Piotr Gillert, New York Times Against "Polish Death Camps"

From RZECZPOSPOLITA (Warsaw)
March 24, 2005:

Below is a translation of two articles by Piotr Gillert, on the "Polish
death camp" issue and the image of Poland in American media,
published in the Polish daily RZECZPOSPOLITA. The translation is by Charles Chotkowski

Apologies of an influential American daily

The daily "New York Times" correspondent Craig Smith wrote that the commemoration of the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camp was for Poland and other countries of our region a part of "gradual recognition of their complicity in the killing."

"We are truly very sorry; this very unfortunate formulation should not appear in our newspaper," says to RZECZPOSPOLITA Daniel Okrent, who functions at "NYT" as editor for contacts with readers [public editor].

"This was a coincidence, a certain mental short cut, behind which no bad intentions are hiding," Bronner asserts, showing me an e-mail which he received from Craig Smith, the author of the article. Smith, who is not of Jewish origin, explains in it that he did not have in mind participation of Poles in the crimes of the death camps, but instances of murder which
Poles committed against Jews in that period.

Okrent, like Ethan Bronner, deputy chief of the foreign section of the "New York Times", are somewhat surprised, when I tell them about the extent of reaction in Poland to this and other items published in the American press.

Both Okrent and Bronner have Jewish forebears who came from Poland.
Bothacknowledge that for the average American Jew, Poland and the Poles are
associated with anti-Semitism. However they emphatically deny that their
newspaper would try to support such association.

Benjamin Weiser, an editor at "NYT" and author of a book on Colonel Kuklinski recently published in Poland, even recalls how in an internal editorial bulletin an instruction appeared a few years ago not to use formulations of the type "Polish concentration camp." In fact, the last time it appeared in "NYT" was 10 years ago, and "Polish death camp" - three years ago.

PIOTR GILLERT FROM NEW YORK

Image of Poland from the time of the Second World War in American media

NEW YORK TIMES AGAINST "POLISH DEATH CAMPS"

The Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York, Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska, who has been involved in Polish-Jewish relations for years, has on a computer a whole list of instances of the use of such termsas "Polish death camp" in American media.

"It does not appear to me, that this would be the effect of anybody's intentional activity, some anti-Polish conspiracy in the great American media" says David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, one of the most influential Jewish organizations in the USA. Harris, whose office is decorated with a fine collection of Russian figurines reminiscent of the chief personages of the Stalinist regime in the USSR, is of the opinion that this is "derivative of the unawareness of history among Americans."

Actually, the historical knowledge of even educated Americans leaves much to be desired. This explains the ease with which they accept certain stereotypes, but not where they obtain them. Something brings it about, that each year "Polish concentration camps" appear in American media on various occasions, often not generally connected with the Holocaust. A clinical example was the misunderstanding caused last year by the death of the Indian Frank Sanache from the state of Iowa. Sanache, as a soldier of the American army, was imprisoned during the war in a German prisoner of war camp.

But both the Iowa state legislature in a memorial resolution for the Indian, as well as the weekly "Time" in a short obituary article about Sanache, used the formulation "Polish labor camp." The Iowa legislature quickly corrected its error, which only proves the accidental nature of the use of this term.

A look at history

Daniel Okrent and Ethan Bronner of the "New York Times" point out that as far as the question of the use of the formulation "Polish concentration camps", this is of course a misconception; as far as the matter of collaboration of Poles in murders committed against Jews, it is very complicated. It has a certain historical basis, it is a subject for discussion. Both "camps" and "collaboration" therefore constitute as it were two different aspects of one problem, which is a more or less plausible image of Poles as zealous anti-Semites. This was the cause of Craig
Smith making the "unfortunate mental short cut".

In American media the issue of Polish collaboration appears more rarely, but with greater force. For example after the premiere of Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" two years ago, the "Wall Street Journal" published a review by Thane Rosenbaum, in which he accused the director of a "skewed vision of Polish history" and added that the majority of Poles "either participated [in the Holocaust] or were indifferent to the fate of their Jewish neighbors."

Charles Chotkowski, a Polish American activist and a member of the executive board of the National Polish American - Jewish American Council (of which Jan Nowak-Jezioranski was a member) asserts that in the minds of a majority of educated Americans Polish anti-Semitism constitutes a certain informational background associated with Poland. "This occurs in large
measure because the majority of American publications on Polish-Jewish subjects are written from a Jewish perspective," he explains.

Mice, cats and pigs

"Today the basic reading matter, from which American youth draw their knowledge of the Holocaust, is 'Maus'", says Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska.

This Pulitzer prize winning comic by Art Spiegelman is the moving story of the author's parents, who came from Sosnowiec and by a miracle survived the Holocaust. All persons in the book have the faces of animals, depending on nationality. Jews are mice; Germans (generally appearing moreover as Nazis, almost devoid of German characteristics) are cats; Americans, dogs; and Poles, pigs. The pigs present on the pages of "Maus" are, virtually without
exception, creatures of low morality and culture; treacherous, deceitful, and almost organic enemies of Jews.

Similar contents appear in textbooks. In a text used in many American schools, "Welcome to Poland" part of a series published to bring various countries close to students, the authors Umaima Mulla-Feroze and Paul Grajnert write that "Although Poland has always claimed to have a policy of religious tolerance, Polish Jews were often forced to live in ghettos, away from Catholics." "During World War II, Polish Catholics showed little concern for the thousands of Jews being killed by the Nazis," we read further, "In Jedwabne, Catholic Poles even killed their Jewish neighbors."

Consul Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska is also of the opinion that the Polish government ought to prepare truly major measures, and the next time some well known American newspaper writes about "Polish camps" to take legal action in a spectacular manner, which might provoke the interest of the media. It might perhaps permit the beginning in America of a debate in which, to be sure, we would have to be painfully frank on our subject, but we might be able to attempt, to some extent, to repair our image. Many of my interviewees, however, are skeptical of this idea. The media lead their own lives, and it would be difficult to control the debate. The danger exists, that instead of an honest and open discussion, there could be a squabble of no use to anyone.

Knowledge from a museum

A visit to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York enables one to better understand how animosity to Poland is transferred almost "silently" from generation to generation. This excellent museum keenly depicts the traumatic experience that the Holocaust was for the Jewish people. Crowds of children dressed in the black outfits of Jewish schools move along with guides,
who in simple language without hate or pathos tell them about the causes and course of the Holocaust. Poland appears in the museum as it were on the margins, but when it does appear, it is virtually always as an anti-Semitic country. For thus do those remember it, who survived the Holocaust and give testimony for visitors in the form of short film clips.

"After all this I was without a native language," recalls one of the women. "I knew little Yiddish, and I wanted to forget Polish as quickly as possible."

The question of collaboration also appears: "The Germans would not have been in a position to carry out their murderous plans alone. The unprecedented deportation and mass murder required collaborators, help from the local population and leadership, governments and entities."

One of the most shocking moments during a tour of the museum organized by the chronology of events is information on the Kielce pogrom, at a moment when the visitor is convinced, that with the end of the war the torment of Jews is over.

In the New York museum it is easy to comprehend the sources of the frequently outright instinctive animosity to Poland and the Poles among many American Jews.

Educational challenges

How to change this image occurring in America, although certainly not predominant, of the Poles as a nation of anti-Semites? "These are important educational challenges for people such as myself," says David Harris, who last year organized meetings of American Jews with the ambassadors of Israel to Poland and of Poland to Israel. A significant part of the Jewish diaspora in America is not aware of the close cooperation of our countries in the international arena.

Another question is the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, which for years has not been able to find in our country a legal solution. "This is truly the last important question unfavorably affecting Polish-Jewish relations," Harris estimates. The issue is not especially notorious in the USA and does not affect a large part of the American Jewish community, of which a huge majority either does not want to return to the past, or considers that the property which their ancestors left in our country is not worth pursuing. However those who demand from Poland the return of property, do so in a manner strengthening a bad image of Poland and the Poles.

Conversation is necessary

No one, however, has any doubt that the best means of overcoming stereotypes, besides combatting actual incidents of anti-Semitism, is ongoing dialogue. "It is necessary to converse with people and from time to time to write corrections to newspapers," says Chotkowski. Before the next March of the Living he is to meet with students who will participate in this important, but at the same time very anti-Polish program, in order to inform them of the Polish viewpoint on history.

It is difficult to combat stereotypes and generalizations, for they are a natural means people have of ordering their world. One way is stimulate reflections.

Daniel Okrent remembers a difficult moment, when as a boy he moved to Detroit together with his parents. Some of the neighbors were against Jews moving into their neighborhood. Okrent remembers to this day that three of the five families protesting the loudest were Polish families. The two others were likely Irish, and that more or less corresponded to the ethnic makeup of that neighborhood at that time," Okrent adds. Then again a German-Polish couple spoke up very decidedly in favor of the Jewish newcomers.

"What kind of generalization about Poles could I draw from this story?" Okrent poses the rhetorical question.

Piotr Gillert, New York Times Against Polish Death Camps

Below are two articles by Piotr Gillert, translated by Charles Chotkowski
on the "Polish death camp" issue and the image of Poland in American media, published in the Polish daily RZECZPOSPOLITA, March 2005
Apologies of an influential American daily

NEW YORK TIMES AGAINST "POLISH DEATH CAMPS"

The daily "New York Times" correspondent Craig Smith wrote that the commemoration of the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz camp was for Poland and other countries of our region a part of "gradual recognition of their complicity in the killing."

"We are truly very sorry; this very unfortunate formulation should not appear in our newspaper," says to RZECZPOSPOLITA Daniel Okrent, who functions at "NYT" as editor for contacts with readers [public editor].

"This was a coincidence, a certain mental short cut, behind which no bad intentions are hiding," Bronner asserts, showing me an e-mail which he received from Craig Smith, the author of the article. Smith, who is not of Jewish origin, explains in it that he did not have in mind participation of Poles in the crimes of the death camps, but instances of murder which Poles committed against Jews in that period.

Okrent, like Ethan Bronner, deputy chief of the foreign section of the "New York Times", are somewhat surprised, when I tell them about the extent of reaction in Poland to this and other items published in the American press.

Both Okrent and Bronner have Jewish forebears who came from Poland.
Bothacknowledge that for the average American Jew, Poland and the Poles are
associated with anti-Semitism. However they emphatically deny that their
newspaper would try to support such association.

Benjamin Weiser, an editor at "NYT" and author of a book on Colonel Kuklinski recently published in Poland, even recalls how in an internal editorial bulletin an instruction appeared a few years ago not to use formulations of the type "Polish concentration camp." In fact, the last time it appeared in "NYT" was 10 years ago, and "Polish death camp" - three years ago.

PIOTR GILLERT FROM NEW YORK

-------------------------------

Image of Poland from the time of the Second World War in American media

NEW YORK TIMES AGAINST "POLISH DEATH CAMPS"

The Consul General of the Republic of Poland in New York, Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska, who has been involved in Polish-Jewish relations for years, has on a computer a whole list of instances of the use of such termsas "Polish death camp" in American media.

"It does not appear to me, that this would be the effect of anybody's intentional activity, some anti-Polish conspiracy in the great American media" says David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, one of the most influential Jewish organizations in the USA.
Harris, whose office is decorated with a fine collection of Russian figurines reminiscent of the chief personages of the Stalinist regime in the USSR, is of the opinion that this is "derivative of the unawareness of history among Americans."

Actually, the historical knowledge of even educated Americans leaves much to be desired. This explains the ease with which they accept certain stereotypes, but not where they obtain them. Something brings it about, that each year "Polish concentration camps" appear in American media on various occasions, often not generally connected with the Holocaust. A clinical example was the misunderstanding caused last year by the death of the Indian Frank Sanache from the state of Iowa. Sanache, as a soldier of the American army, was imprisoned during the war in a German prisoner of war camp.

But both the Iowa state legislature in a memorial resolution for the Indian, as well as the weekly "Time" in a short obituary article about Sanache, used the formulation "Polish labor camp." The Iowa legislature quickly corrected its error, which only proves the accidental nature of the use of this term.

A look at history

Daniel Okrent and Ethan Bronner of the "New York Times" point out that as far as the question of the use of the formulation "Polish concentration camps", this is of course a misconception; as far as the matter of collaboration of Poles in murders committed against Jews, it is very complicated. It has a certain historical basis, it is a subject for discussion. Both "camps" and "collaboration" therefore constitute as it were two different aspects of one problem, which is a more or less plausible image of Poles as zealous anti-Semites. This was the cause of Craig
Smith making the "unfortunate mental short cut".

In American media the issue of Polish collaboration appears more rarely, but with greater force. For example after the premiere of Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" two years ago, the "Wall Street Journal" published a review byThane Rosenbaum, in which he accused the director of a "skewed vision of Polish history" and added that the majority of Poles "either participated [in the Holocaust] or were indifferent to the fate of their Jewish neighbors."

Charles Chotkowski, a Polish American activist and a member of the executive board of the National Polish American - Jewish American Council (of which Jan Nowak-Jezioranski was a member) asserts that in the minds of a majority of educated Americans Polish anti-Semitism constitutes a certain informational background associated with Poland. "This occurs in large measure because the majority of American publications on Polish-Jewish subjects are written from a Jewish perspective," he explains.

Mice, cats and pigs

"Today the basic reading matter, from which American youth draw their knowledge of the Holocaust, is 'Maus'", says Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska.

This Pulitzer prize winning comic by Art Spiegelman is the moving story of the author's parents, who came from Sosnowiec and by a miracle survived the Holocaust. All persons in the book have the faces of animals, depending on nationality. Jews are mice; Germans (generally appearing moreover as Nazis, almost devoid of German characteristics) are cats; Americans, dogs; and Poles, pigs. The pigs present on the pages of "Maus" are, virtually without exception, creatures of low morality and culture; treacherous, deceitful, and almost organic enemies of Jews.

Similar contents appear in textbooks. In a text used in many American schools, "Welcome to Poland" part of a series published to bring various countries close to students, the authors Umaima Mulla-Feroze and Paul Grajnert write that "Although Poland has always claimed to have a policy of religious tolerance, Polish Jews were often forced to live in ghettos, away from Catholics." "During World War II, Polish Catholics showed little concern for the thousands of Jews being killed by the Nazis," we read further, "In Jedwabne, Catholic Poles even killed their Jewish neighbors."

Consul Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska is also of the opinion that the Polish government ought to prepare truly major measures, and the next time some well known American newspaper writes about "Polish camps" to take legal action in a spectacular manner, which might provoke the interest of the media. It might perhaps permit the beginning in America of a debate in which, to be sure, we would have to be painfully frank on our subject, but we might be able to attempt, to some extent, to repair our image. Many of my interviewees, however, are skeptical of this idea. The media lead their own lives, and it would be difficult to control the debate. The danger exists, that instead of an honest and open discussion, there could be a squabble of no use to anyone.

Knowledge from a museum

A visit to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York enables one to better understand how animosity to Poland is transferred almost "silently" from generation to generation. This excellent museum keenly depicts the traumatic experience that the Holocaust was for the Jewish people. Crowds of children dressed in the black outfits of Jewish schools move along with guides,
who in simple language without hate or pathos tell them about the causes and course of the Holocaust. Poland appears in the museum as it were on the margins, but when it does appear, it is virtually always as an anti-Semitic country. For thus do those remember it, who survived the Holocaust and give testimony for visitors in the form of short film clips.

"After all this I was without a native language," recalls one of the women. "I knew little Yiddish, and I wanted to forget Polish as quickly as possible."

The question of collaboration also appears: "The Germans would not have been in a position to carry out their murderous plans alone. The unprecedented deportation and mass murder required collaborators, help from the local population and leadership, governments and entities."

One of the most shocking moments during a tour of the museum organized by the chronology of events is information on the Kielce pogrom, at a moment when the visitor is convinced, that with the end of the war the torment of Jews is over.

In the New York museum it is easy to comprehend the sources of the frequently outright instinctive animosity to Poland and the Poles among many American Jews.

Educational challenges

How to change this image occurring in America, although certainly not predominant, of the Poles as a nation of anti-Semites? "These are important educational challenges for people such as myself," says David Harris, who last year organized meetings of American Jews with the ambassadors of Israel to Poland and of Poland to Israel. A significant part of the Jewish
diaspora in America is not aware of the close cooperation of our countries in
the international arena.

Another question is the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, which for years has not been able to find in our country a legal solution. "This is truly the last important question unfavorably affecting Polish-Jewish relations," Harris estimates. The issue is not especially notorious in the USA and does not affect a large part of the American Jewish community, of which a huge majority either does not want to return to the past, or considers that the property which their ancestors left in our country is not worth pursuing. However those who demand from Poland the return of property, do so in a manner strengthening a bad image of Poland and the Poles.

Conversation is necessary

No one, however, has any doubt that the best means of overcoming stereotypes, besides combatting actual incidents of anti-Semitism, is ongoing dialogue. "It is necessary to converse with people and from time to time to write corrections to newspapers," says Chotkowski. Before the next March of the Living he is to meet with students who will participate in this important, but at the same time very anti-Polish program, in order to inform them of the Polish viewpoint on history.

It is difficult to combat stereotypes and generalizations, for they are a natural means people have of ordering their world. One way is stimulate reflections.

Daniel Okrent remembers a difficult moment, when as a boy he moved to Detroit together with his parents. Some of the neighbors were against Jews moving into their neighborhood. Okrent remembers to this day that three of the five families protesting the loudest were Polish families. The two others were likely Irish, and that more or less corresponded to the ethnic makeup of that neighborhood at that time," Okrent adds. Then again a German-Polish couple spoke up very decidedly in favor of the Jewish newcomers.

"What kind of generalization about Poles could I draw from this story?" Okrent poses the rhetorical question.

PIOTR GILLERT FROM NEW YORK