Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced on Sunday that a planned auction of Holocaust artefacts in Germany has been cancelled. Reproduced with permission The Felzmann auction house, which conducted the auction. It was supposed to happen in Neuss, a city close to Düsseldorf, on Monday. The sale was originally planned to include more than 600 lots. Featured were epistolary testimonials from inmates in German concentration camps and Gestapo index cards that meticulously traced the dives and swerves of Nazi wrongdoers.
The administration’s decision to cancel the auction came after intense public outcry, including from Holocaust survivors and advocacy organizations. The International Auschwitz Committee, a Berlin-based organization of survivors, had appealed for the sale to be stopped. Christoph Heubner, the committee’s executive vice-president, expressed strong disapproval of the auction, stating that the artefacts “belong to the families of the victims. They should be displayed in museums or memorial exhibitions and not degraded to mere commodities.”
Sikorski announced the cancellation during a press conference, following talks on the matter with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul. Both senior officials were united in their belief that letting such an auction go ahead would be the height of scandal. In a statement reported by the German news agency dpa, Heubner emphasized the emotional toll on victims and survivors: “For victims of Nazi persecution and Holocaust survivors, this auction is a cynical and shameless undertaking that leaves them outraged and speechless.”
The exhibit had previously been called “The System of Terror” due to the nature of the atrocities highlighted in the Holocaust. The responses often included heartfelt worries that commodifying these artefacts turns the pain of millions into a mere commodity. Heubner further highlighted that “their history and the suffering of all those persecuted and murdered by the Nazis is being exploited for commercial gain,” underscoring the ethical implications of such sales.
Felzmann did not respond to repeated calls, emails and text messages Sunday seeking comment. Though the cancellation is a disappointment, it is a testament to the tireless work of advocates who continue to win victories to uphold the dignity of Holocaust survivors and their families.