'Not on our watch': Global law enforcement leaders unite in Poland against hate

AUSCHWITZ: Some 130 police leaders from crossed nan globe converged connected Kraków, Poland this week for a first-of-its-kind inaugural amid rampant antisemitism. 

The arena is aligned pinch nan March of nan Living, which brings thousands of participants to Germany and Poland each twelvemonth to supply a first-hand look astatine nan Nazi decease camps and to thatch nan lessons of nan Holocaust done engagement pinch survivors.

Paul Goldenberg, a rule enforcement seasoned of 37-years, lawman head of nan Rutgers Miller Center connected Policing and Community Resilience, which organized nan inaugural alongside nan University of Virginia’s Center for Public Safety and Justice, said of nan value of nan trip.

"Being present is simply a testament to who these officers are and to nan oath they person taken to protect each communities, sloppy of identity," he told Fox News Digital. "It is simply a committedness not only to ourselves, but to nan group we serve. These are very challenging times, and nan police, successful each their forms, tin play a important domiciled successful sustaining antiauthoritarian values.

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Members of nan International Police delegation circuit Auschwitz connected April 12, 2026. (Yossi Zeliger)

"This inaugural is astir learning, master improvement and remembrance. It is besides astir reminding ourselves who we are, why we clasp these positions and what we must do to guarantee group are kept safe — nary matter who they are aliases wherever they are," he said.

The three-day programme included a stepping circuit of Kazimierz, nan Jewish Quarter successful Kraków, a guided circuit of Auschwitz connected Monday; a property convention and testimonies by a Holocaust subsister and survivors of antisemitic shootings, culminating connected Tuesday's information successful nan March of nan Living and a circuit of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Goldenberg said the Holocaust was unique successful that it was a state-directed run successful which constabulary forces played a role, and that a cardinal instruction is really nan Nazis’ dehumanization of Jews and different targeted groups enabled nan strategy to function. He added that nan extremity of nan inaugural is for participants to return to their departments pinch a deeper knowing that will thief them amended train officers, support victims of dislike crimes and admit nan value and captious quality of their responsibilities.

He pointed to nan urgency of nan situation, noting that equipped subject units are now guarding synagogues successful Western countries and that some nan United States and Canada person deployed specialized constabulary forces to protect Jewish institutions.

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People adhd to a floral tribute extracurricular Bondi Pavilion astatine Bondi Beach successful Sydney, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.  (AP Photo/Steve Markham)

"What is striking is that these are not overseas entities — they are integral parts of nan societies successful which they exist. A synagogue successful Belgium is Belgian. A synagogue successful London belongs to London. A synagogue successful New York City is portion of nan cloth of that city," he told Fox News Digital.

"From a policing perspective, what is profoundly concerning is nan erosion of information and information for susceptible communities. It is simply a profoundly alarming script — 1 that, successful immoderate respects, echoes patterns seen successful nan 1930s," he added.

The taxable of this year's March is combating antisemitism, which has surged to unprecedented levels since nan Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre successful Israel.

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Abbie Talmoud, head for Jewish Community Affairs astatine nan Embassy of Israel to nan United States, survived a panic attack extracurricular nan Capital Jewish Museum successful Washington, D.C., successful May 2025, successful which 2 Israeli embassy unit members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were killed.

Speaking to Fox News Digital successful Auschwitz, Talmoud said that amid rising antisemitism, emotion safe successful nan United States "is really difficult" and would require "systematic change," adding that she has stopped attending immoderate events wherever she does not consciousness capable information precautions are successful place.

Members of a world rule enforcement delegation attended nan March of nan Living successful Auschwitz connected April 13, 2026.  (J.V. Katz)

"There needs to beryllium an knowing that nan measurement we don’t let racism for different races and ethnicities, we can’t let antisemitism. It needs to travel from nan apical — nan schoolhouse system, parents, governments," Talmoud said.

Catherine Szkop, head of nationalist affairs astatine nan Embassy of Israel to nan United States, who focuses connected interfaith relations and engagement, carpooled pinch Talmoud, Lischinsky and Milgrim to nan arena that evening and besides survived.

"I person a family history tied to nan Holocaust. In nan Book of Names, I looked up ‘Szkop’ and saw a page taller than maine filled pinch that name, on pinch dates and locations of those who were murdered. I realized my ain sanction could person appeared there, pinch ‘murdered successful Washington, D.C.’ written adjacent to it," she told Fox News Digital astatine Auschwitz.

Szkop said she has ne'er been this vigilant aliases fearful of imaginable attacks.

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"I deterioration headphones less; it makes maine much alert of my surroundings. It’s a operation of fearfulness and wanting immoderate bid of mind aft what happened. I don’t fto it extremity maine from living, but it’s made maine a small much afraid," she said.

Jeanne Hengemuhle, superintendent of nan New Jersey State Police, told Fox News Digital successful Kraków that her agency, which includes 3,500 sworn members and 1,500 civilian staff, useful intimately pinch organization leaders crossed nan authorities to reside hate-related concerns earlier they escalate into crises, emphasizing that early engagement, information-sharing and collaboration are cardinal to preventing issues earlier they arise.

"We are rule enforcement, but we are besides portion of nan communities we serve, and we must admit that domiciled arsenic nan first statement of defense," she said.

A photograph taken 27 May 1944 successful Oswiecim, showing Nazis selecting prisoners connected nan level astatine nan entranceway of nan Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. (Photo by -/Yad Vashem Archives/AFP via Getty Images)

Hengemuhle said that, arsenic quality beings, location is simply a work to do everything imaginable to combat hate, which requires knowing and educating 1 another, arsenic good arsenic drafting connected different policing and master backgrounds.

"This is my first year, and I americium very humbled to person been invited to return portion successful nan march and study more. To me, it is astir coming together and learning from what happened successful nan past truthful we do not let it to hap again successful nan future," she said.

"The Holocaust did not hap overnight," she continued. "There were small, incremental changes that yet led to what took place. I deliberation it is important that, by coming together and having these discussions, we inquire whether we are seeing nan kinds of early indicators that could lead america down a vulnerable way — and really we intervene earlier it goes excessively far."

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To this end, elder constabulary officials and associations from Europe and North America signed a landmark memorandum of knowing (MOU) successful Berlin earlier this month, formally launching a caller transnational inaugural titled "Not connected Our Watch – The Democratic Policing Initiative."

The statement brings together nan German Police Union (GdP), nan European Federation of Police Unions (EU.Pol), nan International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), nan National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), nan International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), nan Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association (SRLEEA) and nan International Police Delegation, successful collaboration pinch starring world institutions.

The MOU formalizes a shared committedness among participating organizations to fortify early threat discovery and intelligence-sharing crossed borders, including establishing coordinated operational responses to emerging extremist threats, among different things.

An anti-Israel  protester's high-vis overgarment during a march against nan Jewish authorities by nan Sydney Harbor Bridge successful Australia. Aug. 2025. (Ayush Kumar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Jim Skinner, sheriff of Collin County, Texas, and incoming vice president of nan National Sheriffs’ Association, told Fox News Digital successful Kraków that arsenic a rule enforcement leader, his work is to service everyone equally, noting that while location is important partisanship and governmental section successful nan United States, rule enforcement must service and protect each communities equally.

"We each person an responsibility to excavation heavy and make judge dislike doesn’t hap connected our watch, and to admit that we person a basal work to deliberation critically astir really to support our communities safe," he said.

Skinner noted that North Texas is location to a ample and vibrant Jewish community, which he said he is fortunate to serve. He added that he traveled to Israel soon aft nan Oct. 7 onslaught pinch 2 different sheriffs and visited Kibbutz Be’eri, an acquisition he said he will ne'er forget.

A subordinate wrapped into a emblem of Israel stands astatine nan main gross pinch nan lettering "Arbeit macht frei" (Work sets you free) astatine nan commencement of nan yearly March of The Living to commemorate nan victims of nan Holocaust during World War II, astatine nan memorial tract of nan erstwhile Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi decease campy successful Oswiecim, Poland, connected April 14, 2026.  (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images)

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"I came distant pinch important, applicable lessons for my organization, but besides pinch a deeper knowing of a world filled pinch hate. It reinforced for maine that nan authority entrusted to maine by nan group who elected maine must beryllium utilized wisely successful really I attack my occupation each time — to guarantee that thing for illustration that does not hap to nan citizens wherever I live, and that if it ever did, we would person a due and effective response," he said.

"I deliberation astir nan march," he continued, "it honors Holocaust victims and serves arsenic a reminder of nan consequences of dislike and nan value of opinionated against unit and intolerance. That’s nan connection I want everyone I person power complete to understand."