"Two well-known Polish Holocaust historians are on trial for alleged defamation over their claim that the late mayor of a town near Warsaw who saved one Jewish woman was involved in the murder of 22 other Jews.
Jan Grabowski and Barbara Engelking were sued last year in civil court by a niece of the mayor for what they wrote about him in their 2018 book “Night Without an End,” about Polish collaboration. Their trial opened on January 12, the OKO news site reported Saturday."
Full story here
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.
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It's about time that these characters (that's putting it diplomatically) finally face some kind of consequence for their many falsehoods about Poland.
ReplyDeleteThe reason of the case is book "Dalej jest noc". A number of Polish historians criticize the book and one co-worker has published his results independently. Grabowski claims that the book proves that Poles have (directly or indirectly) murdered 200 000 Jews. An independent summary of the book ("Rzeczpospolita") gives 40 000, which is similar to several former studies, so nothing new. Polish peasants murdered Jews because of crimial reasons (like in any society) but also because of German terror. Any contact with a hiding Jew was dangerous. German police organized sting operations, to terrorize the peasants. I do not know this book, but I have read a former book by Grabowski "Judenjagd" ("Hunt for the Jews") and the book is obviously biased to accuse local peasants.Engeliking and Grabowski refuse to inform, if their texts are reviewed by independent historians.
ReplyDeleteHello Dr Goska,
ReplyDeleteI've read the article. And I would like to share a story.
The story starts in 1943 in forrest near village called Malinowo. A group of German soldiers enters the forrest. Their guide is a local forrester. Germans are accompanied by several Polish farmers including Malinowo's mayor. Poles carry shovels.
Forrester leads his entourage to a hidden shelter. A group of Jewish people is forced to leave their dugout. They are forced to strip naked and are immediately shot. Polish farmers are ordered to bury the bodies. Malinowo's mayor lifts a body of young Jewish girl. He notices golden earrings. The Pole discreetly removes them while placing girl's corpse in the grave. Then he hides earrings in his pocket.
Ugly story, don't You agree? Wasn't that Pole simply disgusting?
The mayor returns to his village. Enters his barn. Several people walk out of the darkness. Pole approaches a young man and whispers to him for a moment. He gives the young man a pair of golden earrings. Both men cry. Pole goes to his home. Covered in the blood of young Jewish girl.
The war ends. In 1949 mayor of Malinowo is accused of complicity in murder of Jews and arrested by the dreaded secret police-UB. Interrogation is brutal. Pole is once again covered in blood. This time his own. He pleads guilty. Trial seems to be a formality.
During his trial some unexpected facts come to light. Strangely Jewish witnesses testify in favor of the accused.
Estera Drogicka nee Siemiatycka testified:
"Nobody wanted to take me home. So I went to the mayor Malinowski and he accepted me. For a few good weeks I was hiding in Malinowski's barn, and he fed me despite the fact that I was penniless. His barn was full of Jews at night, and Malinowski fed them."
Chuna Kapłan testified:
"When I was hiding in the vicinity of Malinów, Malinowski sheltered me, gave me bread and pork fat, for which I did not pay anything, and he also warned us Jews not to wander around too much".
Jews also give name of the real betrayer. Accused is acquitted. In a strange twist of fate rescued saved the rescuer.
In 2018 two "Holocaust historians" published a book titled “Night Without an End”. In that book Malinowski is a Nazi collaborator and an accomplice in the murder of Jews. Words "allegedly" and "it was said" were used. A popular method to cover one's ass used by those who omit the facts, quote selectively and make false allegations.
In my opinion this is a story for a good movie. But who would be the main bad guys in it? German murderers? UB sadists? Or "Holocaust historians"?
In 2019, the Polish parliament passed a law that makes it illegal for to blame the Polish nation for Nazi crimes and exposes those who do to civil lawsuits. Critics of this law, including the Yad Vashem museum in Israel, said it risks stifling historic research into World War II in Poland.
ReplyDeleteThis is Chuzpa. "Historical Research" will, of course, not be stifled if you are not allowed to wrongly accuse a whole nation. Or perhaps Yad Vashem is "flexible" with regards to historical accuracy?
I am being serious here: Once I've read an interview with Szewach Weiss, the former Israeli ambasador to Poland. With regards to Jedwabne, he said, that: there is not need to do a forensic analysis, because we Jews know what has transpired. Me: What the -censored-. Ehm, yeah, good idea. I guess the Guatemalan Army also knows what happend during their civil war, so no need to exhume the mass graves. Of course, the victimized peasant Mayan population would chase you away naked for such a stupid argument. The dead of Jedwabne deserve a dignified burial and a service conducted by a Jewish priest, imho. Also, we would like to know what happend-preferably the whole story, because leaving out less "fitting" witness testimonials is not ok and an insult to historical research.
As to Ms. Engelking and Grabowski: If it is not true then the have commited defamation. BTW, I have seen a very interesting French film as of late: L'Intrigue. It is about the Dreyfuss affair. Dreyfuss, an assimilated Jewish Frenchmen, was defamed as a German spy. He was not and he had to fight hard to restore his family's honour and good name. This horrible lie about him caused suffering to his helpers, as well, like the writer Zola, who was sentenced to 1 year in prison for his article J'accuse. Dreyfuss had to waste the best years of his life to get his life back...because people lied about him. With regards to Grabowski et alt.: If the court finds them guilty, I hope they will not excape punishment. Probably they will try to depict themselves as "victims of Polish anti-semitism". I would not be surprised.
You mean probably "An Officer and a Spy" by Polanski and Harris, "J'accuse" in French and "Intrigue" in German. I have not wached it, but I have read that the story has been a little rewritten. I prefer academic books.
Delete