Poland Is Taking Steps Toward Holocaust Denial, And As A Jewish Person, That Terrifies Me | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics

Poland Is Taking Steps Toward Holocaust Denial, And As A Jewish Person, That Terrifies Me

Why am I not surprised at how few people care?

125
Poland Is Taking Steps Toward Holocaust Denial, And As A Jewish Person, That Terrifies Me
Zachi Evenor / Wikimedia Commons

Every time I write an article about the Jewish experience or Jewish issues, I can almost see the eyes rolling from behind a dozen computer screens. Not this again, you all must be thinking. Doesn’t this girl think about anything else? Does she just crouch over her keyboard, waiting for someone to say something politically incorrect? Is her writing life a succession of one hit piece after another? To answer those questions in order: yes, no, and no. But I write about Jewish issues for one reason and one reason only — to remind the larger world that not only do Jews still exist, but we’re still targets for the most insidious, virulent, and longest-lived campaign of prejudice in the world. I’ve said it a million times in a million different ways. Anti-Semitism didn’t end with the Holocaust. It still exists.

Take Poland, for example. At the start of the Holocaust, Poland had almost three million Jewish citizens. By the end of the Holocaust, 88% of those Jewish citizens were murdered. Need a comparison? The only country that lost a higher percentage of its Jewish citizens was Lithuania, and Lithuania had only 220,000 Jewish citizens. Poland had 131 times more Jews than Lithuania did, and almost all of them died. So why are we talking about Poland and not Lithuania? Because Lithuania isn’t actively trying to erase its complicity in the deaths of a good half of the Holocaust’s Jewish victims.

On February 1st, Poland passed a bill that would make it illegal to state that Poland or Polish people were at all responsible for the Holocaust. If Poland wanted to, it could fine me for writing this article, or put me in prison for up to three years. Poland would like us to forget that its citizens sold their Jewish neighbors out to get their hands on their property, that they killed their Jewish neighbors before the Nazis could get the chance to, that they murdered Holocaust survivors attempting to return to their homes.

Poland would like you to forget about all that, please. Dead Jews don’t matter to Poland. Not then, and definitely not now.

This is just the latest in a long list of offenses that Poland has committed against Jewish people, and Holocaust survivors, the people in the world who most deserve to catch a break from this shithole of a country, have gotten the worst of it. Last year, Poland took steps to make it impossible for the majority of Holocaust survivors and their descendants to claim restitution from the Polish government for nearly a billion dollars worth of possessions and property stolen from them by Poland and its citizens. And last week, Poland’s Prime Minister went public with Holocaust denial when he stated that Jews were also responsible for the mass genocide committed during the Holocaust.

The world should be furious about this blatant rewrite of the worst genocide in history. The United States, a country that’s constantly grappling with its checkered past, should hold Poland accountable for their part in the Holocaust. And yet the only people I see and hear talking about it are, once again, other Jewish people. Holocaust denial terrifies me. If all of you are willing to let Poland get away with pretending they had nothing to do with it, you are endorsing giving the perpetrators of anti-Jewish violence a free pass.

Oh, wait. You already do. You always have.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

10 Facts All People In A Large Family Can Confirm During The Holiday Season

The holiday season can be the best and most stressful time of the year, especially when more people are involved.

1015
kids jumping

The holidays are full of lights, sweets, sweaters, and your favorite movies. There's nothing quite like this period from the beginning of December through January. Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years. The fun of it all.

I don't know about you but with my large Italian family something is always going on during this season. It can be the most wonderful time of the year while also being the most hectic. These are a few things you know if your family is anything like mine during this time.

Keep Reading...Show less
10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over
reference.com

To those who celebrate, you just spent an entire day cooking an elaborate meal with all of your favorite foods. You probably ate your body weight in pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes. What happens now? Oh yea, Christmas. It’s time to take out all of the decorations and Christmas themed things that have been sitting in the attic since last year; it’s time to make a reappearance. So, here are 10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

18 Things I Want To Do Now That I'm 18

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

4320
Happy Birthday Cake

For the entirety of my high school career, I was always seen as the goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble with a teacher, I kept stellar grades, and when I wasn't doing extracurricular activities, I was at home studying. Even when I did go out, it was usually with a bunch of fellow band geeks. The night would end before 11:00 PM and the only controversial activity would be a fight based on who unfairly won a round of Apples-to-Apples when someone else clearly had a better card (I promise I'm not still holding a grudge).

Now that I'm officially an adult, I want to pursue some new things. I want to experience life in a way that I never allowed myself to do prior to entering college. These are the years that I'm supposed to embark on a journey of self-discovery, so what better way to do that than to create a bucket list?

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics

The holiday classics that shaped my life

2655
10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics
Flickr

The holiday season is full of stress, debt, and forced conversation. While we rush through the month of December, it's important to take a step back and enjoy the moments before they're gone. Most families love to watch Christmas movies, but these beloved films provide more than entertainment. Here are 10 life lessons that I've learned from the holiday classics we watch every year.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

202028
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments