Betrayals Jews By Poles Not Black and White Zylberberg

A Warsaw Diary, by Michael Zylberberg, Zylberberg. 2005f

Betrayers of Fugitive Jews: Not Black and White. There Also Were Jewish Denouncers

The author lived in the Warsaw Ghetto, described in detail his experiences with Janusz Korczak, and then escaped from the Ghetto and benefited from a series of Polish benefactors as well as his own non-Jewish physiognomy.

THE “ANTI-SEMITIC” ENDEKS HELPED JEWS

One of his benefactors was an Endeck (Endek) woman (p. 133), adding refutation to the supposition that only left-wing Poles helped Jews. Many of his Polish benefactors had known ties to the Polish Underground (e. g., p. 106, 133-134).

NO DUALISM BETWEEN THE HOLOCAUST AND THE POLOKAUST

Ironic to the current emphasis on Poles and Jews being unequal victims, neither group had any inherent right to life in the eyes of the Germans. Zylberberg comments: “Every Jew who escaped from the ghetto was moved by two emotions: joy at leaving certain death behind and fear of the future. On the Aryan side he suffered indescribable torment, as he was afraid of being caught both as a Jew and as a Pole–for so many of the latter were also wantonly shot.” (p. 121).

DOES NOT STEREOTYPE THE POLES

Unlike the description of Polish priests discouraging Polish aid to Jews, in Jan T. Gross’ FEAR, Zylberberg knew a priest who encouraged such aid. (p. 88). Zylberberg also personally observed both Polish sorrow and indifference to Jewish suffering, as during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. (p. 97, 114). One factor alienating Poles from Jews had been the widespread Jewish-Communist collaboration (Zydokomuna), as described to Zylberberg by an eyewitness Polish Blue policeman from Lwow (Lviv, Lvov). (p. 89).

JEWISH SELF-IMPOSED APARTHEID DROVE POLISH ANTAGONISMS TOWARDS JEWS

Zylberberg believed that the hostility of Polish peasants to Jews owed less to anti-Semitism and hatred and more to the fact that a great gulf had long existed between Poles and Jews. They may as well have been inhabitants of different planets. (p. 201).

GERMANS DEGRADE THE POLES, AND ENCOURAGE HOSTILITY AGAINST JEWS

Alcoholism was common among Poles during the German occupation. (p. 116). The Germans spread incessant anti-Semitic propaganda among the Poles, trying to turn them against Jews. (p. 121). A prewar criminal background was known in the case of a certain Pole known to have betrayed Jews. (p. 198). On the other hand a certain porter, said to be a habitual denouncer of fugitive Jews, was actually hiding many of them. It turned out that his denouncer reputation had intentionally been a cover for his strongly beneficial deeds to Jews. (pp. 110-111). [How many other such reputed Polish denouncers had actually been benefactors?]

A POLISH DENOUNCER COULD ALSO BE A BENEFACTOR

Some fugitive Jews have reported encountering blackmailers (notably the SZMALCOWNIKI) who, after taking the valuables, actually gave them advice on how better to disguise their Jewishness in the future in order to avoid future shakedowns. Such was also Zylberberg’s experience. The blackmailing Polish Blue policemen told him that the wearing of a ridiculous Polish-type moustache, and dirty shoes, were common giveaways. (pp. 152-153).

Of course, not only Poles were potential denouncers. Zylberberg also reports attempting to avoid those whom he suspected of being Jewish (p. 120), evidently out of fear that he could encounter a Jewish denouncer.

THIS JEWISH AUTHOR RECOGNIZES THE HEROISM OF THE POLES’ 1944 WARSAW UPRISING

The events surrounding the assassination of Kutschera are well described (pp. 145-on). Zylberberg also commented on his observations of the Poles who rose up against the Germans during the Polish Warsaw Uprising (August-October 1944): “The heroism of the Polish fighters cannot be adequately described. Each house was defended and fought over.” (p. 163). The Polish insurgents freed the captive Jews from a nearby prison. (p. 164-on).

After the fall of the Uprising [from Soviet betrayal], the Germans proceeded to systematically destroy the remainder of Warsaw. Zylberberg was an eyewitness to the Germans’ burning of Warsaw’s remaining buildings.