Why do Jews HATE Poland?

Why do Jews HATE Poland?

In this video I discuss the reasons that Jewish people have a complicated relationship with Poland, and how the trauma of the Holocaust has affected their perception of Poland and Polish people.

My name is Michael, and I'm a Jew from Canada, now living in Poland. This is a channel where I speak about my experiences in Poland and about what it's like being a foreign Jew living here.

#jews #poland #polishjews #holocaust #trauma #jewinpoland #polska #zydzi

Learn about my family's story here:

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[lerubenfeld]

What I THOUGHT Poland was like BEFORE moving here!

[BeeBee-br]

Vichy France collaborated with Nazi Germany and participated in the holocaust, and yet Jews don't hate France, they hate Poland.
For over 80 years, the West has been taught, mainly by Hollywood, that in Poland the Jews suffered terribly while the non Jewish Polish people did not suffer at all.
My mother was one of hundreds of thousands of non Jewish Polish children taken by the germans as a slave labourer in 1940. She was 14.
When I have told her story to Australians, their response is, 'I didn't know you were Jewish ' . Australians have no understanding that during the war in Poland, you didn't need to be Jewish to suffer.

[agsi]

Polska nie była Izraelem, nie jest winna temu ze Żydzi nie mieli swojego państwa.Mieszkali tutaj jednak przez 800 lat.Wtedy to przyszli kiedy byli prześladowani w Zachodniej Europie.Dziś nie maja żalu do Zachodniej Europy ani USA ze im nie pomogli i ze nam Polakom nie pomogli .Co za paranoya!!!

[dorotabarbowska]

I'm trying hard to understand the Jewish perspective, but still feel that the Jews, especially the younger generations, due to the twisted education they get, are SO UNFAIR towards us. Yes, that's how I feel. Poland is the land where Poles create reality, but the place you describe was not Poland. Check on the maps - it was German General Govenorate established on lands formerly belonging to Poland, A big difference.A HUGE difference.

It seems to me that many Jews are so focused on their own trauma that refuse to admit that Poles also had their trauma and even if some Jews are aware if it, somehow other people's suffering does not matter to them.

A Polish neighbor of my parents' spent the whole war in Auschwitz, he was a Polish 16 - year old boy when he was sent there, and probably was one of very few (if not the only one?) who lived there till the end of war to be used by dr. Mengele for medical experiments (I simplify the story to shorten the comment), a Polish uncle of mine was tortured to death and my grandparents were deprived of everything and transported by cargo trains as "repatriates" because the borders were changed, and just before that they hardly survived the Podole slaughter, some relatives were sent to Siberia...such stories are in almost every Polish family,

I feel bad when somehow the suffering of a Jew person is ranked higher than the suffering of any other person. Everybody has just one life, one mother, one father, so it just feels so unfair to ignore someone's trauma just because this person is not from the Jewish community. And it feels even worse when you are blamed for something that was not your fault.

By the way this neighbor of my parents survived as a "laboratory mouse" thanks to a Jew medical assistant (I can't find a better world to explain his position) of dr. Mengele . They helped each other, unfortunately, this man died two years ago at a very old age of 98, so you 'll not be able to hear this story directly.

[stomil]

Myself, Polish person, I worked once with Jewish Israeli on American work and travel program. And I remember she asked me once, "why do they teach in polish schools to hate Jews?" I was left speechless, as it was obviously not true. Then I realised, that young Israeli are exactly taught, that everyone around hates them 😂

[bartsic]

Expelled from most of Europe for 1, 000 years.
Poland proved to be exceptional and assimilated the Jews till WWII.
The penalty for hiding Jews during WWII was death.
Poles risked their lives to save Jews.
There were also those who turned Jews in fear of death. Despite the tragedy of the situation, no one but the Nazis can be blamed for those times.
It is enough to put yourself in this situation.

Just taking this into account, I completely do not understand the attitude of representatives of Israel and some Jews to Poland and Poles.

[kuba]

I would mention two other aspects here... Firstly, not only Jews had it worse before the war than now. Most ethnic Poles had it worse too... Times were harder, society was still more "feudal", separated into classes etc than it is now... There were so many very poor people with very few rights back then... It's hard to say that Jews had it much worse than ethnic Poles in those times.
Secondly, yes there was anti semitism back then in Poland and in all Europe... But I think it would be worth to remember why so many Jews lived in Poland in the first place... They did because they had to escape other European countries, where they were killed etc. They found refugee in Poland... And now some of those countries lecture Poland on our anti semitism. During WWII those countries also willingly put their Jewish citizens on trains and transported them to Nazi death camps in Poland... Poland as a state never took part in killing Jewish people like that...

[Rose_Ou]

Poland was the only country during WW2 where if a Pole helped a Jew, his/her whole family faced capital punishment. France, Belgium and many other countries, although not persecuted in the same way, very eagerly took everything from their Jews and packed them onto trains to concentration camps. These nations, including Germany, are now praised and loved by Jews all over the world whereas Poland is condemned even though it is thanks to the sacrifice of many Polish families that so many Jews survived. There were bad people in Poland, too, szmalcownicy can be found everywhere, but the majority risked their lives to help.
After the recent horrible massacre of Jews by Hamas there were so many massive pro Palestinian rallies in big cities worldwide, and in one of those protests in front of the Sydney Opera the crowd shouted 'gas the Jews'. Can you even imagine the reaction of the world if somethinf like this would happen in Poland??? In the meantime the Jews thank all the countries in the world except Poland where it is the safest to be a Jew in this time and age. So I'm wondering why Jews have anti Polish sentiments still very much alive???

[thomasturski]

I would say that Poland was a very convenient country for Jews to hate - during World War II, the Germans set up a slaughterhouse and torture chamber for Jews in Poland, and after World War II, Poland became part of the Soviet empire, which began to support Arab countries. (Western) Germany became a frontline state and the main ally of the USA, and after a period in which the Americans forced German city dwellers to visit neighboring concentration camps, the Germans were "acquitted" en mass, and the guilty turned out to be the "Nazis", with whom ordinary Germans had something in common, but it is "not known for certain" - the Nazis flew to Germany in 1933 and left in 1945.

Poland had no opportunity to defend its image and to this day it happens that in a quite serious newspaper in the United States employing rather well-educated journalists, one of them will write about Polish concentration camps. The fact that, next to Jews, the largest group of prisoners were Poles does not reach the general consciousness outside Poland. As well as the fact that, unlike many other European countries, there were no Polish authorities collaborating with Hitler or Polish troops fighting on Hitler's side.

The last brick in this wall of negative Jewish emotions are trips to Auschwitz organized for young people by Israel, the only point of which is often a tour of the camp, trips in January when it is gray and gloomy or terribly cold. I imagine that such a trip is very depressing and creates or strengthens appropriate associations with Poland. Israel certainly seems like a wonderful place on Earth after such a visit - and that's the point.

[nelsonbartsch]

Dear Michael,
I am not Polish but live in Poland (where I like very much) already more than 20 years and I would like to share a recent 'partially sad' experience my Polish daughter had quite recently concerning a school project about tolerance and fight against antisemitism sponsored by a XYZ organization from the Netherlands-EU.
First of all congrats for your videos, they gave me hope, they are inspiring, positive and also funny (the Polish Wedding video one was amazing, I also experienced that myself :) and your responsibility as a bridge between different worlds is huge but full of merit.
Ok, let's go to the point:
I start my story with a phrase from a famous Brazilian Educator, that is: "WHEN EDUCATION IS NOT LIBERATING, THE DREAM OF THE OPPRESSED IS TO BE THE OPPRESSOR - Paulo Freire"
The project my daughter was engaged in took students with good average scores and with good English skills and my daughter was very excited about the possibility to travel to Holland, meet new people, speak English and all the dreams any teenager has. At the end there was no travel to Holland, many and many online meetings to talk about The Holocaust and the project ended up with the visiting of a group of students from Germany, from the Netherlands and Israel here in the small town where we live. Then there was still more live presentation in place, etc... And where was the biggest deception? The effort to integrate these students was close to zero, my daughter struggled to talk to others during the break times in the hotel they were staying but the maximum she could achieve was a quick elevator chat, and small openness for further conversations . Such a great and so important opportunity to change experiences among real live persons was spoiled, each group had separated presentations (why?) as the main goal was only to show a one-direction point of view and not caring to know more about your point of view.
It is like focusing a magnifying glass exclusively on a dirty spot on a school blackboard while someone is trying to draw colourful flowers and beautiful histories on the remaining biggest area of the blackboard...but no one seems to be interested in. My daughter was truly disappointed at the end but luckily she has a family that helps her to see the brightside of everything and for me, to teach tolerance and fight against antisemitism is not to show "you are bad - I am good-I am the victim" but to show that we are not so different as we think we are, to respect each other sentiments and with open mind understand each other.
Once I met a Brazilian Polish-Jewish descendant visiting Warsaw (most Polish-Jewish emigrated to Brazil in the years 1920-30, that is, without the War trauma and were the Jewish that survived and that had a normal positive experience in Poland) and this young man was so curious and excited to know Poland and find his family roots but one year later he went for one year school in Israel and then...he was brainwashed... His positiveness towards Poland changed radically. Is that OK? I don't know, I think that government in Israel is afraid to loose his citizens and cultivate fear (more than necessary) to show enemies everywhere as the best method to keep them close?...but if education is not liberating, broad, open... in a long term it's not good. But luckily I have found in my life good humans from many many countries that really wants to do this planet a better world. I think also that we, non-Polish living in Poland, together with our Polish brothers have an important role to show how Poland is a Great normal Place. Polska jest super! Once again congrats for your great job! May the majority of applause encourage you and may the few boos not discourage you.

[plrc]

There is a lot of videos about Poland in youtube. I like to read the comments section very much. There is always many interesting comments. Under videos about Poland there is always a lot of greetings sent to Poles from various countries: Hungary, Romania, US, Turkey, etc. etc. even countries like Russia, Germany, Netherlands. I have never seen such comments from Israel.

However I do remember several years ago, when there was another Polish-Israeli fuss on the go, comments of Israeli Jews such as "I apologize for my government". "You did more than everyone else to save my people". And I'm very grateful for such comments. They bring back my faith in humanity.

[HelenA-fdvl]

Sweden was not occupied by the Nazis in WW2 but they collaborated with it. They supplied the German Reich with iron ore for their war machine and they allowed German troops to cross their country to attack Norway. And yet Sweden always comes up roses. Because of their policy their country was intact after WW2, unlike many other European countries.

[gopfertami]

You underestimate the German historical policy, shifting guilt from Germans to others. Poles were very vulnerable to it for years as they were behind the iron curtain. There are still huge grants for scholars aligned with this policy (both Polish and Jewish).

[RW-kxfb]

The subject of Jews in Poland is complex, multilayer, has a lot of painful episodes. You can read from comments below that many Poles exhibit something of a persecution complex when it comes to the holocaust subject, but it is well motivated by very selective way the history is presented in the West and particularly among Jewish communities. Everybody knows Jews died in Poland, but somehow almost nobody asks a basic question, why were the camps built there, not in occupied France, Netherlands, or Greece. Is it possible because that's were largest number Jews lived before all of the horror started? And if so, why they lived there in such numbers? Was it because they just wanted to be mistreated by local governments, or perhaps because it was the only relatively safe place for centuries before that terrible time of WWII? Nobody would claim it was all great time in Poland before (it wasn't), but you should read what happened to Jews in Spain, France or Germany in Medieval times and where they fled receiving basic support (hint - it was not US or Canada ;). Of of these outrageous things is some snooty French or Brit lectures us about Polish anti-semitism and then we look at statistics of attacks against Jews in France, UK, or USA and compare them with incidents in Poland, where at worst you have anti-Jewish graffiti. And it is Poland somehow, where Israeli youth needs protection with fully armed security guards when visiting Auschwitz Museum? Is that really done for their safety, or rather to create the paranoia and siege mentality among these impressionable young people who are being conditioned to fight for their country as it's under undeniable threat, just not from these guests at the Museum or the railway station in a country with one of the lowest violent crime statistics in Europe...

I am encouraged by people like you, Michael. You ask right questions, you should explore answers. Doesn't matter what I tell you, or others, but what matters you seek answers without prejudice. More people like that on both sides and we can finally start talking about most difficult things with stuffiness and grievances overwhelming any common sense. Keep exploring!

[boleklolek]

I remember how I watched a documentary film by a Jewish filmmaker from Israel (I cannot remember what it was called) where in one part of the film he tagged along with the school trip from Israel to Poland where Jewish youth would learn about Holocaust history - the Mosad agent who was with them to "keep them safe" said to the entire group when they were at the airport "we are going to a country where everyone hates you and everyone will be hostile". It just blew my mind - I couldnt imagine the sheer amount of brainwashing that was unfolding there.

And it later showed - during the trip there were some local old geezers who were discussing joyfuly what they see and when they saw the Jewish trip they thought at first that maybe it were some asians visiting but then laughed when they realized they are mistaken - they were laughing at themselves basicly and not at the trip.

Then some teenagers from the trip approached them and started yelling at them accusing them of making fun of them - that the laughing was targeting the Jewish group - the old geezer explained in Polish to the teenagers that they simply thought that they were some asian tourists or sth and then they realized they were wrong - the young Jewish woman not understanding Polish came to conclusion that the old geezer was insulting her - she started screaming at them spewing insults.

Later the Jewish guy who was doing the documentary approached her and asked her what that was about - she said to him they were insulting the Jews and making fun out of them. He had Polish heritage and knew Polish well enough to know what the old geezer was saying - that those were not insults - and he said to her "No he was insulting you - I know what he said and there were no insult there" - she looked absolutely shocked and cofused at him - you could basicly hear the glass shattering in her mind as she was left clueless about the whole situation.

[tandrasz]

Thank you for the video, but I don't think it's only that. It is understandable if it is connected to assigning blame for the Holocaust to Poland and Poles, otherwise it doesn't make much sense. I lived in the Wola district in Warsaw where tens of thousands of civilians were slaughtered in August 1944. I didn't hate Wola. I met Jews online who were certain that there was Polish Waffen SS (there wasn't, but there was a French one), that death camps were built in Poland because Poles wanted them and Germans would not allow that (two death camps were in Germany proper, the rest in General Government - part of Greater Germany, first prisoners in Auschwitz were Poles, there were hundreds of concentration camps all over Germany), that Poles were the guards in the camps (maybe some Polish-speaking Volksdeutsche, but not someone who identified as a Pole), that Poles were worse than Germans, that Poles drink antisemitism with their mother's milk... one of weirdest ones was from a Russian Jew who thought Poles could have liberated Auschwitz because it was so close to Poland, but instead the Red Army had to march thousands of kilometres to do it... the ignorance of the realities of life during WW2 in different places/countries, the ignorance of facts about the Holocaust itself - like the differences in treatment of half-Jews (death in occupied Poland, life in Germany) or differences between countries that allied with or were on the side of Germany like Bulgaria, Finland or Italy (who had control over their territory and could keep Jews safe, if they wanted) and countries that were annexed and fully occupied like Poland, who had no say in how the local population was treated, Jewish or not...

[MrAwg]

I think the truth is more simple and more brutal. Israel accepted German payment for holocaust so it became unfashionable to accuse them (Germans) for the atrocities they commited. On the other hand holocaust and antisemitism turned out to be a profitable bussines and a good glue to keep the Jewish society together. So they needed a scapegoat. And Poland fitted pefectly. It was at time occupied by USSR and weak economically, so couldn't effectively defend herself. The West never cared for Poland and never understood that the German occupation was not like occcupation of France or Denmark. Biggest deth camps were installed on Polish territory. Who remembers now that primary goal of Auswitz concentracion camp was extermination of etnic Poles? It all worked too well - now many people in the West even think that nazis were Polish, as they are never ever called "Germans". And in case of Israel I think it's just a cynical propaganda.

[mgodek]

My grand grandfather let a Jewish doctor into his home during World War II, even though he had three children. You know what the consequences were when german nazi found out. There thousand and thousand of similar histories.
I believe that the behavior of Jews, especially young ones, who insult and spit on Poles is very unacceptable.

[Osoba]

Polish people are suffering in silence, unlike some other nations. Being polish I've never heard a word of antisemitism in Poland. I learn in polish school about jewish culture, going to jewish synagoge-museums, going to Jewish music festival in Krakow, learning in school polish jews literature and poetry. Many polish autheurs were jews, but at school our teachers didnt make a difference. NEVER. I had a jewish friends, but I knew it afterwords, because in Poland nobody make a difference. Children are children. That is why, I really dont think I owe any special attention to jewish people, they are like others. We are all people.

[jutrzenka]

This is so...
My greatgrand father starved in Dachau because he worked in administration, was helping Jews by making a fake IDs. One of them told thet to Germans. Great thank you. This situation was not the only one heard about (but only this one I am 100% sure) and that didn't make it easier to support Jews during the war.

You can imagine in my familly is no love for Jews either.

Germans made great PR as Poles seams to be worse then Germans for Jews. You may hate Auschwitz, but to hate Poland because it was based on its land. And you know why it was based here? Because it was easier to build extrmination camps in the place where the most of the people to be killed actually is (Germans efficiency). And you were here not because it was soooo bad for you. Apparently it was relatively good compering to other countries.