Jewish Disloyalty 1812 Friedlaender

The Jews of Russia and Poland: A Birds-Eye View of Their History and Culture, by Israel Friedlaender. 2007

Soon After the Partitions, Poland’s Jews Switched Their Loyalties To Poland’s Enemies

My review is based on the original 1915 edition. Friedlaender begins with how bad the Jews had it in Poland before the Partitions, and repeats the most lurid generalizations and stereotypes about Polish class structure at the time.

POGROMS MONSTROUSLY INFLATED

All along, the author greatly exaggerates Jewish sufferings. For instance, he places the Jewish death toll, from the Khmelnitsky and other Cossack uprisings, at 675,000. (p. 80). How fantastic! Were it true, it would have meant that the Ukrainians would have run out of Jews to kill several times over. The recognized death toll, today, is placed at 15,000 down to under 10,000.

JEWISH DISLOYALTY TO POLAND AT THE TIME OF NAPOLEON (1812). JEWS HAD ALREADY SWITCHED THEIR LOYALTIES TO RUSSIA

The first major opportunity, after the late 18th-Century Partitions, for Poland to regain her independence, came during Napoleon’s invasion of the Russian Empire in 1812. This was only 17 years after the Final Partition of Poland, which had erased her from Europe’s map.

Here is how Friedlaender describes, and assesses, the pro-Russian Jewish conduct during this time, (quote) In any event, the loyalty of the Jews stood in strange contrast to the attitude of the so-called native population, the Poles, who unmistakably sympathized with the invader…The patriotic attitude of the Jews excited the surprise and admiration of the Russian authorities. In Grodno, where the Polish officials were suspected of disloyalty, the police administration had to be entrusted into the hands of the Jewish Kahal. Even the imperial Jew baiter, Nicholas, who as Grand Duke was travelling shortly after the war through the invaded provinces, could not help paying his homage to the unselfish and often heroic exploits of the Jews, although in the same breath he could not refrain from designating them as leeches sucking the blood of the country. (unquote). (pp. 124-125).

Amazing! We are seeing what may be called a Talmudic-style redefinition in action. Author Israel Friedlaender is so anti-Polish that he calls the occupied Poles a “so-called” native population” and—better yet–actually faults Poles for—of all things–being disloyal to the tsar in wanting their independent nation restored! His comments also undermine the exculpation that Jewish actions were motivated by seeking relief from anti-Semitism. Clearly, the strong anti-Semitism of Tsar Nicholas I did not prevent Jews for supporting him.