Genealogy / Easy way to find out which Polish coat of arm/Clan you belong to. [105]

Guys ...
In most cases if your family had a coat of arms, you'd know it.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

@Miloslaw
I don't care if he's Jewish or not. I wouldn't be surprised if he weren't.
Definitely one of the most narrow minded and hateful people here.

News / Roma community feels discriminated in Poland [43]

@delphiandomine
I don't know anything about the Czech Roma but I've only been to Prague and a small town whose name I can't even remember. I can't remember coming across any Gypsies communities there. Just like any other places I have visited in Europe - but most of them were tourist destinations anyway. I came across some Gypsies in Paris underground and London soon after Romania had joined the UK.

But again, you'd have to live with them to get to know their customs well.
What I find quite disturbing (though I haven't seen it for years) is when you see women begging for money and there is often a child with them. And most of the time the kid is asleep - some claim these kids are drugged. It might be a prejudice, though. I hope so.

News / Roma community feels discriminated in Poland [43]

I used to know a Polish Gypsy couple in London ... what I know about Gypsies is what I know from them. She was half Polish and didn't look Gypsy even though she wore long dresses and her long her up.At first I thought she was a Polish woman with an Indian/Pakistani husband. Until he spoke fluent Polish to me.

They had only two children. She laughed the nurses at hospital were surprised when she gave birth to her first child - she was already eighteen which was rather late for a Gypsy woman

They were pretty serious about their traditions, though. No premarital sex, long dresses, separate tables for men and women at weddings etc.
I see a mixed Polish-Gypsy couple where I live but they're kind of progressive. She wears jeans. He doesn't mind being seen with his wife as they walk their children to school.

News / Roma community feels discriminated in Poland [43]

I know even premarital sex is an issue - for women.
That often results in teenage pregnancies.

What you saw was unthinkable ...

News / Roma community feels discriminated in Poland [43]

Gypsy prostitutes? Wouldn't they be totally ostracised?

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

One of the most xenophobic ones for sure.
Some target Jews, some target Africans/gays etc. He targets Poles.
Though he has no experience of the country whatsoever.

News / Roma community feels discriminated in Poland [43]

The Holocaust of the Roma people is yet another forgotten piece of history.
I watched a documentary about it once - Nazis had to find an excuse why they would exterminate Gypsies though they were related to Indians and the Aryan race - they claimed Gypsies had mixed too much with non-Aryans

Life / The Art of Complaining by Polish people [47]

Take it with a pinch of salt.

Poles often complain about Polish complaining. It's a steteotype about Polish people that we are aware of. We're not a constantly happy bunch. There's even a saying: co się śmiejesz jak głupi do sera.

#30 * else not elementy - autocorrect.

News / Roma community feels discriminated in Poland [43]

Gypsies are nomads. Or at least they were.
Have they ever wanted their own state?
Their customs and traditions make their own identity regardless of where they live.
Not sure where and when I read it but British travellers and Polish Gypsies are different peoples. And there are a lot of Polish Gypsies that look Indian enough to me.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

Last month we had guests from abroad. They stayed at a local hotel. When we went to pick them up, we came across a group from Israel. Surprisingly enough, they weren't hiding from Poles.

I know guests from Israel often visit my town as Jews lived here for centuries. Their descendants come and visit. And they don't really keep a low profile. Quite a different mentality and temper compared to Poles.

We also went to Kraków. Kazimierz has a considerable Jewish population. I was told there's even a traditional Jewish kindergarten there.
In Teatr Żydowski in Warsaw there are plays in yiddish - one of two such places in Europe.
Yeah, Poland is such a terrible place for Jews. A claim from a person who knows Poland from anti-Polish propaganda.
Tyre-slashing? Hasn't it happened in the USA?
How about Jews being attacked and killed in France and the UK?
But I am told my family is responsible for Jedwabne - even though they were forced labourers in Germany at that time. Even though my grandma's brother never made it back to his wife and child. But Germans are ok to that American Jew whose family didn't experience the war.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

@Dirk diggler
I was talking about Poland. Not Polonia.
As for Polish Haitians, their ancestors were Polish so it's fun to see blue-eyed Haitians etc but that was some 200 years ago if I remember well.

I doubt our favourite anti-Polish poster blames them for Jedwabne. But who knows.

Love / What Do Polish Women Think Of French Men? [26]

@Alex885
They'll like your accent. They'll think it's cute. You'll be rather 'exotic' because of that.
As for the rest, it's all the same: it all depends on who you are both in terms of your character and looks.

Life / The Art of Complaining by Polish people [47]

I was talking about something elementy.
As for the 'book', I have just googled it and read the reviews. The authors are said to be Polish Americans (information from lubimy czytać.pl ) and it's far from being a profound reading - anecdotes, funny stereotypes etc.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

@Lyzko
Your Polish is rubbish (see your recent attempts) and it's not the typos. Even though you make typos in English (and even I can see it), your mistakes in Polish result from your little understanding of the language.

I'll probably correct mistakes you make in Polish because you like pretending you know the language and I don't want poor students of Polish to follow your 'advice'. But that's all. I don't feel like talking to narrow-minded people. Spread your anti-Polish lies as much as you like.

As I stated before, I've had enough of your insults. Why would I allow private messages? You don't have a problem with being insultive and xenophobic in public. I can only imagine, what you'd try to do in private.

There are people of all ethnicities who hate others because of their skin colour, religion, nationality etc. You're one of them. If you weren't Jewish, I bet you'd make antisemitic comments.

After all almost 40 million Poles are respobsible for two pogroms in your opiniom.
And finally, don't offend my family.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

I've had enough of your insults.
I feel personally insulted in terms of my ethnicity, nationality and family history.

You're the kind of person who'd take a torch and follow the crowd.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

@Lyzko
So sorry to tell you that again but my family were victims, too. But you're a hater. You won't understand it.
But if you - whose family weren't victims - wants me to feel the responsibility for pogroms my family weren't involved in, take all the responsibility for the segregation, lynchings etc.

In order to ensure that those events never repeat themselves, one must be extra vigiliant, that's all I'm saying.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

I'm not talking about slavery. I'm talking about segregation, lynchings and misrepresentation in the 20th century. These are different things and different eras. And you can't say your family immigrated to the USA after these things. 1960s 1980s - part of your lifetime.

Surprisingly enough, I haven't taken part in any pogroms. I was born decades later. My family were never close either to Jedwabne or Kielce when the pogroms happened. So no, I don't feel responsible for the pogroms.

But you want me to. If so, feel responsible for segregation and lynchings.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

So to sum up you don't feel the shame for lynchings, segregation and misrepresentation of Native and African Americans but you want all Poles to feel shame for Kielce and Jedwabne?

How is it not hypocritical? Are some atrocities to be overlooked?

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

What do you mean?

Language / Issues understanding "to go" verb in Polish language [18]

@Lyzko
We don't really use 'z' with means of transport. It's not like in German.

Jechać taksówką/pociągiem/autem etc.

He went ... - on pojechał ...
he came/arrived ... - on przyjechał ...

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

Segregation, lynchings and general mistreat of Native and African Americans are very 20th century, Lyzko. Far more recent than the 1940s in some cases. Should we blame your family and yourself?

Again it seems it's American Jews who are among those who hate Poles most.

@Slavictor
Don't give me Nazi lies and propaganda here. Is that what you were taught to excuse Ribbentrop- Molotov Pact?

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

As a human being I feel sad for what happened in Jedwabne and Kielce. I CAN'T rationalise that. I can't rationalise violent murders whether they were inspired by Nazis/ communists or not.

What happened there was a total disgrace.
But you can't blame whole nations for what some of their people did. Similarly, I can't blame all Jews for what Jewish bolsheviks or communists did. Though I feel sad for their victims.

Also if we choose to talk about the bad guys, talk about all nations. And talk about all victims.
Recently, the photo of Czesława Kwoka has been colorised. A Facebook page posted it. And lots of the people who commented didn't even know she was gentile. They automatically assumed she was Jewish. Lots of people are not aware of non-Jewish victims. The same applies to gulags - lots don't even know about them.

Language / Issues understanding "to go" verb in Polish language [18]

*pojechał autobusem

Go - chodzić, iść but also jechać so ' Jadę do Polski' is general enough if you don't want to mention the means of transport.

As for flying I'd rather say Lecę do Polski but Mój samolot odlatuje z lotniska x.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

@dolnoslask
I wouldn't be so sure.
Those who want to twist the history will be happy when eyewitnesses are gone.

News / Israel opposing potential new Polish law to criminalise term 'Polish death camps' [1538]

The world is a different place now. There's a Jewish state. But there's some sort of revival of the Jewish life in Poland. But there has to be mutual understanding on both sides.

As much as I'm curious about the past, I'm fed up with constant accusations on the Jewish part.

Life / The Art of Complaining by Polish people [47]

No.

It's just stereotyping or lack of education/experience on the part of foreigners.

Genealogy / Easy way to find out which Polish coat of arm/Clan you belong to. [105]

Polish Wikipedia mentions the Punski family (Punscy) as a noble Lipka Tatar family but the last of the family died in the 17th century.
There's also a place called Punsk and the name might have derived from it - either Polish or Jewish family.
Or perhaps that's a misspelling of a Polish surname.

Life / The Art of Complaining by Polish people [47]

@Lyzko
So even Polish complaining is not inherent to Poland?
Poland doesn't even border Austria.

As for complaining, I can complain about foreigners thinking Polish characteristics, traditions, language etc are heavily influenced by Germans/Russians/Americans (the list goes on). As much as cultures mix and influence others, there are certain things that are typical to different European nations - still it would be an exaggeration to say they apply to all people from a given culture/country/circle.

As for complaining or grumbling, why do some expect others to be happy and bubbly all the time?
Personally, I don't like it when people complain about things all the time but being around happy- bubbly people all the time might be tiresome, too.

And since generations of Poles have experienced some tough life, people often choose not to praise things so that they don't appear conceited or żeby nie zapeszyc ;)

Genealogy / Looking for Family from Poland - Gordzielewski & Nyckowska [7]

wawrzak.org/wawrzak_family_tree/wc04/wc04_277.htm

A family of yours? Stanisław's brother?
I came across it googling your family+Mosciska. You may have seen it, too.
Gorzelewski is not a very common name. But it's hard to find a relative just on the basis of their last name. It's been over a century. It's probably more likely in the USA.

Good news is that if Władysław and Stanisław are related, it gives us more infirmation about Mosciska - it must be the place near Radziwie and Gostynin.