Genealogy / How many Jews lived in Poland and did they ever convert to catholicism, if so when? [62]

Hmmmm, how "true" is YOUR Catholicism then? It sounds all rather hateful to my way of thinking:-) A true Christian is a spiritual being, like Saint Francis, Augustine, or the late Pope John Paul, who openly embraced the difference between Christians and Jews, while ever so lovingly reached out to both groups, while acknowledging the validity of both:-)

Are you therefore a true Catholic or a Sunday hypocrite? Only you and G_d know the answer.

News / An article: NATO is the American occupation of Poland and Europe, by Mateusz Piskorski [233]

Guess all know whom you're voting for, Crow:-) Unless you accept your own checkered Serbian history, fly away until you're willing to discuss matters seriously for a change and stop pointing your finger at the Poles!

Subhumanity covers a broad swath, so let's not give first prize to Poles, shall we? The Germans, Russians, Spaniards, the Viking ancestors of the modern "sanguine" Danes and Norwegians, even we Americans might feel left out.

LOL

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

If I ever read the well-known "nationalist-patriot" aka anti-Semite Dmowski, I'd naturally choose the Polish original:-)

If you can handle Sachar in English, I'm certain I can take Pan Dmowski in Polish as well!

Thanks for the referral.

Genealogy / How many Jews lived in Poland and did they ever convert to catholicism, if so when? [62]

The "accepted" history aka that acknowledged to be faithful to the facts/truth concerning said events has stated ever so many times that from the outset of their entry into Europe, even preceding Charlemagne by a considerable stretch, it was made clear that the Jews were UNWELCOME visitors to Christian Europe, only permitted to stay, so long as they converted to Catholicism. Those who refused, did so at their own risk.

Indeed, I was NOT speaking directly to your comments with regard to Turkey (in which a far more "liberal", or at least enlightened, atmosphere for Jews existed, but rather about Spain, pardon the unannounced digression:-)

On the subject of Spain, during the Auto da fe, Jews in the thousands were forcibly made to submit to acceptance of the Christian faith and under Torquemada, not to do such, carried extreme perils already discussed in prior posts.

Furthermore, there most certainly is such a thing as Judeo-Christianity, whereby all scholars of religion the world over always refer to the "Judeo-Christian tradition" when speaking of Europe. After all, Christ was a Jew, the last supper was, for all intents and purposes, a seder, and although Judas Iskariot WAS a Jew, it was not the Jews who executed Jesus, but the ROMANS!!!

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Once more, I invite you to read, among others (of which I'm certain there must be a Polish translation) Abram Sachar's "History of the Jews". Sachar was president of Brandeis University and a top scholar in the field of modern Jewish history:-) Then there's of course Raul Hilberg's "The Destruction of the European Jews", THE Holocaust reference work and finally (if you don't take a Jew's word for it:-))), there's Thomas Cahill's history of the Jewish people. Cahill, as you might guess from his name, is an Irishman, a Roman Catholic cleric and leading scholar on ecumenical history.

Anything else you'd care to know?LOL

Oh, and apropos my invective in your direction; they're no more than you so richly deserve.

Happy reading!

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Why so defensive, Ironside?? As the Bard's oft quoted statement reads: "Methinks he PROTESTETH too much."

Words of wisdom...maybe meant for you!

Genealogy / How many Jews lived in Poland and did they ever convert to catholicism, if so when? [62]

Jews most certainly DID face forced conversions, in among other countries, Spain!!

Po polsku / Zamachy w Polsce? [46]

Teraz mieszkam z moją żoną we Fort Lee, NJ! Urodziłem się na Manhattanie w Nowym Jorku:-)

A ty? Może powiedziałaś mi, ale już nie pamiętam.

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

You can't tell a fool he's a fool; you can only get him mad:-) Guess you're a fool then, 'cuz yer gittin' mighty mad to me!!

lol

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

I agree, Dreamergirl! Unfortunately, lots of groups often shame their own through ugly and primitive behavior, thus poisoning the whole bunch of apples, both for themselves and the rest of us:-)

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Sure Wulky, 'cuz what I'm now hearing AIN'T the truth.....not by a long shot!

It's easy to influence maliable and ignorant minds. Those in the know, know they can't be fooled, hence are aware of the difference between value vs. garbage:-)

Genealogy / How many Jews lived in Poland and did they ever convert to catholicism, if so when? [62]

The "facts" are any decently documented history of Europe:-) Ever read any, save for revisionist toilet-paper rags privately printed 'cuz no publisher worth their salt would even attach their name to such filth??!

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Your very riposte, Ironside, indicates that you know I'm right:-)

Anytime someone is listening to another person speak the unpleasant truth, the invariable reaction is "Your imagination is beginning to bore me!"

Well, sometimes the truth is painful, though hardly boring, I assure you!

I've had to take the truth from time to time. Who died and left you so perfect that you are unable to fess up to your own ignorance??!

Study / Poland student visa interview [27]

If you don't speak Polish, I'd hire an interpreter or at least request someone on hand who is a competent bilingual Polish-English speaker:-)

Language / Learn Polish or Russian [86]

Peterweg, are you conversely aware that Russia wanted to enforce Russian-only language politics on former satellite states such as Estonia and Lithuania?

The new, post Glasnost policy was then to encourage cultural independence, that is, until "Czar Vlad" took the reigns:-)

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Racism, much like bigotry, is not confined to any one country! The most hateful "tree" is the "bigotree"(LOL), and it only yields rotten fruit:-)

Let's therefore not push the problem of anti-Semitism onto the Germans' plate and say, "We're clean!"

The only way Nazi policy could've been enforced in occupied Poland or elsewhere is with the complicit help of the local populace, either out of fear or consent.

The above are FACTS, not opinion!!!

Genealogy / How many Jews lived in Poland and did they ever convert to catholicism, if so when? [62]

Ahemm, the shoe's on the other foot, my friend! I am fully in possession of the "facts", NOT colored by anti-Semitic prejudices!!

:-)

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

You misread it. Switzerland is indeed landlocked, so is Austria:-)

Genealogy / How many Jews lived in Poland and did they ever convert to catholicism, if so when? [62]

So long as we agree to disagree, I can too. Then again, we're all entitled to our own opinions, but NOT our own facts:-)

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Correct, TheOther!

Unlike Germany, certainly France with her long colonial history, the Netherlands with the Dutch Antilles and Surinam, even England, many countries such as Italy, Poland, particularly Scandinavia and other land-locked nations in Europe like Albania, Austria, Switzerland, etc. are still struggling to come to grips with the former's tradition of cultural diversity aka melting pot heterogeneity. For a country such as Poland, we shouldn't forget that until the 90's, the average small-town Pole had rarely if ever any significant contact with identifiable Jews, let along blacks, Muslims, Hispanics, Asians etc..

Until maybe the mid-90's, Poland was a predominantly homogeneous, white, Catholic country with fewer tourists than many of her neighbors and even fewer migrants.

Therefore, to attack Poland/Poles as unrelenting racists, anti-Semites and so forth is not entirely fair:-)

Genealogy / How many Jews lived in Poland and did they ever convert to catholicism, if so when? [62]

"Grasping at straws"

Oho, nice idiom there, Ironside! Yet, at the risk of seeming condescending, you're being your typically contrarian self in not acknowledging that possibly, I'm right about this one:-)

Then again, you might actually have to admit you're wrong and I realize that for you, swallowing hemlock would be preferrableLOL

In fact, I wasn't grasping at straws, but rather, lining up all my ducks in a nice, neat row of factual information for you to try to shoot down (...if you can.) But watch out though, sometimes the truth is much like a moving target; the more you think your aim is perfect, the more you're likely to miss.

Language / Need some help on Polish girl's names (naming our daughter) [17]

Compromise, I suppose:-) Hey, he might even opt for an Anglophone aka "traditional" name for the child!

I know for example relatively few Polish males UNDER fourty named Bolek > Bolesław, as it is a royal name after King Bolesław The Brave (Bolesław Chorobry). On the other hand for girls, certain traditional names are quite popular, I understand.

Language / Need some help on Polish girl's names (naming our daughter) [17]

Like nearly everywhere, first names are totally generational! You wouldn't torture your kid with a name from your boyfriend's GRANDDAD'S generation now, would you?

Genealogy / How many Jews lived in Poland and did they ever convert to catholicism, if so when? [62]

By the same token, were the thousands, nearly one million, Poles who came to America "beggars"? They might have "chosen" to either stay in their impovrished country or go to neighboring, Germany, England, or France, yet they had little choice in the end but to choose the US:-)

Language / Learn Polish or Russian [86]

Seems a tad provincial on your part! After all, no single country "owns" their language. If the English, Americans, Canadians and Australians all took your attitude, no one would be speaking any language other than their own:-)

During the Sputnik Era, learning Russian was all the rage, as was German during and right after WWII.

Arabic is an exceedingly practical language also nowadays. Would you then assert that only Arabic native speakers should speak Arabic?? It makes little to no sense.

Language / Need some help on Polish girl's names (naming our daughter) [17]

Boguś > Bogdan, Piotruś > Piotr, Michał, Antek, and Witek are among my favorites:-)

Genealogy / How many Jews lived in Poland and did they ever convert to catholicism, if so when? [62]

Ironside, when you castigate others for non-existent faults, you end up diminishing your own importance. I've told you that before, but it appears not to have sunken in!

Don't you realize the Jews fled to those "nasty Catholic countries" because those were the only one who invited them in?
The Jews of Medaeval Europe were your classic political football, the bargaining chip par excellence; taken in when needed for supposed financial acumen, merrily tossed out (or worse!!!) when no longer needed.

I didn't make up the ugly history, I only report it. Apologies if you're not man enough to stomach it!!!

Language / Need some help on Polish girl's names (naming our daughter) [17]

And then there's always Wisława (as in "Szymborska")
:-)

I personally am fond of Krysia aka Krzysztyna, Kasia, Domenika, and Sandra.

Language / Learn Polish or Russian [86]

@Peterweg,

They may know enough English for their job, but certainly appreciate being spoken with in their native tongue:-)
I've found that over and over again. Unlike many Germans, Poles are usually modest about their English skills, know they'll probably never attain a native speaker level and are grateful that others have mastered or at least tried to master their undeniably rich and textured language.

Speakers of even less widely spoken languages, e.g. Hungarian or Icelandic, have been know to blatantly laugh at foreigners who "deign" to attempt conversation in those languages!

Russians typically consider the challenging nature of both their grammar as well the supposedly imprenetrable Cyrillic alphabet as signs of cultural, along with geopolitical superiority over the rest of the Occident.

Language / Learn Polish or Russian [86]

Wulkan, why should you trust Jolly to judge the language of someone whom he doesn't even know? I'm a teacher of the language. If Jolly were to say that he teaches English, the jolly joke would be on him:-)

In addition, Russian is the language of most of Eastern Europe, second only to German as a lingua franca which bridges East with West. English?? Only among the insular intelligentsia!

Polish is practical because there are soooooo many Poles living and working within the EU, most of whom have limited English skills.