them - Soviet POW's. Relatively few Jews had passed this gate, as they were to find their martyrdom in several kilometeres away Birkenau. That is why I'm thankful to our Prime Minister who said to his Israeli counterpart: this sign is as much important for you as it is for us.

As expected, the thieves were not neo-Nazi's but Polish petty criminals hoping to make a little money for bronze scrap. Like it or not, face the facts, these criminals could not care less about Auschwitz, to them it was just scrap metal. All of the "outrage" about this fact only serves to obscure the fact that Shoah/Holocaust is irrelevant to most people!

Presumably the sign will get stolen again if proper care is not taken of it. As such, maybe it should be kept in the on-site museum where it will be easier to guard. It seems that neo-Nazis / Holocaust deniers etc would love to have the original out of sight and out of mind. Ayatollah Whatsisface over in Iran and his puppet muppet president would presumably love to destroy it.

Auschwitz Sign, It was an inside job ! Cut up for sale ! But later retreived ! "Who 'done' It" !

there were hundereds of calls from angry citzens reporting that they saw the thievs and they might know where they are with the sign. Anyway it is a shame that some polishman was able to do something like that.

collectors of Nazi symbols. Their Mentality: Szmalcowniks

Auschwitz was built in 1940 mainly for Poles! Over 100000 Poles were prisoners and 75000 perished there. And other people not only Jews!

... that it would be 'ransomed' for a million dollars...?!

via the ramp and the extermination section direct to Gas Chambers. Mostly Poles etc were in that part

The holocaust happend to the Jewes Not to Israel. Israel came into being as a result of the guilt that the world felt after the holocaust. And last but not least: Moshe Dayan was a grave robber too. Unfortunately there were and are many of them in all cultures.

Due to the notoriety now of this sign it needs to be protected. As I understand there was a duplicate sign used during the search for the original. Now that the original has been found it should be placed under the protection of the Polish Historical Society and placed into a Polish museum. Good work to the Polish police for investigating leads and recovering the sign.

Why to bring it to Yad Vashem? This sign is not the propriety of Jewish people!!! First of all the gate equipped with this sign was the gate to the concentration camp, not to the death camp. The gate was passed mainly by Poles, not by Jewish!!!

Nationality of the thieves doesn't matter but the museum was managed by Poles so its security was our responsibility. An apology is not improper, as any Pole with a sense of responsibility and respect for history will understand.

I look forward to disclose and capture all persons involved in this crime. I hope that our Police with Interopl's help will find quickly real principal or principals of arrested criminals, wherever they live...

The grotesque sign is a symbol of murder and barbarity and a cruel joke because of course the conditions of work are always slavery much more so in the case of the Nazi extermination program and it's much less written about Foreign Labor program with the Poles destined to be the slave labor. GOOD WORK POLAND on the recovery of this historic and ugly sign of this despicable moment is our joint history.

Big Thanks for the Polish Police,

Announce who the criminals were on the international media. Why did they steal the sign? The lets hear about their trial and hear about their convicition. This could be a stunt that the polish government who has pretty much give up hope on the original being recovered so they are having a second made up and they will say wonderful the original is back and everybody is happy. Nobody can ever sell the thing anyway and they know if they come clean then they will be charged with a criminal offense so the government doesn't have to worry to much about the original turning up. If it did they could then denounce it as a forgery because they have the original back in place remember.

TO POLISH POLICE THAT DID SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB IN SUCH A SHORT TIME, THANK YOU WITH ALL OUR HEARTS.

Mark, your apology is out of place. There is no need to apologize for, or feel shameful about things you did not do. Neither did your country steal this symbol. Why would they? So many Poles perished in Auschwitz. Are you going to apologize to your fellow Poles too, or to Russia (for all the Russians who died in Auschwitz)?

Gershon, this sign is integral part of the former German nazi death camp Auschwitz and as such it should be kept where it was. It should be just better protected so that this shameful event that happened last week would never happen again. The sign should remain in this horrible place forever and should remind us and the future generations about what happened in Auschwitz, where more than one million of innocent Jews, Poles, and Gypsies died just because of the fact they were not German.

I'm Polish myself and I feel ashamed that someone from Poland would to such a thing. The sign is important not only to the Jewish people but also to the millions of murderd Poles.

I't's a living testament to the millions who suffered unspeakable torture and death in the Camps during WW2. It cannot be replaced. Thanks to the Polish Police, the memory will continue.

After a recent visit to Poland and meeting many Polish people, I am convinced that the Polish folk is one of the most intelligent and educated natione, and I became their admirer

Why only Holocaust, the first prisoners passed through this gate were Poles from Wisnicz. In Auschwitz lost their lives not only Jews, but also Poles, Russians, Gypses

As per Polish law they may spend 10 years in prison. They were known to police already due to the past crimes. Aparantly, information obtain over the phone helped to catch them.

Sign doesn't belong to Israel, its place is were Germans killed millions of people, not Jews only. Maybe next time you want to bring Eiffel Tower or Big Ben to Jerusalem?

This sign was made by polish prisoners, not Jews. So it is 100% polish stuff.

I would imprison them for 3 months and then require require participation in Holocaust studies, with refresher courses.

This sign had to be one of the most desired pieces for underground sales. First of all thanks to the police and government agencies who recovered it. But also, to those who are tempted to perform such disgusting acts, just know, you will not get away with it.

Every nation has this kind of idiot

Why it should be bring to Yad Vashem? Don't be fool.

We know that the Nazis killed millions of Poles as well. We depend on people such as you to make sure that the memory of the victims is respected.

I am Pole, shame is me. I apologize Israel.

Best greetings from Poland for all of You.

chop off the hands of all such vandals !

Need to be dealt with firmly, this was not like pinching a pack of cigarettes.

could have been as readily destroyed to their owners