In 1941, Jedwabne was a small north-eastern Polish town of about 2400 inhabitants. On July 10, 1941, the town's Jewish population was murdered. Jews had been herded into a barn at the outskirts of the community and set on fire. After the war, the Polish authorities conducted an investigation of the manslaughter in Jedwabne. It resulted in sentencing 12 Poles in 1949 and 1953. They were all imprisoned. The longest sentence was a 15-year imprisonment. In spite of the investigation, not all circumstances of the crime were clarified. That is why in 1967, the Polish authorities reopened the investigation, while being helped by German authorities. The aim was to explain the complicity of German perpetrators in the slaughter. The German authorities were given names of ten Germans. One of them had been questioned. However, the case had been closed because of insufficient evidence on his complicity in the crime. Recently, shortly after the publication of the book 'Neighbours' by Jan Gross, which contained a statement saying that allegedly Jedwabne slaughter was committed by Polish inhabitants of the town without any co-operation of the German SS squads, police or gendarmes, the investigation was reopened for the third time. Depositions currently being made by witnesses confirm complicity of both Germans and Polish inhabitants of the town. Some of the witnesses were ten to fourteen at the time of the event, and they had not been questioned earlier. Current inhabitants of Jedwabne and the surrounding areas have been asked to contact the Institute. Other witnesses and sources which could contribute towards a determination of the course of events, are also being sought.

Particularly through the mediation of the Rabbi of Warsaw, Mr. Michael Schudrich, efforts have been made to collect the testimonies of surviving relatives of the victims involved and to inform them about their rights.The first witness, who presently resides in the United States, has already come forward providing a list of 26 names of victims in Jedwabne. This piece of information has been entered into the computerised data base of the victims in Jedwabne that is currently being created. Similar computerised data bases of perpetrators and the reconstruction of the course of events will be also createdl.
A publication containing all witness accounts of the slaughter in Jedwabne will be published upon the closing of the investigation.

Warsaw, February 8, 2001