The Crooked Mirror: A Memoir of Polish-Jewish Reconciliation
In 1945, an American diplomat heard about the massacre of Polish Jews who tried to reclaim their property from their Gentile neighbors after they survived the Holocaust. He remarked that Hitler purged Poland of Jews, but the Poles had not purged themselves of their legacy of anti-Semitism. Undaunted, Steinman, of Polish Jewish descent, agreed to join a meeting of American Jews, Poles, and a variety of other interested parties as part of an ongoing effort at Polish Jewish reconciliation. The result is a memoir that is revealing, touching, yet often unsatisfying. As participants relate their individual experiences, we are justifiably reminded that Gentile Poles also suffered horribly under the Nazis, and that countless Poles risked life and limb to help their Jewish neighbors to survive. By definition, most of the participants are men and women of goodwill interested in healing wounds. But Steinman’s avoidance of the persistence of virulent anti-Semitism among some Poles is frustrating. Still, this is an interesting account of a worthy effort to move beyond a tortured past. --Jay Freeman