Dr Kevin Mccarthy states, that Poles can’t deny their role in the Holocaust. Well – they don’t have to. Poles were victims of German genocide as much, as Jews. And Soviet genocide, too.
Poles as a nation were less anti-Semitic than any other nation in Europe. But Poland had been conquered as first. Germans started to plan steps towards further development of the net of their death camps within Polish territory simply because they were in control of Polish territory.
If one is willing to read about Polish anti-Semitism – I highly recommend that. During hundreds of years Jews were persecuted in most of European countries. Spain, Germany, France… Did you know, that only in Poland they were able to find hospitality and land where they could settle down and develop their civilization? In XVII century Poland was known as Paradisus Judaeorum – “a paradise for Jews”.
Did you know that? Did you know, that before 1939 there were hundreds of towns in Poland, where Jews were the majority of citizens? Did you know, that a significant part of economy in Poland (industry, banks, farming) was owned or controlled by Jews? Did you know how many great Polish scientists were of Jewish origin? Did you know, that number of Polish trees in Yad Vashem Institute outnumbered other nationalities? Sure – before 1939 there was nationalist movement and a some of its members were undoubtedly expressing their negative attitude towards Jews. But the rest of the nation condemned their stupidity.
One of nationalist leaders, Jan Mosdorf, died in Auschwitz because of help he was offering his fellow inmates – Jews. Kielce 1946? It was not an act of anti-Semitism as such: this action was planned, prepared and performed by communist secret service, controlled by Soviets, in order to blame anti-communist underground forces. This is quite common knowledge, nothing special. Everyone can find a few facts about those events here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kielce_pogrom
During the II WW over 1.000.000 Poles was involved in helping Jews. For doing so – at least 2400 of them paid the ultimate price: they were executed (in the same time in whole Western Europe – only 1 person). Last but not least: if Poles are so anti-Semitic, explain why they are coming back to Poland in order to develop their schools and rebuild their communities? It is Poland where they find their burial sites surrounded by respect and care. Here they receive help from Polish authorities everywhere they ask for. In the same time they have to escape from “liberal” and “tolerant” France because of anti-Semitism. Did you know that?
As a Pole I am tired of explaining those simple facts all the time. Everyone who writes, that Poles are responsible for holocaust is a liar – or an ignorant. A word of advice: please – first read – than write, never the opposite.
Mariusz Matuszewski
