Genealogy / Americans of Polish descent. How many of us are on Polish forums? [216]

Is Pszczyglądżuwiękłówszczew a real place? :O .. Oh my, its going to take time for me to learn the Polish language..

My great-grandparents were born in Poland I found out yesterday from looking at Ellis Island records. Also, my other great-grandparents come from Belarus, which was either part of Poland or Russia during that time period, it's hard for me to know. However, I am Jewish. I guess some would not think of me as being Polish. Although, I think it would be nice to be thought of as a Pole, since I don't really belong to any one place. It seems many of my ancestors lived in Poland or around it for 100s, if not over 1000 years.

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]

This looks like a long an intense thread.. I will have to read the whole thing..

I will say I am an Polish/Belorussian/Ukrainian Jew who was born in USA. I am about 3rd generation American..

Even though I am Jewish I will not dismiss how much Poles suffered and how many lives they lost in the holocaust. The Poles suffered greatly at the hands of nazis and then the communists. I think Jews and Poles suffered a lot together and it should bring them closer together.

I really hope one day the Jewish community in Poland can be rebuilt and come to life. I would love to see the Jewish Festival in Kazimierz as well as the historical site. I plan on going to Poland maybe next spring to learn more about my family and the history of my people there. Much of Polish culture has become so much apart of the life of Jews.. Really, I think when Jews came to USA, they lost some of the best aspects of the culture when they left. I suppose Poland at one time was really the highlight of Jewish culture.

Yes, there was problems, but there exists problems in all places. There was no real safe-haven for Jewish people in Eastern Europe, but Poland was about as close as it could get. Many Jews mistakenly put their confidence in the German people, but that was a mistake, as when the Kaiser fell, so did the safety net. The Jewish population flourished in Poland and grew to over 3 million before WWII. Had it not been for the Nazis exterminating all of Poland's Jews, I would think Poland could have even 10 million or more Jews today. It is so heartbreaking, yet the grim reality of history.

Maybe, one day Jews will realize that New York City is not heaven. I think Poland would be a better place culturally for many Jews to reside. Poland is a land with a rich culture and the Jews seemed to thrive in their own culture there. New York is becoming a wasteland. Most of religious Jews are leaving the city and moving elsewhere. Strangely enough , places like Texas now have very fast growing Jewish communities.