Polish – Jewish Relations: A Historical Perspective and Contemporary View

Abstract

This article is the expansion of a presentation made by the author at Zarrow Pointe in Tulsa, Oklahoma in July of 2022. It considers the topic of “Polish-Jewish Relations” in four parts: (1) Historical Perspectives on Polish-Jewish relations to World War II, including background on early Jewish migration into Poland, information on the period of Polish Partitions, the establishment of the Pale of the Settlement by Russia, and growing Anti-Semitism fueled by elements of the Polish Catholic Church – all leading to September of 1939; (2) World War II and the “Destruction of Polish Jewry” during the Holocaust, including a discussion of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, information relating to various concentration and extermination camps, and events that negatively impacted on Polish-Jewish relations that took place during this period; (3) The period of the imposition of communism (1945-1989), including the events of the 1967-1968 “Anti-Zionist Campaign” that resulted in many of the remaining Jewish population leaving Poland; and (4) Polish-Jewish relations today. The article concludes with some observations on future of Polish-Jewish relations going forward from the positives, negatives, and contradictions inherent in the discussion.