Posted on 02/06/2006 3:18:09 PM PST by lizol
Who’s one of Israel’s best friends? The answer is surprising — Poland
By Tad Taube February 6, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6 (JTA) — The newly elected president of a European country, in his first interview for that country’s largest newspaper, compared himself to Ariel Sharon to explain the policies he intends to pursue. His country has troops on the ground in Iraq, close military ties with Israel and a voting pattern on Middle Eastern issues in the United Nations that rests halfway between those of the European Union and the United States.
Over the last 15 years, each of its presidents paid state visits to Israel, reciprocated by his Israeli counterparts, as have several of its prime ministers and foreign ministers. Israel events at this country’s major universities draw large and positive audiences, while the rare anti-Israeli demonstrations are so small they do not even make it to the local media. And in that European country, the United States retains its position of “most-liked” in all public opinion polls. That country is Britain, right? But when was the last time that a British college had an Israel day? And come to think of it, don’t they have a queen, not a president?
That country is Poland. Ever since the fall of communism, the country so many Jews love to hate has consistently pursued a pro-American and pro-Israel policy.
In fact, this — and economic liberalism — has been the only consistent feature of Polish politics, with its dizzying swings of public mood. In the latest about-turn this fall, the Poles voted into office a conservative, nationalist and strongly pro-Catholic party, with ties to the right. And yet it was that party’s victorious presidential candidate, Lech Kaczynski, who compared himself to Ariel Sharon — probably the only European leader ever to do so.
The declarations made by Kaczynski — who makes his first official state visit to Washington this week — did not come out of the blue. Previously, as mayor of Warsaw, he was instrumental in the city’s decision to allot substantial municipal funds to the building of a Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, intended to become one of the continent’s largest Jewish museums. He also brought about close cooperation between the Polish capital and Tel Aviv.
As minister of justice in a previous conservative government, he decisively pushed for the full disclosure of the World War II-era massacre at Jedwabne, where a community of Polish Christians murdered their Jewish neighbors. And at a recent meeting with Jewish leaders, top advisers to the prime minister stated that the government’s policy on Jewish and Israeli issues will remain positive. “We do not intend to give in to European political correctness on Israel,” one of them said. Nor is there any talk of loosening ties with the United States — even if Poland has been called “America’s Trojan horse inside of the European Union.”
Therefore it seems that the Kaczynski administration will follow in the footsteps of previous post-Communism Polish governments. The first foreign policy decision of the new democratic Polish Parliament in 1989 was to re-establish diplomatic relations with Israel, broken off by Eastern Bloc countries (excepted Romania) in 1967 on Moscow’s orders.
Though the Czechs, not the Poles, became the first ex-Communist nation to send an ambassador to Tel Aviv, this was due to the fallout from a statement by then prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Shamir, who had said that “Poles suckle anti-Semitism with their mothers’ milk” — hardly an encouraging gesture. Still, Warsaw was second, after Prague — and in the meantime, became a main transit point for Soviet Jews leaving Russia for Israel. The Hungarians backed off after a terrorist attack. The Poles did not, though terrorist threats were — and remain — aplenty.
In 1991, the mustachioed Solidarity hero-turned-president — Lech Walesa — made a state visit to Israel, the first ever by a Polish leader, or by the head of a former Soviet Bloc state. Addressing the Knesset, he asked forgiveness for evils committed by Poles against Jews in the past, and assured Israelis that modern Poland is a friend they can trust. Thereafter, commercial and cultural relations boomed (Israeli investments in Poland today amount to some $2 billion), youth exchange followed, and military ties came soon after.
Today the Polish army is buying Israeli Spike missiles, while security services maintain a close cooperation. And though expectations by some Israeli politicians that Poland, after joining the European Union in 2004, would become “Israel’s ambassador” to the continental bloc may have been overly optimistic, statements by the Polish ambassador to Israel condemning Palestinian terror have provoked howls of outrage from some of his European colleagues — and denunciations sent directly to Brussels.
Though sincere intent to compensate for evils of the past is a significant motivation for this consistently pro-Israeli policy, it probably would not have happened without the country’s intense pro-Americanism.
Jews had reason aplenty to think bitterly of the Poland that was, and therefore mistrust the Poland that is. There is indisputably still social anti-Semitism in the country, even if local Jews say they feel safer wearing a yarmulke on the streets of Warsaw than on the streets of Paris. But mistrust is one thing, willful blindness another.
No country on the European continent today is both as strongly pro-American and pro-Israeli as is Poland. Sure, the Poles do it partly because they believe it is in their national interest. But one would be hard pressed to find a sounder basis for a friendly partnership.
Ping
Poland has been one of the most 'stand up' countries out there. We should move most of our bases out of Germany and put them in Poland.
If you ever get a chance watch the movie "The Pianist". Its about polish jews in warsaw during WW2. Its a sad but good movie.
Sure I've had that chance.
Excellent movie. And so true.
Great film.
They need to make a documentary about the Polish underground resistance in Warsaw, and how the Russians refused to help them fight the German fascists.
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So true. Good movie. And the Poles seem like really "stand up" folks, as the other poster said. Also, I hear they are great warriors. We (the US of A) should definitely cultivate that relationship.
And you probably didn't know this.
Right after the WW2 Arthur Rubinstein (the hero of that movie) became again a world famous pianist.
On June 26, 1945 he was invited to give a concert during the Conference in San Francisco, where United Nations were created.
Poland was not invited to that conference - regardless the fact, that Polish armed forces were the 4th biggest army among the Allies (after Russian, U.S and British). The reason was, that the Allies could not reach an agreement who was supposed to represent Poland - the legal government in exile, or the new communist regime, installed by the Soviets.
Rubinstein has noticed the fact, that there was no Polish flag among the flags from all over the world.
He got up, and said: "In this big hall, where great nations have gathered together to make this world better I can see no Polish flag, because of which this cruel war had been fought. So now I'll play Polish national anthem".
And he started playing "Dabrowski Mazurka" - "Poland has not perished yet, until we're alive".
I make typos all the time here no biggie. Anyhow thanks for the history lesson on that guy, its the first I heard of it. I also want to apologize on how the nazi's and russians treated your people and Im an American apologizing for them.It just makes me sick thinking about how they lined the people up on the ground and went down the line and shot them in the back of the head like they were animals.It wont happen again friend especially with russia if they ever attack Poland again they better nuke the US as well because hell is on its way to moscow.
When I'm in Warsaw I usually pay a visit to the vast and very interesting Powazki cemetary which all during the Nazi occupation the Polish underground army held as their "teren," especially at night. From there the Poles offered what help they could to the nearby Jewish ghetto.
Years later, I had the pleasure of meeting Polish Jewish emigres, now living in countries as diverse as Brazil, Panama, and the U.S. They all spoke of Poland's historical role as a place of refuge for the Jewish people, although they were also brutally honest about the antisemitism that unfortunatly coincided with the rise of nationalism.
Under the Sanacja (led by the SOCIALIST Piludski), there were various anti-semitic groups that often attacked Jews, which did alot to harm Poland's reputation as a historical sanctuary for minorities. As far as Poland's role in WWII/Holocaust is concerned, the fact remains that a. Poland did NOT become a puppet state of Germany, nor was a large number of its population in support of German rule b. six Million Polish gentiles died under the German occupation, so its not like German rule brought many benefits to the average Polish family, most of whom had relatives killed by the German c. OF COURSE there were collaborators among the Polish population, but the real reason why so many Jews died in Poland was due to the fact that it had the largest Jewish population in Europe, so naturally it would have the largest numbers of deaths.
I think that the reputation that Poland has among many (though not all) of the Jews in the diaspora is due to what happenned in the interwar period more than anything else. Those who actively study the history, however, see that, historically, Poland was a place of refuge for both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews fleeing other parts of Europe.
I am very happy to see that both Poland and Israel are expanding their relationship. From a personal perspective, I hope to see more exchanges between Krakow and Hebrew Universities, in addition to the poltical and economic implications of this relationship.
Don't make my day even worse, please :-)))
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