Language:
Polish
Year of publication:
2005
Titel der Quelle:
Zagłada Żydów; studia i materiały
Angaben zur Quelle:
1 (2005) 114-147
Keywords:
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Influence
;
World War, 1939-1945 Collaborationists
;
Jewish property
;
War crime trials
Abstract:
Describes cases of crimes against Jews and complicity in such crimes, based on heretofore unperused trial records related to the August [1944] Decree of the PKWN (Polish Committee of National Liberation). Examines trials held in the Kielce court between 1946-60. More than 33% of criminal cases in this region concerned crimes against Jews, among them murder, denunciation of Jews in hiding, and theft. Most of the accused were peasants, policemen, and members of partisans' groups in the region. Most of the crimes were perpetrated in groups. The perpetrators had little education and were poor. Describes cases of crimes which were witnessed by the whole village. Argues that the witnessing of these crimes was one of the reasons for the silence about the crimes in postwar Poland. From analysis of the court cases one may conclude that the theft of Jewish goods was an important motive for the crimes. Antisemitism and the myth that the Jews were rich were also factors.
Note:
With an English summary. Appeared in English as "The participation of Poles in crimes against Jews in the Świętokrzyskie region" in "Yad Vashem Studies" 35 (2007) 5-48 and in Hebrew in this journal's Hebrew version.
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