Residents of the Polish town of Pruchnik burned an antisemitic effigy of a Jew displaying the sign “Judas 2023,” reviving a hateful tradition from previous years, according to Ynet.
While municipal officials had called for the end of the longstanding antisemitic ceremony, last week the effigy was back. It was set ablaze near the town limits.
The burning effigy “made to look like a stereotypical Jew,” a revival of an old Easter tradition, was condemned by the World Jewish Congress in 2019.
At the time, WJC chief executive Robert Singer expressed "disgust and outrage at this latest blatantly antisemitic manifestation.”
"Jews are deeply disturbed by this ghastly revival of medieval anti-Semitism that led to unimaginable violence and suffering," he added.
In 2019, Polish media reports showed photos and video footage of residents, including children, of the town in southeastern Poland, using sticks to beat an effigy of Judas on Good Friday.
The figure, which had sidelocks and a large nose, was then beheaded, set on fire and tossed into a river, according to the reports.
The Easter ritual known as "Judgment over Judas" dates back to the 18th century and continued to be regularly performed until the Second World War.
The tradition had been largely abandoned, with only a couple of villages continuing it.
Municipal officials had promised after the antisemitic tradition reappeared in 2019 to ensure it would not take place again.
However, the tradition seems to have been revived this year.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of the Seventh Day of Passover in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)