Thursday, September 10, 2020

"They Always Kept One Token Jew" Bieganski Interview # 6



My Dad sometimes talked about his experiences with anti-Semitism as a young man after he’d left the orphanage. When he served in WWII, for instance, he was stationed in Georgia for basic training. When some fellow soldiers found out he was Jewish, there were certain comments made that my father chose to ignore. After the war, when my father was looking for work back in Chicago, he happened to apply for a job at a title & trust company. The man who gave him his job explained to him that they usually don’t hire Jews, but their one Jew on staff was retiring, so they had an opening. They apparently always kept one token Jew to keep up appearances.

***





6 comments:

  1. Why not more, on your blog, about Poles that faced discrimination? How many "token Poles" did companies hire? I'll bet zero.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the negative comments, Jan. Always encouraging to someone who has kept up a blog on Polish-Jewish matters for ten years with just about no donations from readers except two to whom I am eternally grateful, and I will not name them here. But, seriously, your gracious, kind commentary is compensation enough.

      Delete
    2. And people wonder why the Polish story is not told. Polish people, support your storytellers, even just with a kind word or two now and then. It won't kill you to be positive.

      Delete
    3. Many of your readers might be interested in Martyna Majok's work.

      Delete
  2. I was positive in my review of your Bieganski book, and, after it was taken down by Amazon and GoodReads, I made sure to re-post it on my own website:

    https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/polonophobia-definitive-work-goska/

    ReplyDelete
  3. https://www.dw.com/en/oscars-announce-diversity-criteria-for-best-picture-eligibility/a-54867913 Do the criteria promote Jews or are antisemitic?

    ReplyDelete

Bieganski the Blog exists to further explore the themes of the book Bieganski the Brute Polak Stereotype, Its Role in Polish-Jewish Relations and American Popular Culture.
These themes include the false and damaging stereotype of Poles as brutes who are uniquely hateful and responsible for atrocity, and this stereotype's use in distorting WW II history and all accounts of atrocity.
This blog welcomes comments from readers that address those themes. Off-topic and anti-Semitic posts are likely to be deleted.
Your comment is more likely to be posted if:
Your comment includes a real first and last name.
Your comment uses Standard English spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Your comment uses I-statements rather than You-statements.
Your comment states a position based on facts, rather than on ad hominem material.
Your comment includes readily verifiable factual material, rather than speculation that veers wildly away from established facts.
T'he full meaning of your comment is clear to the comment moderator the first time he or she glances over it.
You comment is less likely to be posted if:
You do not include a first and last name.
Your comment is not in Standard English, with enough errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar to make the comment's meaning difficult to discern.
Your comment includes ad hominem statements, or You-statements.
You have previously posted, or attempted to post, in an inappropriate manner.
You keep repeating the same things over and over and over again.