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Polish Mayor, 'True Friend' of Jewish Community, Stabbed to Death at Charity Event

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Polish mayor Paweł Adamowicz died Monday after an attacker stabbed him at a charity concert Sunday.

Adamowicz, served as mayor of Gdansk, Poland since 1998. He was 53. The late mayor is considered a great friend of the Jewish community.

Adamowicz was attending a charity concert organized by the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation when as assailant ran on stage and stabbed Adamowicz several times with a knife.

Thousands witnessed the violent attack. Adamowicz was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The perpetrator was arrested and has a long criminal history.

The World Jewish Congress said Adamowicz was faithful in the fight against Anti-Semitism in Poland.

"He was a true friend of the Jewish community, speaking loudly and clearly against antisemitism in Poland," WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said in a statement. "This was an attack not just on the mayor, but on the very value of tolerance."

The  AJC Central Europe echoed the World Jewish Congress' remarks.

"He was a true friend & ally in countering xenophobia. We must confront hatred in the public sphere," AJC Central Europe tweeted.

Adamowicz was a vocal critic of anti-Semitism and condemned last year's Polish law on Holocaust speech, which criminalized rhetoric that blames Poland for Nazi crimes.

Jerzy Owsiak, the founder of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, resigned after the attack.

"Let's be Poles who love one another. Let's be Poles who are friends to one another. Let's be Poles who have no violence towards one another," said Owsiak during a press conference in Warsaw. "To think that this act of violence took place in my hometown. ... I am shaken."

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About The Author

Emily
Jones

Emily Jones is a multi-media journalist for CBN News in Jerusalem. Before she moved to the Middle East in 2019, she spent years regularly traveling to the region to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, meet with government officials, and raise awareness about Christian persecution. During her college years, Emily served as president of Regent University's Christians United for Israel chapter and spoke alongside world leaders at numerous conferences and events. She is an active member of the Philos Project, an organization that seeks to promote positive Christian engagement with the Middle