Life / Little-known facts about Poland [45]

@Polonius3 You can certainly take credit for Polish Jews' acheivements. In Israel being of Polish extraction 'Polani' is a badge of honour and there is certainly some snobbish elitism concerning this. I include myself here. Most Polish Jews and their descendents are actually insulted and sad that Modern Poles don't include at all us in their definition of Poles today. Do certain Poles think the same about the Polish Tatars or the Non-Catholic Orthodox Poles in the East? I guess it's all about whether you define a Pole according to Dmowski or Piłsidski. But feel free to include us we would be honoured!

News / Korwin Mikke: re-badged American Jews pushing Poland into war [33]

@Polonius3 we all have baggage and history. I am interested in the here and now. What is happening today. In spite of the fact that I have family members that were killed in communist instigated pogroms in 1906 I bear no ill feelings to Poles today quite the opposite. This was over a hundred years ago!!! bermans's secret police also had many catholic communists that tortured other Catholics. It was the communist antisemitism that expelled the Jews from Poland in 1968. In spite of the fact that all my family (apart from one) that remained in Poland were gassed in Treblinka I am not angry with Germans today. I do not spread conspiracy theories about Poles and I do not teach my children to hate Poles or even Germans of today. My children do not use racist terminology concerning non-Jews, Poles or even Germans. I teach my children to love Poland and Poles. I really cannot see an excuse for such disgusting behaviour.

News / Korwin Mikke: re-badged American Jews pushing Poland into war [33]

@Polonius3 I do understand the Polish Christian point of view and I am familiar and respect what your say. However Poles now have an independent Poland which is pretty much 99% Polish. Dmowski's vision and wishes have nearly been fulfilled (Poland has unfortunately lost the Kresy). Poles have a Polish country for Polish Catholics. There are no Jewish Doctors or Lawyers anymore. The Jewish middle class has long gone. it has been many years since the second Polish republic. How can Poles today still have these feelings? I am beginning to think that the only people in the world more obsessed with their past than the Jews are the Poles. It really is unbelievable that in spite of our differences, we are in fact the same!

News / Korwin Mikke: re-badged American Jews pushing Poland into war [33]

@Polonius3 your comments are valid and correct. It is a sad reflection that in modern day Poland scare mongering of Jewish conspiracies is still rife even by 'educated'. Even certain political opponents make allegations of certain politicians and journalists having Jewish background or being secret Jews as if being Jewish is somehow a dark evil secret to be ashamed of. It really is disgusting how calling someone a Jew is actually seen as an insult. I even occasionally see Polish schoolchildren calling each other Jews somehow as a word for being stingy or not generous or just a generic kind of name calling which they don't really understand and have inherited from their parents. This base form of anti-semitism is really mostly seen nowadays in Islamic fundamentalist countries and has dissapeared from many European countries. This is nothing to do with any political ideology it is just sick old fashioned racism. I'm sure I'll get the ususal mantra of responses excusing such behaviour.

News / Korwin Mikke: re-badged American Jews pushing Poland into war [33]

Here come the usual predictable comments by paranoid nutters! Yes the Jews are responsible for the world's ills! why? Because Jews are Capitalists, Jews are communists, The Jews are Left, The Jews are right, The Jews are rich, the Jews are poor, The Jews are religious, The Jews are atheists, The Jews control the USA, the Jews control Russia, The Jews control Poland, The Jews control the media, endless mindless nonsense! these guys should get a life! The Jew is their eternal scapegoat to blame for everything. After hundreds of years nothing has changed, even in a country where the Jews have pretty much left never to return some still blame the Jews for everything. Unbelievable!!!

News / Korwin Mikke: re-badged American Jews pushing Poland into war [33]

Paranoid antisemitism. World conspiracy theories. Usual mad rantings. Saddens me to the core that there is the possibility that some people might actually listen to such nonsense.

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

I happen to know a Hassidic ultra-orthodox family in London. One of the daughters was married recently and 3 weeks after the marriage she left her husband for a young Polish builder who was doing some work in their house. When it comes down to it it's all costumes and traditions. We are all human beings. We are all the same, we all have the same needs, desires, aspirations etc.

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

To be honest in Israel Yiddish is spoken mostly by the ultra-orthodox community and they often live in their own areas and have their own shops, cafes etc. they must be about 10-15% of the population I guess (that is just a rough quote so don't quote me). They do speak Yiddish amongst themselves but in Israel pretty much all of these people speak Hebrew also. As for non-religious people speaking Yiddish in Israel as a real language and not just the odd phrase, it would really be the over 70 age group of secular non-religious Jews who would actually speak Yiddish as a real language. Due to Israelis of different backgrounds marrying it means younger non-religious Jews just don't speak it or use it. I am of Polish background but my wife's parents are from Libya so needless to say they don't understand a word of Yiddish. I do have friends, couples are of the same Eastern European background and they would use Yiddish or Polish etc as a language to say things in front of their children for example so the kids don't understand. When I speak Yiddish to religious Jews they are a little surprised to be honest they don't expect it, maybe because I am quite dark skinned. Outside of Israel Yiddish is spoken by Hassidic communities for example in London, Antwerp etc. When during work interractions I speak Yiddish to them they almost fall off their chairs with shock since it really is only associated with ultra-orthodox or over 70 age group. So in conclusion if you went into a random shop in Israel speaking Yiddish in a non-religious neighbourhood you probably wouldn't get very far! I realise their has been a push to revive Yiddish as a language but it hasn't happened in non-religious people. Most of us stick to Hebrew.

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

To Yehudi. I kind of get what you are saying. However Hebrew is my first language. It's the language I speak to my wife and children at home. I wouldn't be happy if my children used the word 'goy'. If I was to use this word in public my wife would be horrified. Maybe the word offensive is wrong but I would say it is extremely politically incorrect and is the sort of word my grandfather would have used when speaking in Yiddish. In Hebrew we say לא יהודי or you could say נכרי I guess but that also sounds strange and sort of biblical.

Life / Are foreigners welcome in Poland? [267]

I personally find Polish people incredibly friendly and welcoming and I always enjoy travelling to Poland. It is an amazing country. I am currently based in London which means I am near Poland and travel is easier. I do have Polish Jewish heritage. I am Jewish and my grandparents were from kresy wschodnie. Speaking a little Polish goes a long way and is very appreciated. When people hear I am Jewish they do often act a little strange. Many people over 65 have hugged me or stroked my arm or even kissed me. I have had comments like 'where is your hat and beard?' I have been asked angrily if I am a communist or if I am in Poland to get my family property back to which I respond that my family lived in a wooden shack in a village which is now in Belorussia and I shall claim this shack once Poles get their Property Back In Lwów! Basically once the initial shock passes for many Poles on first meeting a real live Jew they are in fact extremely friendly and absolutely amazing people. No one has ever been rude to me or ever said an anti Semitic comment. Without a doubt the women are the most beautiful I have ever seen. breathtaking!

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

I meant that these Jewish Poles died fighting in the Armia Krajowa afterwards alongside their Christian friends in the Warsaw uprising.
This is reality.

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

@Polonius3 I totally understand your frustration and anger. I am not surprised you feel as you do if you have been exposed to so much of this. It seems you have been exposed to a 'Hollywood' package of movies and books that is a simplified and sterotypical version of these times. This is to cater for a certain US audience and is in effect entertainment. In this Hollywood take on the events Jews were quivering impotent 'zydki' victims with hats and beards and headscarves lead like lambs to the slaughter, The Polish army consisted of a few calvary officers on hoseback with moustaches who were overrun by the Germans and the Polish people themselves under occupation were illiterate 'chłopi' at best passive bystanders and at worst collaborators and needless to say the Americans and British were the heros who did the fighting and saved the miserable Poles and Jews. This is a Hollywood version of events and I have attached a picture to perhaps show you a little of reality that doesn't fit the entertainment package. I have attached a photo from Warsaw Jewish cemetry that I took in December. It shows the graves of Jewish men and women who fought in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and survived and were saved by their Polish Christian neighbours who risked their lives and hid them. These Jewish fighters went on to fight with the Armia Krajowa and died fighting alongside their Polish Christian neighbours. The inscriptions on the graves are in Polish. These Jews died for Poland. Christians and Jews together fought fascism and Christians and Jews together suffered under communism.