Poland investigates communist era anti-Semitism

SignOnSanDiego.com ^ | July 26, 2007 | Agnieszka Flak

[lizol]

Poland investigates communist era anti-Semitism

By Agnieszka Flak REUTERS

9:54 a.m. July 26, 2007

WARSAW – Polish prosecutors have begun investigating former communist officials for promoting anti-Semitism in the 1960s when thousands of Jews who survived the Nazi Holocaust were driven from Poland, investigators said.

The Institute of National Remembrance said on Thursday it had found evidence of propaganda in the archives as well as copies of speeches and press articles that made clear the anti-Semitic agenda of the government of the time.

'We will examine each case on an individual basis, look to verify whether the person has committed a communist crime, which means someone who actively participated in directing the action against Jews and inspiring it,' said one of the institute's prosecutors.

Arkadiusz Galaj told Reuters his unit would try to find some of the Jews who left Poland around 1968-1969 to identify potential witnesses.

Poland has long been trying to shake off an anti-Semitic reputation it sees as unfair.

Most of Poland's three million Jews – then the world's largest Jewish community – were killed in the World War Two Holocaust. Thousands of survivors emigrated after the anti-Semitic campaign in the late 1960s.

According to papers brought to the attention of the institute, some Poles in top academic positions and businesses in the city of Lodz were fired in the 1960s after being accused of having Jewish origins or holding pro-Israel views.

Poland, like many other communist states, broke off relations with Israel after it defeated Soviet aligned Arab states in the 1967 Middle East war and occupied swathes of land.

The institute said former communist party general secretary Wladyslaw Gomulka had called Jews an 'imperialistically Zionist fifth column' – a statement later repeated and developed by Gomulka and other members of his party. Gomulka died in 1982.

Galaj said some 3,900 Jews applied to emigrate from Poland in 1968 and almost 7,300 in the first eight months of 1969. That compared to an estimate of between 500 and 900 Jews leaving Poland between 1961 and 1967.

The institute will start the inquiry in the Western town of Lodz, but it hopes to extend it to the rest of Poland. Galaj said the institute might appeal to Israel for help with the investigation as many of Jews who left emigrated there.

The institute's work to uncover Poles who collaborated with the communists has been encouraged by Poland's conservative ruling twins, President Lech and

[lizol]

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[dfwgator]

This has been a long time coming. Most people think it was the Catholic Church that was behind anti-semitism in Poland, now the truth will come out that it was primarily the Soviet Communist stooges.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

"Poland has long been trying to shake off an anti-Semitic reputation it sees as unfair."

While can't type for all Americans, in the United States, it doesn't seem that Poland is considered to be an anti-Semitic country. Many people around the world believe that the United States is the most violent, warmongering nation in history, that a policy of genocide was enacted on the Amerindian population, and that is why the number of Amerindians is so few, and that the United States is responsible for millions (millions) of innocent civilians being killed in Iraq. For a large part, the United States dismisses them (realizing what they are saying, but disagreeing).

Over arguments of Polish anti-Semitism, maybe your countrymen should follow the above American attitude.

There are anti-Semitics in this country, and yet few foreigners consider the United States to be an anti-Semitic country. Although Poland has the history of World War 2 (with Polish citizens sometimes turning in their Jewish neighbors--and Polish citizens sometimes rescuing their Jewish neighbors), it shouldn't be seen as an anti-Semitic state just because a few Poles may be anti-Semitic.

[TopQuark]

Most people think it was the Catholic Church that was behind anti-semitism in Poland, now the truth will come out that it was primarily the Soviet Communist stooges.

I don't know what most people think, but I am a Jew and I know that the Catholic church was NOT behind these actions. I also know that over 5,000 Catholic Poles were killed by the Nazis for hiding Jewish Poles. G-d bless their soles; they are an inspiration for all humans.

I commend this action by the government: there is no better way to disassociate modern Poland from the actions of the Communist predecessors.

[dfwgator]

Gomulka was a real piece of work, wasn’t he?

[Alter Kaker]

Most people think it was the Catholic Church that was behind anti-semitism in Poland, now the truth will come out that it was primarily the Soviet Communist stooges.

There was antisemitism in Poland long before Karl Marx was a gleam in his mother's eye.

[dfwgator]

There was antisemitism in Poland long before Karl Marx was a gleam in his mother's eye.

As in the rest of Europe. And why was it all those years, that there were more Jews in Poland than in any other country?

[spanalot]

Someday the world will realize that Communists killed more Jews than Hitler.

[Alter Kaker]

Someday the world will realize that Communists killed more Jews than Hitler.

That's simply not factually correct.

[Alter Kaker]

As in the rest of Europe. And why was it all those years, that there were more Jews in Poland than in any other country?

That's some amusing historical revisionism. Between 1890 and 1920, 2 million Jews left Poland, fleeing Polish pogroms. That's hardly a ringing endorsement.

In the interwar period of anti-Bolshevik Polish independence, there were at least 9 major pogroms in 1918-1919. In 1937, the anti-Communist government of Poland introduced legislation virtually identical to Hitler's Nuremberg laws, banning Jews from many kinds of employment. Between 1935 and 1937, hundreds of incidents of anti-Semitic violence took place, resulting in the lynchings of 79 Jews by Poles. In 1937, Jews were banned from becoming doctors or lawyers.

During the Nazi occupation, Polish civilians rounded up and killed Jews on their own initiative. In 1941, for example, Polish civilians murdered between 350-1000 Jews in and around the town of Jedwabne.

Was antisemitism unique to Poland? Absolutely not.

But in modern times, there has not been a single Pogrom anywhere in Central or Western Europe (excepting areas under control of the Nazis) with the sole exception of Poland.

[spanalot]

“”Someday the world will realize that Communists killed more Jews than Hitler.””
“That’s simply not factually correct.”

So, do you know how many famine genocides there were in the Soviet Union? Do you think with the rampant antisemitism in Russia - russia that invented the word “pale” as “beyond the pale” - that a great portion of the 40 million were not Jewish.

Dream on - and stop believing the NY Times.

http://ucca.org/ucca/famine/gordondispatch.html

[Alter Kaker]

So, do you know how many famine genocides there were in the Soviet Union? Do you think with the rampant antisemitism in Russia - russia that invented the word “pale” as “beyond the pale” - that a great portion of the 40 million were not Jewish.

You don't need to lecture me on the crimes of the Soviets. However, the idea that they killed more than 6 million Jews is simply not suportable by any evidence. Mao was also a great butcher, but he also didn't kill 6 million Jews.

[spanalot]

“That’s some amusing historical revisionism. Between 1890 and 1920, 2 million Jews left Poland, fleeing Polish pogroms”

You dont know what you are talking about.

My parents fled Poland at this time along with many of their Jewish friends. There was MORE polish animosity against Ukrainians living in Poland than Jews -—whole villages were destroyed when catholic Poles killed uniate Ukrainians and vice versa.

No jewish villages were thus targeted.

Far more than 2 million Polish Ukrainians (”Lemkos”, “Rusyns”, “Carpatho Russians”) fled Poland during this time to an eager US where there was a huge labor demand in the sweatshops and mills and mines.

My parents partied with their Jewish coimmigrant friends for years and the picture you paint is pure BS.

And if you find the progeny of I. Gross, H. Katz and L. Davidovich, they will tell you so too.

Stop believing the NY Times.

[Grzegorz 246]

Oy vey !

[Alter Kaker]

I post documented examples of Polish massacres and pogroms, and you post... the claim that your parents had Jewish friends.

Of course that's absurd -- I never claimed that all Poles were anti-Semites, just that anti-Semitism has long been a very serious problem in Poland, and was long before the Bolsheviks took over.

[Alter Kaker]

Na zdrowie!

[Grzegorz 246]

Thanks.

[rmlew]

That's some amusing historical revisionism. Between 1890 and 1920, 2 million Jews left Poland, fleeing Polish pogroms. That's hardly a ringing endorsement.
Clearly there was Polish anti-Semitism. However, I would like to remind you that between 1890 and 1917, there was no Poland. Poland was devided between the empires of Russia, Prussia/Germany, and the Austro-Hungary.
The time period is an iteresting one, since it points to the primary culperate, Russia. Tsar Alexander II, who had liberated the serfs also instituted reforms making life easier for Jews. However, his sucessor. Alexander III hated his father's reforms and passed the "May Laws", which were aimed at forcing JEws to either convert or leave Russia.. This is what forced 2 million to leave all of Russia. Of course the Slavophile Movement, which embraced pan-Slvic nationalism in opposition to liberalism and communism was also very anti-Jewish and this movement was favored by Nicholas II.
The period from 1917 tro 1921 was the Russian Revolution, a civil war, where both communist and anti-communist elements attacked JEws. However, Polish nationalists, officially did not. Certainly Marshall Pilsudski, who became the leader of Poland from 1920-1935 was not anti-Jewish. Pilsudski accepted both assimilated Jews as Poles and shtetl Jews.

It was only after Pilsudski's death in 1935 that the rule inept anti-Semitic colonels took over.

But in modern times, there has not been a single Pogrom anywhere in Central or Western Europe (excepting areas under control of the Nazis) with the sole exception of Poland.
Hungary under the Arrow Cross comes to mind.

[Verdelet]

“Between 1890 and 1920, 2 million Jews left Poland”

you should check what was happening with Poland at that time... actually no such country existed, but hey...
you’re the one talkng about revisionism

2 millions left?

that’s not much, consider the fact that since XV century Jews from all around the Europe while being hunted by other nations found safety in Poland