For 30 years, Israel has been attempting to obtain compensation from Poland for Jewish property seized during the Holocaust.
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During World War II, Poland was considered to have one of the largest Jewish populations.
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After the fall of the Communist Party in Poland, Jews began attempting to get their property back.
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On 24 June, 2021, the lower house of the Polish parliament passed a draft bill to limit claims for property restitution.
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According to this bill, the claims and complaints related to the restitution of personal property and real estate that were captured by the Nazis during World War II and had not been settled in the last 30 years would be stayed and archived.
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In addition, any appeal of the judgments issued in the last 30 years was prohibited.
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The Israeli government claimed the new law would prevent surviving Polish Jews and their families from reclaiming their properties, which accounted for 90 percent of these claims.
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In July 2021, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the Polish ruling party, criticized statements by Israeli authorities about Poland’s failure to return Jewish property and said that Warsaw does not owe anything to any country.
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“As long as I am the Prime Minister of Poland, we will not pay a single penny for the crimes of Germany against the Jews in World War II,” said Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland.
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Warsaw has repeatedly emphasized that it will not pay any compensation to Jews for the Holocaust.
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In May 2018, US President Donald Trump signed a law known as "Today's Justice for Uncompensated Survivors", which required the US State Department to investigate the progress made by countries such as Poland to make restitution for assets seized from Jews during World War II, and then to make a report to Congress.
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The right-wing Polish government, as well as the country's moderate and liberal opposition, have ignored this law, and insisted that such a law does not affect Poland.
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Warning: these questons and answers are not all representative of the way questions will be asked and answered in the pilot, because some questions are compound and some answers do not include citations.

Q: Which country had one of the largest Jewish populations during WWII?
A: Poland

Q: For how many years has Israel attempted to obtain compensation for Jewish property seized during the Holocaust?
A: For at least 30

Q: What was the purpose of the draft bill that the lower house of the Polish parliament passed in June 2021?
A: To limit claims for property restitution

Q: According to this bill, what would happen to complaints and claims for restitution?
A: The claims and complaints related to the restitution that had not been settled in the last 30 years would be stayed and archive

Q: What was also prohibited by the bill?
A: Any appeal of the judgments issued in the last 30 years was prohibited.

Q: What was the Israeli government’s criticism of this bill?
A: The Israeli government claimed the new law would prevent surviving Polish Jews and their families from reclaiming their properties, which accounted for 90 percent of these claims.

Q: What did Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the Polish ruling party, say about Israel’s criticism of Poland’s failure to return Jewish property?
A: He said that Warsaw did not owe anything to any country

Q: What did the Prime Minister of Poland say about the same topic?
A: He said, “As long as I am the Prime Minister of Poland, we will not pay a single penny for the crimes of Germany against the Jews in World War II.”

Q: What law did the United States pass regarding compensation of Holocaust survivors?
A: "Today's Justice for Uncompensated Survivors"

Q: What does the law require the US State Department to do?
A: It requireds the US State Department to investigate the progress made by countries such as Poland to make restitution for assets seized from Jews during World War II, and then to make a report to Congress.

Q: What was Poland’s reaction to this law?
A: Poland has ignored this law, and insisted that such a law does not affect Poland.