Antisemitic books published by the far-right Polish imprint 3DOM. Photo: Screenshot

Crudely antisemitic books promoting Holocaust denial and depicting Jews as usurers have been showcased at a prestigious book fair in Poland that enjoys the backing of the country’s president.

Titles published by the far-right Polish imprint 3DOM — a play on the English word “freedom” — were on display at the Historical Book Fair in Warsaw, an event that is officially supported by the office of President Andzrej Duda.

Describing itself as “patriotic,” “Catholic,” and the “most politically incorrect” publishing house in Poland, 3DOM advertises more than 80 blatantly antisemitic works on its website, according to research carried out by the “Never Again” Association, a Polish NGO.

Book titles invoke “freemasonry,” “ritual murder” and other historic antisemitic canards leveled at the Jewish people. One book by Father Józef Kruszyński on the subject of the Talmud asserts: “Jews living in Christian countries and next to Christian nations are a highly undesirable element. They are like a foreign element in the body.” Its authors include Dariusz Ratajczak, who was convicted in 2002 of Holocaust denial, and Mira Modelska-Creech, a University of Warsaw academic whose book on the COVID-19 pandemic featured an antisemitic caricature of a Jew holding a bag filled with dollars on its cover. The accompanying blurb promises that readers will understand that “Jews play an important role in the practice of usury – it is this nation that pulls the strings in the most crucial spheres of the economy.”

In an interview with local news outlet WP, Rafal Pankowski — “Never Again’s” executive director — expressed frustration at  3DOM’s presence at the fair, which ended on Sunday.

“This fair was held under the patronage of President Duda, and was co-organized by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN),” Pankowski said. “This is a prestigious event taking place in the Kubicki Arcades at the Royal Castle.” A government-backed institution, the IPN has played a key role in pushing legislation that criminalizes the discussion of Polish collaboration with the Nazis during World War II.

Pankowski denounced the display of 3DOM’s books as a “scandal.”

“Meanwhile, not only is their activity unpunished, but it is also exhibited at prestigious fairs,” he said. “I think that this should be a problem for the office of the President of the Republic of Poland, since his authority was used to promote the fair.”