Poland/Poles anti semites

[jimpres]

I am on a media watch list who constantly says "Polish Concentration Camps" "Poles were Jew haters" among other incorrect remarks. Here is a list compiled in response.

Are you aware?Are you aware that when almost the whole of Europe was killing and/or expelling their Jews, Poland was the one country to accept them?

ARE YOU AWARE THAT IT WAS THANKS TO THAT SAFE HAVEN THAT OVER THE CENTURIES JEWISH RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FLOURISHED ON POLISH SOIL AS NOWHERE ELSE ON EARTH.

SUGGEST ADDING A POINT ABOUT THE NUMBER OF GERMAN JEWS ACCEPTED BY POLAND IN THE 1930S.

Are you aware the Jewish word for Poland is Polin? Are you aware in Hebrew it means "Here shalt thou lodge" or "Place of safe refuge"?

Are you aware that a special trained volunteer force of Christians entered the Warsaw Ghetto to fight along the Jews? Are you aware that on three occasions Polish Christian attacked the Germans in an attempt to break out the Jews during the Warsaw Ghetto rising?

Are you aware Poland was the only COUNTRY IN occupied Europe to have AN organization SUCH AS ŻEGOTA, SET UP FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF RESCUING Jews?

Are you aware that Poland was the only country where the Germans found it necessary to issue the automatic deaTH PENALTY for simply giving a Jew a glass of water?

Are you aware THAT not only was the person helping the Jew murdered but their families as well?

Are you aware that failure to inform on a neighbor hiding Jews was punished by deportation to a concentration camp?

Are you aware Poland has more righteous (i.e. those who aided Jews during the Holocaust) than any other country?

Are you aware that whole villages, e.g. Markowa, sometimes work together to save Jews?

Are you aware that A POLISH WOMAN, Irena Sendler, HAS BEEN NOMINATED for a Nobel Peace PRIZE for saving up to 2,500 (check figrue) Jewish children?

Are you aware Poland was only one OF three occupied countries not to have a collaboratIONIST government?

Are you aware Poland unlike most other occupied countries did
not have a volunteer SS division?

Are you aware that Poland tried to publicize the deaths of Jews but the Western allies (i.e. US and UK) suppressed it?

Are you aware that even the American Jewish Congress did not believe the Polish Government about the Germans mass murdering Jews?

Are you aware Poland printed booklets and made radio broadcasts themselves trying to raise public awareness ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST?

Are you aware Poland wanted to bomb the death camps but the western allies (i.e. UK and US) vetoed the idea?

Are you aware Poland wanted to bomb the railway lines to the camps but the western allies (i.e. UK and US) vetoed the idea?

Are you aware Poland suggested bombing German cities in reprisal?

Are you aware Poland suggested executing German POW in reprisal?

Are you aware Poland suggested warning the Germans they would face war crime trials at the end of the war to hopefully deter the Germans (again vetoed
by US and UK)?

Are you aware that over a 6 year period, the ADL only selected 8 incidents of anti-Semitism in Poland?

Are you aware that 50% of all anti-Semite incidents listed outside the US are in four countries (France, UK, Germany and Russia)?

Are you aware the official Israel report on anti-Semitism around the world clearly stated that France and the UK are the centre of current anti-Semitism?

Are you aware that the largest Jewish music festival is held in Poland and attended mostly by Polish Christians?

Are you aware that outside Israel, more people are studying Hebrew in Poland than anywhere else?

I am not claiming there was no anti-Semitism in Poland but it is not as clear cut as you make out. Much is made, for example, of Poland limiting Jews into their universities between the world wars but no-one talks about US and UK universities doing the same.

[wayneprice]

I am finally getting back to what ever "normal" is after our 3500 mile trip back to Idaho, and have to jump in on this one!

One of the curious things that happens when we talk about the war, and the tragic existence of the death camps, is statistical issues.
We have the same problem in the US right now, as I'll try to illustrate. In Iraq, we have often refered to Sunni, Shia, and Kurds, as the 3 major factions within Iraq. The problem is apples, apples, and oranges. Both Shia and Sunni are sects of a religion, the Kurds, made up of BOTH Sunni Moslems and Shia Moslems, are a nation, a common ethnic peoples. So we are comparing a religious group, a religious group, and a nationality, made up of both religious sects!
SAME problem, and one that causes Poland to be labeled anti-semantic, is looking at the numbers killed during the Holocaust and religious preferences and nationality! X number of Jews killed during the Holocaust verses number of Poles, Hungarians, Romanians, etc etc. Not every one killed in the concentration camps was Jewish, not all were Poles, but it is "easier" to try to lump the statistics into large bundles, and those flawed statistics become legend, if not fact!
NOT trying to stir up the pot, but wanted to get that out here for discussion.

[jimpres]

From my vantage point all those who lived and were citizens of Poland were Polish citizens and should be categorized that way.
The fact there were jew, gypsies and catholics and other in the mix is a differentiating term used for specific purposes. The jews, gypsies and others from Russia etc should be stated as Russian citizens killed.

[george]

Good job Jim.....i wished the main stream media would take notice!!!!!