AntiSemitism Silenced Polish Rescuers a Myth Bartoszewski

The Samaritans: Heroes of the Holocaust, by Władysław Bartoszewski, Zofia Lewinówna. 1970

This Book Itself is a Refutation of the “Polish Rescuers Were Afraid to Become Known” Canard

We sometimes hear the bizarre accusation that Polish rescuers were afraid to identify themselves as such owing to (what else?) the “pervasive anti-Semitism” of Polish society. This book, published back in 1970, only 25 years after WWII, with large numbers of self-identified Polish rescuers of Jews, demolishes this ridiculous argument.

WHY, AFTER WWII, SOME POLISH RESCUERS OF JEWS DID NOT WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED

To be sure, some rescuers, immediately after the war, preferred not to disclose their rescue of Jews. This owed to many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that the Communist government, aware that these rescuers have an activist mindset, may well be a threat to it, and act accordingly. Other rescuers were concerned that they could become the target of bandits if it becomes suspected that they got a lot of money from the Jews they had been hiding, Other reasons were more prosaic. The secrecy of hiding Jews has been misrepresented as proof of overall Polish opposition to such actions, when potential indiscretions had been the real issue. Rescuer Tadeusz Seweryn says: “The peasants soon developed great cunning and ingenuity in preparing shelters for Jews. They had to be kept a secret from the neighbors, as wagging tongues can be dangerous.” (p. 98).

DO NOT BELITTLE POLISH AID TO JEWS

Two Jewish Holocaust survivors are especially vocal in their opposition to the belittling of the scope and significance of Polish assistance to Jews. Rachaela Auerbach said: “A great many Poles risked everything, committed themselves absolutely, to saving Jewish lives. The people I mentioned were no exceptions. There were many others: university professors, railroad workers and priests, wives of senior officers and peddlers, shopkeepers, and peasants. Many of these peasants had their entire families murdered and their homes set on fire for the crime of putting up a Jew for the night, or giving him a loaf of bread and a jug of milk.” (p. 365). Sender Szwalbenest comments: “I suffered much during the German Occupation, so I do know that it is a lie to say that the Poles did not help the Jews. They helped in every way they could, often risking their own freedom and their lives. I could cite hundreds of cases of Jews saved Poles…” (p. 300)

THE “POLES RESCUED JEWS IN ORDER TO CONVERT THEM” NONSENSE

Stella Zylbersztajn repudiated the Polonophobic attitudes of some of her fellow Jews: “After so much evidence of people’s goodness, I reflect on the remark of my relative who had said: `If they could, the Poles would kill us all.’ Was she right? There may have been such persons, although they were exceptions to me. There were far more true human beings…I once heard a charge made by Mr. T., an engineer, who said that: `The Catholics concealed us in order to convert us to Catholicism.’ Though I passed through many Polish homes, which I could not even begin to list here, I never came across such endeavors.” (pp. 224-225)

ANTI-SEMITISM DID NOT PREVENT THE RESCUE OF JEWS

Polish rescuers of Jews included obvious anti-Semites (e. g., p. 215, 252, 252-253). In addition, the Polish Blue Police (Policja Granatowa) was hardly a monolithic group. Apart from those who helped Jews when bribed, its members helped Jews freely (e. g., p. 135, 137; even enabling Jews to escape during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: p. 145). Polish guerillas fought alongside Jews during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (e. g., p. 39, pp. 146-148), and, contrary to movies, it was a Pole who drove the truck that took Jewish fighters into refuge in the forest (pp. 159-162). In other contexts, Polish beauty shops were employed to reduce the Semitic appearance of fugitive Jews out in the open (pp. 197-200).

BLACKMAILERS AND DENOUNCERS OF JEWS INCLUDED JEWS THEMSELVES

Betrayers of Jews came from all backgrounds: “One of the greatest sources of dangers to Jews in hiding and to Poles sheltering them were the professional informers of the Kriminalpolizei, of German, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Polish, or Jewish origin, who acted for material gain or self-protection.” (p. 45). Some informers were gypsies (p. 100). As for the contention that the Polish Underground didn’t do enough to combat extortionists (szmalcowniki), Seweryn contends that, at least in the Krakow region, Underground action reduced such activities to insignificance (p. 113).