History / An Israeli Song that its origin is Polish - Please, help to identify it! [4]

The song is described (in Hebrew) as a Ukrainian tune and the Hebrew words were written by Abba Chushi about the death of Yosef Trumpeldor. He was a decorated veteran of the Russo-Japanese war who came to Palestine and served in the Jewish Batallion of the British army fighting against the Turkish army. He then founded and settled in a small farming village, Tel Chai, in the northern tip of today's Israel, an area that the French had controlled and then abandoned. The settlement was surrounded and attacked by local Arabs , and Trumpeldor led the defense. He and three others were killed. They were actually the first Jews killed in battle since the conflict between Jews and Arabs began. So he became a symbol of Jewish bravery and this song was written about him.

News / Jesus Christ is Now Officially the King of Poland [164]

I just found this discussion and I can't believe what I'm reading. Poland now has a Jewish king. It's about time. But how did this Israeli Jew get Polish citizenship?

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


I'll let you know if I find it. But if you want another book about Lodz in that period read "The Brothers Ashkenazi" by IJ Singer (IBS's older brother). It goes through 2 generations from the 19th century through the Bolshevik revolution tracing the lives of industrialists, revolutionaries, jews, germans, russians and poles in Lodz. No character comes out all good or all bad. They're all very human.

He wrote the book in Yiddish, but it was translated to a lot of languages, probably including Polish.
Link: pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracia_Aszkenazy

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


Sometimes a work of art not meant to be antisemitic in the original context can still have an antisemitic effect to a different audience in a different time. So I don't know if that businessman was wrong. But I think I'll go look for that book in the library now.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]


No. Never heard of it.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]


Correct. But he was Polish, and Lvov was then a Polish city. I'm not sure what Vox and Lyzko are arguing about but it was a very strong movie.

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Harry, Are you serious? Warsaw the Yiddish capital of the world? It once was, but we know what happened since then. Today you can hear Yiddish spoken even by children in many neighborhoods of Jerusalem and in some neighborhoods of Tel Aviv and Bnei Brak (a suburb of Tel Aviv). You can also hear it in parts of Brooklyn, where it's mixed a bit with English and has a Hungarian accent. Also among the ultra-Orthodox Jews in Antwerp. Basically it's still a common language among Hasidic Jews and is not dying out at all. But there's very little cultural activity in this language. The artistic Jews don't speak it anymore (except for old people) and the Hassidic Jews don't bother much with the arts. Yiddish theater is mostly a nostalgic thing. I don't think anything new is being written. On the other hand there's plenty of Jewish cultural activity in Hebrew in Israel and in English in the US.

News / Pro-Israel lobby to be formed in Polish parliament [29]


I don't call that anti-semitism. I call it stupidity.
What's your point here? Do you think that a pro-Israel lobby in Poland would be aiming to bring communism to Poland? Are you that clueless about history? Just as a point of information: Israel was never a communist country. Poland was. Israel's communist party was tiny and had to join together with an Arab anti-zionist party to get enough votes to be in the Knesset. In Poland, in contrast, the communist party ruled. Communism is and always has been anti-Israel.

Life / Little-known facts about Poland [45]


Who is that?

Life / Little-known facts about Poland [45]


You're exaggerating! I'm a descendant of Polish Jews and I'd be surprised if modern Poles would consider me Polish today. Within Israel the word "Polani" (Polish) is a code word for a bourgeois person with old-fashioned European mannerisms, like Menachem Begin for example. A "Polish Mother" is the Israeli equivalent for what Americans refer to as a Jewish Mother. (Since nearly every mother here is Jewish, that term wouldn't mean anything.) So a "Polish mother" is a loving, overbearing smothering mother who dotes over her children. All of these references aren't based on ethnically Polish people at all but to Polish Jews as they exist in the popular imagination.

News / US slaps Poland in the face (Comey Poland) [92]


Not really so offensive. It's simply the only word in Yiddish for a non-Jew. The degree of offensiveness depends on the context and the tone of voice. In Hebrew it's more polite to say the equivalent of "non-Jew" (לא יהודי) but "goy" is also used and is not necessarily offensive.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]


You've convinced me to some extent: Even if in some periods many segments of Polish society were less than friendly to Jews, it is a good thing that Poles today take pride in the acceptance Polish Kings showed to Jews. The things we take pride in reflect our values.

Your points about Jews mistreating Palestinians are a different matter. It's a whole different discussion and I think you're misinformed. I agree that we're not victims anymore. But just because we're not victims doesn't mean that we're perpetrators. In any case, that's a discussion that has nothing to do with Polish-Jewish history. If you brought it up to point out that Jews aren't perfect and now that we have sovereignty we're sometimes nasty - I'll agree to that. We're only human and under a lot of pressure. But the Israel - Arab conflict is a long complex process, and the Israeli-Palestinian aspect of it can't be looked at as a separate issue of majority vs minority. It's much more complex because in the region Israel is by far the minority. If you want a serious discussion of Israel-Arab relations this isn't the right forum.


His thesis is so ridiculous that it can't be taken seriously by anyone with any knowledge of Jewish history. The Jews considered themselves a People in the Biblical period (read the Bible. It's everywhere), in the Greek period (the Hasmonean wars against the Hellenists) Roman period (revolution against Rome), in the Talmudic period (it's full of references to "Israel" as a nation) and throughout the middle ages. It would be ludicrous to think that Jews saw themselves as Germans or Frenchmen when they came to those lands before there was such a thing as German or French nationhood. The Jews never considered themselves anything but a nation in exile until modern times.

If anything is a recent development it's the idea that Jews are not a nation but just a religion followed by random people around the world (as in "Germans of the Mosaic Faith") That was the modern invention that only started in the 19th century. The national identity of Israel (the word referred to the People before it referred to the state) is older and more established than that of any nation except maybe the Chinese and the Greeks. Shlomo Sand is an idiot with an agenda.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]

Poland was obviously a more desirable location for Jews than some other countries otherwise they wouldn't have migrated there. But for Polish people to take credit for that or be proud of that is mistaken. If Poland was hospitable to Jews in certain periods it was thanks to the kings. Peasants had no say in the matter, townspeople were hostile to Jews as a competing element, local noblemen were usually against the Jews (especially when they owed them money) and the Catholic clergy were openly anti-Jewish. Once the Polish People had their independence after WWI we see how hospitable they were to Jews.

But I agree that to talk about a "terrible past for Jews in Poland" is misleading too. Except for the mid 20th century the Jewish past was worse in other countries.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]


270 million?! I know quite a lot about Jewish history and I never heard anyone make such a claim. There was plenty of discrimination against Jews in Arab countries and there were certainly pogroms during some periods. But that number of dead has no connection with reality.

Genealogy / Half Polish half Persian? I can't possibly be alone in the whole world with this mix? [34]


First of all it's "deserts", not "desserts". Having only desserts sounds like fun actually.

About Israel being European: Either you don't know much about Europe or you don't really come from Israel. It's true that we're a modern country but "modern" does not equal "European". I think you're using out-dated terminology from the 1950s.

News / Poland scored 31 in THE 2014 LEGATUM PROSPERITY INDEX [6]


The potential for danger is there, and some times it becomes real. But 99% of the time this is a peaceful and happy country.

Off-Topic / Thanks a lot for all of your kindness [27]


You have my invitation. I'm sure you'll have a great time here. And then you can report back to the Polish Forum and tell them.

Law / Father and Grandmother Polish born - can I get a Polish passport? [14]


I can offer you some good news: You're a citizen of a very successful and beautiful country. You don't need to go looking for favors from Poland or any other foreign countries.

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [269]


No. It would be better to live in Israel. What is it you're looking for?

Life / Being a Jew in modern-day Poland; Israeli Jew who is of Polish descent [269]


מכל המדינות בעולם דווקא בפולין אתה רוצה לחיות?


Why ask these people? You should ask Jews who live there how it feels.

Genealogy / Surnames: Brazanna & Stahlheber - background [5]


Never met a Jew with either of those family names.

History / If Poles were antisemitic, would they ...? [240]

Who said they were?

News / Is this the first clear and open signal that Poland makes preparations for war with Russia? [163]

You guys really live in a dangerous part of the world.

News / Is this the first clear and open signal that Poland makes preparations for war with Russia? [163]


Wow! I thought I was being cynical about morality. You're saying it's not even strategic interests - it's just squabbling oligarchs.
That's something I never thought of. What do I know about eastern europe.

News / Is this the first clear and open signal that Poland makes preparations for war with Russia? [163]


She's got guts for saying that. I respect that. But all she's talking about is the ethical side of the situation. That doesn't mean anything to Putin, so it has no bearing on what he'll do.

I would even say that the ethical questions don't mean much to the West either, even if morality happens to be on their side. Each side will play this chess game to win.

Individuals care about right and wrong (even politicians do in private), but countries act to protect their interests.

News / Is this the first clear and open signal that Poland makes preparations for war with Russia? [163]


I'm sure gonna hold on to my nukes (not that I'm saying we have them...)

News / Is this the first clear and open signal that Poland makes preparations for war with Russia? [163]

I heard a Russian-Israeli commentator on the news last night. Let me know what you think of his analysis. He explains the situation this way:

This is the cuban missile crisis in reverse, with Russia feeling threatened. If Ukraine would ally with Europe and eventually join NATO (an essentially anti-Russian alliance) it makes Russian missile defenses useless, with NATO missiles in their backyard (like the Soviet missiles in Cuba), creating an existential threat for Russia. That's why Russia was trying like hell to keep Ukraine in his orbit, and why Putin couldn't sit back and let Ukraine go west. He also understands that the West was encouraging Ukraine to break the connection with Russia, not because of a love of democracy but to alter the strategic balance against Russia.

To prevent that from happening, Putin doesn't want to take over only the russian speaking part of Ukraine, because the remaining part would ally with NATO and then Russia would be in the same vulnerable fix. Putin wants all of Ukraine. But instead of conquering it outright, he will use the Russian citizens of Ukraine to do the job for him. Taking over Crimea was crisis control, to solve the urgent problem of protecting the naval base, and also to threaten Ukraine and embolden the Russian Ukrainians to push the country back into Russia's domination. But his goal is to dominate all of Ukraine, which he sees as strategically part of Russia.

None of this has to do with fascists or protecting russian speakers. That's just propaganda to gain popular support. The issue is not even political or diplomatic. It's totally strategic, and Putin can't afford to back down.

That's his analysis in short. Tell me if you think this is accurate.

News / Is this the first clear and open signal that Poland makes preparations for war with Russia? [163]

Here in Israel, this makes me wonder: The US and EU want us to give the Jordan valley to the Palestinians, offering us security guarantees to protect our eastern border with the Arab world. Let's see how the US keeps its word to protect Ukraine before we agree to a crazy plan like that.

Genealogy / My grandmother's last name was Krolik, is this name Jewish? [66]

If your mother was a fighter in the AK she was not likely to be Jewish. I've heard there were some Jews in the Ak but not many and certainly not many women. Nothing in your story points toward a Jewish background.

Genealogy / My grandmother's last name was Krolik, is this name Jewish? [66]

I never met a Jewish person named Krolik. There were some people in my grandfather's family named Kroll, but that's not an uncommon name, and it's not Krolik.

I think that if your grandmother was from a Jewish family, her sister's family would have known about that. That seems like the least likely explanation for your family's split.