Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

Hatred of Poles among large numbers of Jews, both Polish and foreign is easily, if tragically, equatable with the even more deep seated hatred of Germans as well of Germany by many not even directly affected by the Holocaust:-)

Surely even you yourself would admit to there being an understandable reason why a country, which like Germany or Lithuania as well, served as a killing ground for so many of one's own people, would continue to evoke emnity, yes, even hatred for several generations at least!!

There's still NO "statute of limitations" on guilt....and/or of forgiveness.

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

"only seen a Jew on TV..." and then promptly switched channels, no doubt:-)

Sounds to me as though you're simply both rationalizing as well as justifying the latent anti-Semitism among your fellow countrymen, Ironside!

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

"Jew haters"?? I thought we were talking about "Polaphobes" a moment ago!
Ooops, brain glitch again, sorryLOL

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

One needn't have "resided" in Nazi Germany to know that it was hell on earth for Jews as well as gentiles of conscience, dolno!!

Just because "Lucky" Lindy reported in glowing terms how marvelous Hitler had gotten the country moving again, because the Red Cross sent back reports that anti-Jewish propaganda was greatly exaggerated etc... did that make any of it true??!

Often, internal reports can be faked, doctored or altered and the foreign press gets the real scoop:-)

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

Although there is something to what you say, Poland finds herself in a similar position to Germany, in terms of the need for a massive PR boost effort to improve the country's image abroad!

A great deal of this negative advertising is perhaps justified, although for every Polish anti-Semite, there was that one or two lone wolf Nazi resistance people, such as the kindly farmers who took in Jews during the Occupation years etc....

No tree can be judged solely by its rotten fruit; for every weed, there grows a blossom.

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

Doubtless NOT in the major urban areas though.

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

The Chief Rabbi of Warsaw, Schudrich, or of London?

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

We more or less catch your drift, dolno!

back to the topic please

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

See, what did I tell you?

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

Your occasionally "mixed metaphors" notwithstanding, I too hope and pray for a more enlightened as well as open society in Poland....up to a point, of course:-)

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

Couldn't agree more, Iwonko! As here in the States, the more conservative the environment, the more primitive the inhabitants:-)

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

To be sure, when I was in Szczecin, round about 1995 or so, while I felt ZERO anti-Jewish feeling, I'm tall, light-eyed and spoke more or less comprehensible Polish, thus, was not identified as Jewish, merely as foreign (possibly GermanLOL).

This makes a tremendous difference, in my opinion:-)

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

Were the busloads of Jewish visitors on an escorted or private excursion, then I believe you. Apart from that, I've heard both from gentile Poles as well as Jews from Poland that outwardly "Jewish" symbolism aka wearing a kipa outdoors, being seen in a schreimel and paeis in public (once again, as Iwonka noted, save for Kraków or the capital) while traveling through Polish villages might well yield stares, occasional cat calls or unwanted comment!

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [279]

Fine, Iwonka! Kraków, Warszawa, Wrocław or Poznań etc. are NOT the countryside!! A black might well be considered "exotic" there, whereas a Jew might indeed have cause to be fearful, perhaps not as during the War years (or immediately thereafter aka Kielce, Jedwabne..), but instead run the risk of having their car tires slashed etc...

The latter I have on good authority from Polish Jews returning to their parents' villages during the late '80's, early '90's, and being identifiably Jewish, had less than positive experiences:-)

Off-Topic / What's your connection with Poland? Penpals. [595]

About what, pray? Your question sounds more as though you're a blank Czech (chequeLOL) to me:-)

Genealogy / Typical Polish Eye Color [77]

Eye colour alone, however, does scarcely a Pole make:-) Usually, the facial or bone structure (along with height) may indicate a particular nationality. I know for instance any number of Italians and Spaniards with lightish eyes, and yet their build, apparent hair texture/facial hair for men, and general stature show them to be Southerners.

Study / American school of Wroclaw for expats [5]

The question really should be, for which type of English is said salary to be paid, Indlish or Amlish, he-he!

When Polish people speak English, I've found their accent "Englishesque", not really English and not really American either:-)
More "Poglish", I'd say.

News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

Now everybody's gettin' into the act, to paraphrase the late Jimmy Durante! Why not a Germexit, while we're at it? The Far Right PEGIDA and AfD have been hankering for while now:-)

I mean, don't let's anyone feel left outLOL

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [676]

Well Germans, for either Russians as well as Poles, are fraught with historical baggage! Probably, as Germans admire achievement alone as few other Europeans, the Russians are more admired than the Poles at the present time.

Furthermore, Putin likes Merkel, plus they both speak each others' languages fluently:-)

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [676]

Poles have considerable Germanic ethnic stock intermingled with their Slavic roots. This might indeed account for their frequently tall stature, light eyes, squarish face along with solid build and often fair, coarse hair!

Feedback / Polish forums members - please stop being agressive and dishonest. What a waste of potential. [48]

Hear, hear! A little youthful idealism and optimism combined can go a long way in this jaded society:-) Used to be a young eurail pass traveler myself once upon a decadeLOL

Thumbs up, Luke ol' boy! And as the boyscouts/harcierzy say: "CZUWAJ!!" = stay alert!

Study / Review of the Poznan University of Economics? [18]

Although I've never studied in Poland, what Mafketis says makes lots of sense to me. Besides, do you think a foreign, non-native English speaking student can actually trust the English skills of a non-native English-speaking instructor?

If I were a Vietnamese studying in English (not my mother tongue) with a Polish or German professor whose mother tongue isn't English either, I'd become terribly confused, not feeling I had an anchor in my own mother tongue with which to guide me through difficult material!

Again, it'd be almost like the blind (or seeing impaired) leading the visually handicapped, sort of like playing a game of "Simon Says" with Abbott & Costello plus The Marx BrosLOL By the end of the encounter my head would be reeling!

:-)

Love / Woman 28 single, too late for a relationship with a Polish man? [67]

Correction, TheOther! "Creepy 44 year-olds....with not enough MONEY!!!!"
:-)
Let's not kid one another.

Love / Woman 28 single, too late for a relationship with a Polish man? [67]

Just like fine wine, only the more maturely aged....the BETTER:-)

Love / Woman 28 single, too late for a relationship with a Polish man? [67]

Maybe they're good for "pumping", ol' bean, but with that kind of attitude, YOU'RE the one they ought to be dumping:-)

lol

Love / Woman 28 single, too late for a relationship with a Polish man? [67]

I mean that the entire premise of the thread is basically garbage, based on the myths and preconceived notions of small-town boobs!

Love / Woman 28 single, too late for a relationship with a Polish man? [67]

I read it and frankly, there's not anything worth quoting:-)

Love / Woman 28 single, too late for a relationship with a Polish man? [67]

A sensible man, free of old-wives tales and common prejudices, would, most definitely! Most men however, aren't and so they probably wouldn't!

Love / Woman 28 single, too late for a relationship with a Polish man? [67]

Right on!

I think that it's culturally myopic, regardless of the culture, to "blame" either a woman or a man for not being "hitched" by the time they're necessarily in their late twenties:-)

All people develop differently, furthermore, times are quite different from those of the immediate post-1945 generation. Sure, our parents, especially grandparents, typically married early, if for no other reason than noone was quite sure in those days how long one might be alive!!!

To errantly stigmatize any young woman for not being married by the random age of 28, thereby putting a sort of evil eye on the poor soul ever finding a decent partner is in my opinion, not only mean spirited, it's primitive and downright medaeval.

Love / Woman 28 single, too late for a relationship with a Polish man? [67]

In many societies as well, small minds will wonder and idle tongues will wag.

Sadly yes, all too often the unenlightened judge those around them without sufficiently knowing the other person's situation.
If as a 28 year-old in Poland or wherever, someone actually believes you are too "OLD", then it is they who have the problem, and not you:-)