From: dzk@cs.brown.edu (Danny Keren)
Subject: Re: Polish complicity - Jewish complicity 
Keywords: orzel - reszka
Organization: Brown University Department of Computer Science
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 14:23:17 GMT

marek@mel.dit.csiro.au (Marek T. Michalewicz) writes:
#
#Some time ago I watched BBC documentary on Auschwitz. Polish underground 
#had passed information on the localisation and the functioning of the camp to 
#Britain. Polish diplomats and politicians in exile tried to persuade 
#Allies to bomb the camp. There was an interview with Polish member of the 
#Government in exile who personally tried to convince Eden to act. 
#Eden and the British top knew about it. 
#They did nothing. In the last days of the war Allies bombed chemical factory 
#in Auschwitz, but not the camp.

The allies certainly could have done much more. If airplanes were
flying above Auschwitz to take pictures, they could also drop
bombs. I don't know why more wasn't done, and it could be a very
dark Padora's case is waiting to be opened.

#The other example was of the Rabbi of Buda or Pest, who was informed by 
#Home Army intelligence, via Slovakia, of the largely extended barracks, 
#new ramps and crematoriums in Aushwitz, in preparation for Jews of Hungary.
#
#He did nothing to inform or worn his fellow religious brothers.
#If I remember well he was tried later in Israel. 

I think you are totaly mixed up here, and that you are talking about
Kestner, who was no Rabbi at all. I don't remember everything about
the story, but it seems Kestner did attempt to save a selected
group of Jews, assuming that only a small number could be saved,
so why not choose the "best" ones? As far as I recall, he was not
tried, a person was tried for allegedly defaming him. The high court
in Israel decided that "Kestner sold his soul to the devil". 
Later, he was  assasinated by an extremist gang (this was in the fifties).

#Yet another example is the actions of American Jews during the WWII.
#Apparently there was only *ONE* demonstration (N.Y.C.?) 
#against extermination of Jews of Eastern Europe. 

As I hear it, there was a lot of effort to save the Jews of 
Europe, more than "one demonstration". I can look up details.

#Apparently American Jews were afraid to stick their neck out and being 
#accused of dragging US into the War.

Oh, come on. The US was already in the war. Mass extrmination of
Jews began quite some time after the war started.

#There were close to 3 million Jews in the US during the war.

No, there were 5.5 million Jews in the US during the war.

#It appears also that the special anti-Polish resentment is held by 
#American Jews, more so then Israeli Jews. Perhaps there is some sort of 
#communal guilt that not everything possible was done to save 
#the victims of Nazis.

Don't be ridiculus. Some reasons for "anti-Polish resentment" were
given here. I also understand that a leading figure in the Polish
Catholic Church, Glemp, is vehemently antisemitic. 

#Wholesale blame on other ethnic groups is not going to help understanding 
#the problems of demoralisation caused by war.

Personaly, I don't see anything very contructive in the ongoing debate
about what happened in poland during WW2. I would like to see the
debate shift to what is happening today, and center on positive
developments that may heal the scars of the past.

-Danny Keren.

Newsgroups: soc.culture.polish