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The "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign theft from Oswiecim, Poland


jonni  16 | 2475  
18 Dec 2009 /  #1
A strange story. What would someone do with it and why would they want it?

The infamous Arbeit Macht Frei sign at the entrance to the Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Poland has been stolen, officials there say.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8419948.stm
southern  73 | 7059  
18 Dec 2009 /  #2
Maybe the Jews will use it in their camps.
convex  20 | 3928  
18 Dec 2009 /  #3
I just read that too. Defacement, I could kind of understand the motive... but stealing it outright?
1jola  14 | 1875  
18 Dec 2009 /  #4
From Haaretz:

Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud) said in response that "this is one the Polish police's biggest failures," adding that" anti-Semitic events in the world are multiplying, and there is a valid fear for the safety of the Jews in the Diaspora."

LOL. Stolen last night. Those Polish cops are slow.

And what does this have to do with anti-Semitism? Polish prisoners were made to construct the camp and the sign for a camp for Polish prisoners not Jews. Birkenau was for Jews.

Hundreds of thousands of people visit the museum every year, but ticket sales are not enough to maintain the open-air site

The museum has always been free. There are no ticket sales. Jews should know that, if anyone should.
Bratwurst Boy  9 | 11629  
18 Dec 2009 /  #5
"this is one the Polish police's biggest failures,"

Ooooh pleeeeaaaaase....

This Edelstein guy published yesterday in JP an opinion that declares ANY and EVERY criticism on Israel as new antisemitism...as in: "the whole world is bad and against us innocents lambs because they are all mean anti-semites".

What do you expect?
It's not even clear yet that the thieves are polish....
Wroclaw Boy  
18 Dec 2009 /  #6
What would someone do with it and why would they want it?

thats easy - money, that sign is known world wide, it would be worth a fortune. You can just imagine some super rich twat hanging it in his living room bragging thats the very sign of the Auschwitz death camp and original too. Problem for them they cant brag too much as it will be reported, you cant just make history like that dissapear. To many people care.

Golems all around for the thieves.
vetala  - | 381  
18 Dec 2009 /  #7
It's revolting but understandable - many would be willing to pay millions for this sign.

I can't believe there are anti-Jewish comments in this thread. Shouldn't we join together in outrage against the criminals instead? Shame on you.
k98_man  
18 Dec 2009 /  #8
God damnit...I just got into Krakow and planned to visit it for the first time in a couple days. Oh well...I'll come back ;)
Bratwurst Boy  9 | 11629  
18 Dec 2009 /  #9
Oh well...I'll come back ;)

They have put a copy up...
Harry  
18 Dec 2009 /  #10
What goes around comes around. They refuse to return stolen property to its rightful owners, so they do not have the right to complain when somebody refused to return stolen property to them.
Magdalena  3 | 1827  
18 Dec 2009 /  #11
Forgive me, but this is one of the stupidest things I've read in a long time. :-/
vetala  - | 381  
18 Dec 2009 /  #12
Magdalena
It's Harry. What did you expect?
convex  20 | 3928  
18 Dec 2009 /  #13
What goes around comes around. They refuse to return stolen property to its rightful owners, so they do not have the right to complain when somebody refused to return stolen property to them.

Who is "they"? The 150,000 poles that died there? The jews that died there? The survivors from the camp?
Harry  
18 Dec 2009 /  #14
Who is "they"?

The camp museum.

Forgive me, but this is one of the stupidest things I've read in a long time. :-/

Is it as stupid as claiming that because a piece of work was commissioned by an SS officer whose property was stripped from him because of his crimes, the piece of work belongs to the Polish state and not to the artist who painted the piece? That is the logic the Auschwitz museum use when refusing to give back stolen property.

It's Harry. What did you expect?

How surprising, a Pole who can't debate the facts instead trying to debate the person. Never seen that before.
vetala  - | 381  
18 Dec 2009 /  #15
Harry
So it's better to attack a whole nation? I shall remember that, my dear Moral Guardian.
Nice try, but I won't be provoked. I've read enough of your posts to conclude that reasoning with you is like trying to reason with joe pilsudski.
Harry  
18 Dec 2009 /  #16
So it's better to attack a whole nation?

I'm perfectly fine with the nation of Poland thanks. It's the museum of Auschwitz which p!sses me off.
1jola  14 | 1875  
18 Dec 2009 /  #17
I can't believe there are anti-Jewish comments in this thread. Shouldn't we join together in outrage against the criminals instead? Shame on you.

There were no Jews in this camp when the sign was made. The camp was designed for Polish political pisoners and Polish prisoners were forced to make the sign. When they did, they tried to sabotage it in a small way, as best as they could. See if you can spot it:

There were comments, mine for example, pointing out major Jewish newspaper's innacuracies, and the idiotic statements by one Jew quoted in the article. How is that anti-Jewish, sweetie?
southern  73 | 7059  
18 Dec 2009 /  #18
Die Arbeit macht frei.Listen to the Germans.
polishcanuck  7 | 461  
18 Dec 2009 /  #19
I'm perfectly fine with the nation of Poland thanks.

Don't lie.
OP jonni  16 | 2475  
18 Dec 2009 /  #20
thats easy - money, that sign is known world wide, it would be worth a fortune. You can just imagine some super rich twat hanging it in his living room

A sick-minded collector maybe. After all, you could hardly pass it on at a car boot sale.

A friend in UK suggested it might have been stolen for scrap by a particular group of people. The rest of what he said is best forgotten.
Harry  
18 Dec 2009 /  #21
Don't lie.

Poland is a very nice nation. You should think about visiting sometime.
Wroclaw Boy  
18 Dec 2009 /  #22
A sick-minded collector maybe.

What kind of sick minded collector would that be, its worth a fortune period. Money talks yes?

After all, you could hardly pass it on at a car boot sale

Ohh come at a car boot sale you might get a tenner for it, thats like saying ere's a Mona Lisa mate yours for fifty quid. Lets say 300 years form now, some organisation has managed to succesfully hide it, when it comes to light that it was stolen they claim ignorance and that it came into their posession totally legally and have a backing fool proof story. So the owners are secure, the thieves long gone, and any conspiracy unless investigated by Tom Hanks dead. What would it be worth then??

The thieves are small time most probably but the true net worth of this original sign - priceless. Lets see how good the Polish detectives really are thats if their not involved/bribed at all.
bimber94  7 | 254  
18 Dec 2009 /  #23
The modern version of 'Arbeit Macht Frei' is "Karma Yoga Liberates You", by a big business called the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres all over the world. They make you work till you "burn out" as they call it. Whatever you do don't give those greedy so-and-so's a single groszy, unless you're happy to finance another castle for them like the one they have in Paris (they say they're a charity - yeah right!). They now have at least two places in Poland.
OP jonni  16 | 2475  
18 Dec 2009 /  #24
What kind of sick minded collector would that be

The same sort that bought the suit Charlie Chaplin was buried in.

Most thieves don't think long term. My friend's (not unracist) theory about scrap metal thieves might be true - a very common thing in PL.

Or very possibly stolen to order by some sick collector. After all, there are people who buy and sell old canisters of Zyklon B.
polishcanuck  7 | 461  
18 Dec 2009 /  #25
Poland is a very nice nation.

Just admit it harry, you hate Poland (and Poles) with a passion.

You should think about visiting sometime.

I'm there every summer:)
Wroclaw Boy  
18 Dec 2009 /  #26
Just admit it harry, you hate Poland (and Poles) with a passion.

No he doesnt at all he just calls them out once in a while, hes lived here for fifteen years for gods sake.

Hey Listen up PolishCock, you basically type here nonsense with one intent and one intent only and that is to counteract what you percieve as anti Polish posts. Try reading a bit more and step into the real world son, you got some shite stained glasses on i tell yah..

I guess youve been living in Canada to long hey you ignorant child. Come on tell us you need to be Polish to truly understand Poland.
Marek11111  9 | 807  
18 Dec 2009 /  #27
Jews going to post the sign on entrance to occupied territories as they transition from ghetto to concentration camp.
1jola  14 | 1875  
18 Dec 2009 /  #28
A friend in UK suggested it might have been stolen for scrap by a particular group of people.

The police don't think so, but heck, I've heard of stranger things:

Police in the Czech republic are trying to find out who stole a 4 tonne railway bridge from the border town of Cheb.

metro.co.uk/weird/100140-czech-police-wonder-where-bridge-has-gone

Car bridge stolen in Russia's Far East

en.rian.ru/russia/20071229/94678516.html

More disturbing to me is why is it necessary to spread lies:

Yossi Levy, the Foreign Ministry's spokesman for the Hebrew press said earlier Friday, "It's hard to imagine what kind twisted (person) would want to steal this terrible symbol at the entrance to the death camp. The same shuddering combination, 'work sets you free;, which millions of Jews saw moments and hours before their death."

Rami Hochman, general director of the Ghetto Fighters' House Museum in northern Israel, referred to the incident as "a new record in the shocking campaign aimed at denying and degrading the Holocaust.

ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3821914,00.html

Rami should tell Yossi not spread lies which should be refuted and not called denial.
Cameron  1 | 9  
18 Dec 2009 /  #29
jonni:
A friend in UK suggested it might have been stolen for scrap by a particular group of people.
The police don't think so, but heck, I've heard of stranger things:

The scrap value would be around 2,00 PLN.
Proud polish  
18 Dec 2009 /  #30
Remember stealing Bruno Schultz fresks by Israelis? Several years ago Israeli theves had stolen fresks form former Landau house in Drohobycz (prewar Poland, now Ukraine). Fresks were transported to Israel against any international law. Just one example of jewish arrogancy and superiority complex. Maybe now we are facing similar event. Think now why anti-Semitism is growing? Jews feel superior to others, perform actual holocaust of Palestinians, slander Polish to have pretext to get paid for Germany-organised Holocaust. Jews also hide truth about more than 3 millions of Poles killed during WWII (as many as Polish Jews).

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