From: bo02@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (BARBARA OBREPALSKA-BIELSKA)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.polish
Subject: Re: On Polish Anti-semitism
Date: 13 Oct 92 04:17:17 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

In article <1992Oct12.141425.13344@kth.se>, d89-mor@nada.kth.se (Monika Orski) w
rites:
>
>As my original post on this subject have caused a lot of discussion, I'll repea
t
>the main story :
>
>|> An example : I spent a weekend in Warsaw in march 1992. I happened to live i
n a
>|> hotel next to a church. The church had a bookshop. In the window of this boo
kshop
>|> I noticed "The Protocols of the Elders of Sion" (correct english name?) in p
olish.
>|> Polish friends told me the local priest of this church is known to be extrem
ely
>|> anti-semitic. I saw quite a lot of people coming out of this church after ma
ss on
>|> Sunday...
>|>
>
>Well, I saw it being sold. I did not buy a copy or walk into the shop to ask if
>the priest actually knew what they sold, but if I saw it he probably did too.
>My point was that there is still anti-semitism in Poland, and selling "The prot
ocols
>of the Elders of Zion" in a church bookshop is anti-semitism to me.
>
>I did not mean to offend anyone using the expression "Polish anti-semitism". To
 me,
>it simply means anti-semitism in Poland.
>
>I do not like Kahane or Khadaffi or the ayatollah and I have not killed anyone
>recently (including palestinians). Do you people want to know the colour of my
>eyes to determine if my posting is relevant? Or will a full CV do?
>
>       m
>
I hate to enter this discussion but it seems necessary to clear some facts.
Actually i am amazed that they are not well known. Since I am not a
professional I probably do not remember some dates very precisely - sorry.
The sad church story started about 1982 0r 83. They started to show and sell
different fascist literature. I believe  that ,, The Protocols ..." were only
part of their broad offer. There were a lot of publications of both (father and
son) Giertychs and some other nationalistic figures. One should remember that
it was the time of the marshal law. Some time later  undergrond journals
started to denounce the facts. I remember KOS as the first one to write some
information with bitter coments by Dawid Warszawski. Little later
Polityka(highly regarded weekly magazine) came up (Gronski) with another story
. Despite  clear questions to the church officials and card. Glemp personally,
the church bookstore still sold this dirty stuff. About a year later there was
an open letter signed by a few tens of intellectuals to Card Glemp, asking of
action leading to disappearance of these books (The Protocols were mentioned
as the symbolic one). I do not remember who published the letter but I think
it was one of the monthly journals published abroad. It was reprinted by some
underground journals. Since the letter attacked  the cardinal, some under
ground publications did not reprint it, some just criticized it. Anyway for
years there was no reply to that. Nevertheless after a few years the whole
thing disappeared from the church. I do not remember when exactly and where I
read it. No apology ever appeared. Nobody has been ever punished, just nothing
happened. Few months ago a close friend of mine visited the church and did not
see any of the mentioned shit. I am therefore very much surprised, Monika,
that you did. I would rather suspect the individual activity of the priest
there or people who take advantage of the dark fame the church acquired.
I would like to add two things to  all that. Nobody who knows anything  about
"Protocols" or ever had that in hand and who did not go to the rest room when
Gods were giving brains (nalewali olej do glow) will have any doubts - it is
the most disgusting literature one can think of. It never should have been
sold in the church. But on the other side do never ever generalize - the fact
thet one priest is an antisemite does not mean that all are. Yes , of course,
not one, but it changes nothing.Nobody is saying that there is no antisemitism
in Poland, that we are not embarassed with it. Well, almost nobody...But do
believe me,things do change, democracy does create miracles. The process needs
years but one can see a lot of change in the attitude of the young er people