1. For POLAND, give the following information:

1. capital
2. location/the countries that share its borders
3. the religious breakdown of the population
4. the type of government
5. the chief of state (and head of government if different) If monarch or dictator, since what date has he/she ruled? – include name of heir apparent for monarch
6. the population

Find the answers at the CIA World FactBook website. For each country, answers can be found under the “Geography” “People” and “Government” headings.

NOTE: Before answering the questions below, read the info under “Background” and watch the videos under “Resources.”

2. For POLAND:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What is the purpose of the agreed to talks between Poland and Israel?
c) What is NOT the intention of the proposed Polish law, according to the government?
d) What is the intended purpose of the law?
e) What is already a law in Poland relating to the Holocaust?
f) Consider Poland’s existing law on the Holocaust. Do you think if passed, this new bill would indeed “blur the historical truths regarding the assistance the Germans received from the Polish population” as Yad Veshem fears, or would it just prevent the Polish people or state being blamed for Nazi crimes, as the Polish government hopes? Explain your answer.
OPTIONAL: Ask a grandparent: Do you think this law is needed? Please explain your answer.