Kielce Pogrom Jews Steal Children Factual Basis Wiacek

Zabic Zyda: Kulisy i Tajemnica Pogromy Kieleckiego 1946, by Tadeusz Wiacek. 1996

So-Called Kielce Pogrom: Much Not Known. “Jews Steal Children” Factual, and Not Just an Atavistic Medieval Legend

KILL THE JEW! SCENES AND SECRETS OF THE 1946 KIELCE POGROM, is the title of this Polish-language work. [Review based on the 1996 edition]. It takes a neutral stand on whether or not Kielce had been a provocation, and presents comparatively little new information on this subject. In my review, I focus on some seldom-presented facts.

HOW DID IT START AND WHO STARTED IT?

Wiacek realizes that crucial information, as on the earliest stages of the pogrom, is lacking. (e. g, p. 66). In addition, he points out that it is unclear who fired the first shot within the building on Planty Street. (p. 41, pp. 71-72).

FACTORS POLARIZING POLES AND JEWS

The demoralization of the Polish people, caused by years of war and occupation, was a major factor animating Polish conduct. Many Poles had lost everything. (p. 99).

Most of the Jews in Kielce had arrived from the Soviet Union (pp. 64-65), and Jews (notably assimilated ones: p. 65) were well known to be part of the Communist establishment at Kielce, notably the hated Communist security forces (U. B., or Bezpieka) (p. 4). In fact, the head of the Kielce U. B. was Adam Kornecki, who did not hide his Jewish origins. (p. 39). In addition, the Kielce Jews were better dressed than most Poles, thanks to aid from overseas Jews. (p. 92). All of the foregoing created an image of the Kielce Jews as privileged.

The Polish crowds did not just hear statements about murdered Polish children. One could also hear remarks about the many Jews in the hated Bezpieka. (p. 26, 28, 58). Polish anger over the massive Jewish-Soviet collaboration was vividly evident.

NOT JUST AN ATAVISTIC MEDIEVAL LEGEND: FACTUAL BASIS BEHIND THE JEWS STEAL CHILDREN MEME

Bitter custody disputes over Jewish children, raised as Poles, also poisoned Polish-Jewish relations. Some of the court decisions, forcing the return of completely-Polonized Jewish children to their Jewish relatives, even drove both the children and parents to violence. (p. 38). [These incidents also gave credence to the notion, prevalent among some Poles, that Jews steal Polish children.]

KIDNAPPED BOY A MADE-UP-STORY. YES, BUT BY WHOM?

The account of the Blaszczyk kidnapping lacks credibility. Blaszczyk at first said that Jews in a cellar held him. The buildings did not have cellars. Blaszczyk then changed his story. (p. 68).

AGENT PROVOCATEURS?

Regardless of what did or did not happen to Blaszczyk, his experience, though often treated as such, was not a decisive factor in the pogrom. Instead, there was the frequently repeated theme, by rumormongers in the crowd, accusing the Jews in the Planty Street building of having murdered a dozen or so Polish children (e. g, p. 66, 71). The rumormongers included members of the Communist militia. (p. 68). Mojzesz (Moses) Cukier, a Jewish survivor of the pogrom, himself heard the accusation that the Jews had murdered 14 Polish children. (p. 32). Similar rumors, of multiple Polish children killed by Jews, were repeated by rumor mongers in the trains around Kielce. (p. 80). (Interestingly, these accusations, at least as quoted in the text, do not mention ritual murder.)

Unfortunately, the author does not develop the foregoing important matter. Were the rumor mongers just overzealous Poles, or were they agent provocateurs? Does the rapid spread of these rumormongers to the train stations imply a higher-level organization behind them?

WHY DIDN’T THE AUTHORITIES STOP THE POGROM?

Wiacek realizes that life was cheap in Poland, and that the Communist authorities could have stopped the pogrom in its tracks by opening fire on the crowd. (p. 93). However, he suggests, without presenting any evidence, that the authorities did not do so, not because of any conspiracy, but because they did not want Polish forces opening fire on Polish civilians on behalf of Jews. This does not make sense. If anything, we are usually told that the Communist authorities strove to transfer the Polish hatred against Communism unto the Jews. What better way to do this than to shoot Poles on behalf of Jews?

Interestingly, the order not to open fire originated from at least as high an authority as Jakub Berman (p. 93), who was Jewish.

COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA ABOUT KIELCE WAS RATHER LAME

Attempts by the Communist authorities to blame the pogrom on the supporters of General Wladyslaw Anders were rather transparent. The faked “Anders uniforms” were rather silly. In reality, soldiers in Anders army did not have any special uniforms. They were regular British uniforms with POLAND written on their shoulders. (p. 108).

THE “POLES ANIMATED BY GREED” MENDACITY

Neo-Stalinist Jan T. Gross has accused Poles in general of being driven to acquire Jewish property. Ironic to this, only part of the fatal Kielce pogrom victims had been robbed. (p. 84).

THE SHAM TRIALS

The Bezpieka commonly used torture. This was also the case with the Polish defendants in trials of those responsible for the Kielce Pogrom. (p. 87, 90). Wiacek realizes that innocent people were probably convicted, while many of the guilty went unpunished. (p. 90). Was this mere carelessness, or does it point to a conspiracy?