The exhumation in the northeastern town of Jedwabne began last week as part of a government probe launched after a book described how Poles, not Nazi troops, killed as many as 1,600 Jews there. Ordered by the state Institute of National Remembrance, the exhumation had been halted Thursday night after a rabbi from Israel had to leave. It resumed Monday after Rabbi Morris Herschaft of London arrived to oversee the work. Witold Kulesza, head of the institute's investigators in Jedwabne, said the exhumation was finished by late afternoon, and Herschaft said prayers over the grave. Ashes found there could correspond to the remains of 50 more victims, he said.
Investigators plan to issue a statement on their findings later.
Despite fierce opposition from the Jewish community, the institute ordered the exhumation to secure evidence in case charges are brought against any surviving perpetrators. Investigators also hoped to establish the identities of at least some of the victims. The rabbis supervising the procedure were there to minimize the desecration and ensure the remains were treated with utmost respect. We had to carry out this exhumation. He expressed gratitude to the rabbis for their presence.