Polish-Jewish Relations: 1,300 Keyword-Phrase-Indexed Book Reviews (by Jan Peczkis)

Spotwarzona Przeslosc: Czyli o Zydowskich Zbrodniarzach Wojennych, by Roman Kafel. 2019. Wektory, Wroclaw

Jewish Plunder and Polish Self-Defense Under the German Occupation

A SLANDERED PAST is the title of this Polish-language book. It raises many subjects, and I generally focus on those I consider to be relatively unique to this book.

THE NAZIS VALUED THE INDISPENSABILITY OF JEWISH COLLABORATION

Kafel (p. 132) quotes top Nazi Dieter Wisliceny (Wisliczeny) in the Kastner trial, C. C. 124/53, (also quoted in Hecht’s Perfidy, p. 232): “‘Our system is to exterminate the Jews through the Jews. We concentrate the Jews in the ghettos–through the Jews; we deport the Jews–by the Jews; and we gas the Jews–by the Jews.'”

THE “ALL GUERRILLAS WERE BANDITS” MYTH: ARMIA KRAJOWA (HOME ARMY) DID NOT STEAL FROM THE PEOPLE

Those who try to excuse the banditry of the Communist GL-AL bands say that, “This does not matter because all guerrillas were equally bandits.” This is flatly untrue. The A. K. had the policy of buying items from the peasants. At times, it had to resort to requisitioning items, but always paid the peasants for it. (p. 195). For more on this, see (and links therein):

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/antisemitism-silenced-polish-rescuers-a-myth-ozarowski/

FUGITIVE JEWS STEAL FROM POLES: THE DYNAMICS OF POLARIZATION OF POLES AND JEWS

Fugitive Jews, having escaped from the German-made ghettos, and whether or not connected with Soviet partisans, commonly formed vicious bandit bands. In fact, according to Kafel, banditry by Jewish and Soviet bands far outnumbered that of “ordinary” bandits. (p. 205).

Jewish apologists tell us that fugitive Jews had to live. Very clever. But, in their selfishness, they conveniently forget that Polish peasants also had to live!

A usually-secular Jewish bandit is quite different from a devout Catholic peasant. That’s a no brainer. But there is an additional layer of differences caused by the fact that the Jewish bandit is usually from an urban background while the Polish peasant is from a rural background. Still another layer of difference–and the crucial one–comes from the fundamentally different way that livestock is viewed by the Jew and the peasant.

WHAT STOLEN LIVESTOCK MEANS TO THE PEASANT

To the Jew, the cow is a big hunk of meat. To the peasant, the cow is more than just property. She is a member of the family, and, in fact, the pride of the family. She has a name, and has her own character. The whole peasant family heals a sick cow and grieves over a lost cow. The peasant cuddles her. He talks to her. The cow is not merely alive: She is a life-giver. She provides milk, butter, sour cream, and cheese for the whole family. (p. 199). She is often the only thing the peasant has. To the peasant, the cow is the only insurance against starvation. (p. 200). The theft of a cow is the worst crime one can do to a peasant. It condemns him to a slow death.

The peasant has self-defense. In the country, no one messes around with a livestock thief. A swift blow to the head, with an axe, solves the problem. This is not an exclusively Polish attitude. For instance, according to Kafel, the theft of a horse led to an immediate lynching of the thief in the American West. In Texas, calling somebody a horse thief is just about the basest thing that one can call a person. (p. 200). And it has nothing to do with antisemitism.

JEWISH SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

Not many Jews are interested in the consequences of Jewish banditry. Author Roman Kafel has strong words for the Jews and their attitude. He says that they should listen to others instead of falling back on accusations of (what else) antisemitism. This deep faith in antisemitism prevents Jews from thinking clearly as well as from engaging in a healthy, objective analysis of facts. (p. 201).

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EVISCERATING CHRISTIANITY IN ORDER TO PLEASE THE JEWS

On another subject, Kafel takes issue with recent ecumenical attempts to water-down Christianity. He stresses the fact that Judaism and Christianity are very different. (p. 30). Kafel takes strong issue with the recent “two ways of salvation” notion in which Jews do not have to accept Jesus in order to be saved (only gentiles do). This flies in the face of the teachings of Jesus Christ: Gentiles and Jews alike must believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved. (pp. 31-32).

POLAND’S JEWS TODAY

Kafel suggests that only about 20% of Polish Jews believe in God. (p. 218).

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Here are some matters of historical interest:

THE “ANTISEMITIC” TERM JUDEOPOLONIA ORIGINATED WITH JEWS!

Author Kafel traces the origins of the now-verboten term Judeopolonia. It was used by none other than the eminent Zionist Vladimir Jabotinsky. He used the term in the 1919 publication, Pamietnik I Zjazdu Zjednoczenia Polakow Wyznania Mojzeszowego Wrszystkich Ziem Polskich. Jabotinsky used Judeopolonia to refer to Jews and Poles as parallel nations on an equal footing, in Congress Poland, under Russian rule. (p. 38).

Evidently, some Jews want to control the narrative. They employ a certain term when it serves their interests, and then demonize the term when it no longer serves their interests. So it is with Judeopolonia.

THE 1912 DUMA ELECTIONS MADE CONQUERED POLAND A LAUGHINGSTOCK

The Jews engineered the election of Yagiello, thus provoking Dmowski’s retaliatory boycott. Yagiello represented Jewish interests although he himself was not Jewish. The Russians in the Duma made great sport of this turn of events. (p. 57).

INTERWAR POLAND’S JEWS PAID 40% OF TAXES–AN UNSUPPORTED CLAIM

Roman Kafel has traced the sources of the talking point about Jews being forced to pay 40% of taxes in 1918-1939 Poland. He finds no substantial basis for this claim. (p. 75).

MAKING CLASSICS AVAILABLE TO THE POLISH READER

Much of Kafel’s book is an exposition of works published in English, especially:

The Holocaust Victims Accuse, by Schonfeld:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/judenrat-collaboration-condemned-schonfeld/

Perfidy, by Hecht:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/judenrat-collaboration-kasztner-hecht/

Zionism in Poland, by Mendelsohn:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/average-jew-better-off-than-average-pole-mendelsohn/