A 12th-grade Israeli student was arrested Sunday after performing a Nazi salute at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during a school trip to Poland.
The student, who was visiting the site with his high school delegation from northern Israel, made the gesture beneath the "Arbeit Macht Frei" ("Work Sets You Free") sign at the entrance to the former Nazi camp. He was detained and later released after being fined 1,500 zloty (about $370).
Israel’s Education Ministry said it was treating the incident with "the utmost severity" and that the student would face disciplinary measures upon returning home. "This behavior is entirely unacceptable, contradicts the values of Israeli education, and undermines the significance of the trip to Poland," the ministry said in a statement.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau museum condemned the act, calling the Nazi salute a symbol of the antisemitic ideology responsible for the suffering and murder of millions during World War II. "Committing such an act at the historical site, where Nazi Germany murdered approximately one million Jews, along with tens of thousands of Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and others, is not only deeply offensive and morally reprehensible but also a violation of the law," the museum said. Security personnel reported the incident to police, who launched an investigation.
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The student’s high school said it was addressing the matter internally and that the act did not reflect the values of the institution. The municipality where the school is located said it was also investigating. The student told authorities he had been waving rather than making a Nazi salute.
Polish law prohibits the public promotion of Nazi symbols, with violations punishable by up to two years in prison. In January, a Dutch tourist was arrested and fined for performing a Nazi salute at Auschwitz, which she later described as a "bad joke."