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

Tematy Niebezpieczne, by Dariusz Ratajczak. 1999. Goldpol, Warszawa

Surveys: “Elder Brothers” Claim, Talmud, NSZ and AK, Holocaust Controversies, War on Academic Freedom

DANGEROUS TOPICS is the title of this Polish-language book. Author Dariusz Ratajczak was a historian from the University of Opole. He had deviated from the politically correct narrative on Jews, and, for this reason, had been vilified by the media (and not only by the media) as a Holocaust denier, anti-Semite (what else?), fascist (of course), and other terms from leftspeak.

“Such is the ‘dialogue’ conducted by the enlightened progressives of Europe”, quips Ratajczak. (p. 3). It is cancel culture honed to perfection.

GERMAN GUILT DIFFUSION AND ANTIPOLONISM

Jews commonly play fast and loose when it comes to accusations of “Polish complicity in the Holocaust”, while at the same time sternly warning us “not to blame all the Germans.” Double standards abound. They assure us that the Zydokomuna was not representative of Jews, while at the same time implying that the szmalcowniki were representative of Poles. (p. 9).

RATAJCZAK IS NOT ANTI-JEWISH

In no sense does Ratajczak blame all Jews for the Crucifixion of Christ. (p. 17). Ratajczak is not against Jewish-Christian dialogue, but he points out that this dialogue must be based on truth. (p. 17). It will not work as long as Jews are unwilling to admit any wrong.

Far from condemning all Jews, Ratajczak recognizes and praises those Jews who were Polish patriots, and those Jews who tried to defend Poland from the calumnies of other Jews. (p. 10). He mentions Joseph Lichten, Isaac Lewin, Salomon Rapaport, Alexander Schenker, Clara Mirsky, Oswald Rufeisin, and Israel Shahak (link). See:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/shoah-lanzmann-polonophobia-confronted-shahak/

OLDER BROTHERS IN THE FAITH?

The notion of Jews as “elder brothers in the faith”, taught by Pope John Paul II (JPII), is upended by the Talmud and its teachings about such things as goys being virtual animals, and Christians being idolaters. (p. 16). The Talmud epitomizes intolerance and selfish exclusivism. For more on Talmudic racism, see:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/talmudic-racism-and-universalism-stern/

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/talmudic-dual-morality-silberstein/

The very Name of Jesus (Yeshu) is synonymous with everything that is repulsive. (p. 17). It is actually a curse word. See:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/talmud-antichristian-schafer/

Ratajczak compares the anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic themes of the Nazi German publication Der Stuermer with the anti-Catholic and pornographic themes of Nie, written by the Polish Jew Jerzy Urban (vel Urbach). (p. 19).

HITLER’S JEWISH ANCESTRY

The author raises the question about Hitler’s paternal grandfather. This issue has more recently been examined, and is still viable. See:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2020/03/13/hitlers-jewish-grandfather-long-held-objections-shown-to-be-invalid-sax/

THE NSZ AND THE JEWS

Against the perennial accusations of the NSZ killing ghetto-escaped Jews, Ratajczyk provides several examples of the NSZ actually helping fugitive Jews. Now consider Wladyslaw Kolacinski “Zbik”. Communist propaganda, since copied by some Jews, accused him of killing a few fugitive Jews at Przedborze. In actuality, there were some 300 people of Jewish background at Przedborze. So, if “Zbik” was out to wipe out the Holocaust surviving Jews, he did an atrociously poor job of it. , “Zbik’s” unit actually killed Jews (and Poles) that had served the Communists, as in the U. B. (Bezpieka). (p. 22).

But why do these Jew-killing accusations against the NSZ persist? Ratajczyk believes it is in part because Jews don’t appreciate the grave evils of Communism and the NSZ’s tireless efforts to keep Poland from being Communized. (p. 23).

The lewaks (leftists) have been demonizing the Endeks for over 45 years. This owes to the leftist fear that Poles are still prone to accept the “nationalist” point of view. (pp. 43-44).

THE HOME ARMY AND THE NSZ

In no sense was the NSZ a marginal organization. At its peak, it had 70,000-75,000 members. (p. 85). Its relationship with the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) was not straightforward. Part of the NSZ merged with the A.K., and part did not. The Armia Krajowa leadership accused the non-conforming NSZ of being driven by factionalism. The non-joining NSZ, on the other hand, accused the A. K. of being politically unsophisticated, and of engaging in recklessness. This was for doing such things as fighting on behalf of the Soviet Union (in Operation Wachlarz), fighting alongside the Red Army (as part of Operation Burza [Tempest]) and disclosing the identities of their forces to the Soviets [which got them disarmed and arrested], and for launching the Warsaw Uprising under the assumption that the Soviets could be trusted to move on Warsaw. (pp. 80-81).

RATAJCZAK ON HOLOCAUST DENIAL

Dariusz Ratajczak clarifies his position. He discusses the claims of the likes of Leuchter and Rudolf (pp. 25-28), but stresses the fact that he does not endorse their views. (p. 113). In fact, he AFFIRMS the existence of gas chambers in the Nazi German death camps on Polish soil! (p. 1). He believes, however, that the figure of 6 million Jewish dead is, in his words, “greatly exaggerated” (p. 1), but provides no evidence for this position.

Ratajczak opposes forced conformity. He desires historians to be free to arrive at any conclusion, and sees no reason for such historians to be demonized and criminalized. BTW, he pays homage to all the Jewish victims of World War II. (p. 113).

RATAJCZAK’S RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH DEFENDED

After Ratajczak was fired from the University of Opole, a group of students came to his defense. They expressed their opposition to censorship, and declared that the views of a professor should not be grounds for his termination, even if these views go against the generally-accepted ones. (p. 133).

A group of absolvents of the University of Opole also defended Ratajczak. They pointed out the vile falsehoods of Michal Cichy (who accused the A. K. of killing fugitive Jews during the Warsaw Uprising), and those of the movies Schindler’s List, Shoah, Mila 18, etc. NONE of the malefactors have been punished in any way for their opinion-forming defamation of Poland. (p. 136).

UPDATE

More recent events have shown the total hypocrisy of laws that criminalize Holocaust denial. They are nothing more than attempts to chill dissent and to control the narrative. A Polish law that criminalizes the blaming of Poland (as a whole, not as individuals) for the Holocaust, explicitly modeled on laws that criminalize Holocaust denial, was widely condemned, especially by Jews. Evidently, saying things that Jews don’t like is criminalized, but saying whatever they like, no matter how untrue, is not.

POSTSCRIPT

In 2010, after this book was written, Ratajczak’s decomposed body was found inside a parked automobile. Foul play is suspected.