Berlin Polish Institute Director Dismissed Over Jewish Content in Cultural Program

Katarzyna Wielga-Skolimowska was abruptly removed from her position as director of the Polish Institute in Berlin last Wednesday. According to TAZ, the German newspaper that reported the dismissal, Poland's foreign ministry criticized the institute's cultural programming for focusing excessively on Jewish subjects. Wielga-Skolimowska had led the institute since her appointment in 2013. Her termination follows a broader review by Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs targeting all 24 Polish Institutes worldwide. This review has already resulted in other directors being replaced, including Dorota Barys at the Polish Institute in Madrid, who was faulted for insufficient promotion of Frédéric Chopin's work. The dismissals reflect a shift toward a more conservative cultural policy under Poland's right-wing PiS government, which came to power in 2015. This policy emphasizes national identity and traditional cultural promotion. The institute in Berlin is one of many cultural outposts affected by this governmental realignment.