On February 12, 2001 the Polish Consulate General in New York hosted a meeting between the President of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, Professor Leon Kieres and Rabbi Jackob Baker, accompanied by Morlan Ty Rogers, representing the Jedwabne Jews in America. During the meeting Professor Kieres outlined the main goals of the Institute in the area of gathering and administering the documentation regarding the area of crimes committed against the Polish nation between the period of 1939-1945, as well during the Communist regime. Professor Kieres presented the results of the ongoing investigation of the Jedwabne massacre, where in July 1941 an estimated 1600 Jews were brutally murdered. During the meeting Professor Kieres expressed his personal determination, and the determination of the Institute's investigators and historians to examine all existing documentation which would unveil the facts about Jedwabne. The Institute is committed to present the final results of the investigation in the shortest time possible, hopefully in the coming months. Professor Kieres indicated that all available evidence undeniably confirm the fact the Jews of Jedwabne were murdered by Poles, their neighbors. There is no evidence proving otherwise. Professor Kieres acknowledged the fact that while the investigation is still under way, there is a need for the contemporary Poland to face the historical truth, as difficult and painful as it may turn out. This process also includes the need to replace a false and misleading inscription on the existing monument in Jedwabne, which blames solely the Nazi occupant. Rabbi Baker and Mr. Rogers expressed their satisfaction with the work undertaken by the Institute, and expressed their support for the Institute' s willingness to fully disclose the facts underlying the Jedwabne case. 'No one alive today has the authority to forgive those who committed these brutal and inhuman crimes against our friends and relatives in Jedwabne. We do, however, recognize that the Polish authorities today are treating the issue of Jedwabne with the seriousness that it deserves and they are trying to do a right thing'. All the participats of the meeting acknowledged that these actions are the essential element of the healing process between Jews and Poles. This process will set the pace of Polish-Jewish reconciliation and will be a 'beacon' the generations to come, marking the separation of the right from the wrong.

New York, the Polish Consulate General, February 12, 2001