Russian. Communists Blamed for
1946 Kielce Pogrom in Poland

In "Warsaw in Chains," just played by the Kielce security
published by Macmillan, Stefan police. The only intelligent thing
Korbonski presents an account the authorities could do now
- of the battle against Commu- was to dissociate themselves
nism in Poland and reveals some from the pogromists . . "
interesting facts about the posi-
Thus, a Polish pogrom that
tion of the Jews there.
followed the horrible era of
Korbonski, who was a leader Nazism is attributed to the Rus-
of the underground against the sian - dominated Communist re-
•_Nazis, is a former Acting Depu- gime in Poland. In view, how-
ty Prime Minister of Poland who ever, of the scores of Palish-
was imprisoned by the Commu- made pogroms in Poland, the
nists and upon his release was recollection of the Kielce trag-
among the leaders of the Polish edy must be viewed with deep
Peasant Party which fought for anguish: it is not easy to ab-
Poland's freedom from Russian solve Poles of crimes that also
domination. His book, which is were in their style as well as
a diary of his daily experiences, that of the Russians. .
•reveals the struggles against the
Korbonski recalls the Nazi
dictatorship.
murders of Jews and the Nur-
In spite of the handicaps en- emberg trial of the former Nazi
countered, Korbonski expresses Governor of Poland Karl Her-
this confident attitude: "While mann Frank. On this score Kor-
the future of Poland. is still bonski states that "the chickens
questionable, one thing is cer have come home to roost" but
tain: the Poles have definitely that "the mills of God grind
proved that their spirit remains slowly."
unbroken."
He refers several times to the
Of major interest to Jewish activities of the Jewish Commu-
readers is his account of "Po- nist, Jakub Berman and he
grom at Kielce." Under date of states that his own name was -
July 15, 1946, he tells of rumors not crossed out on one occasion
that were being circulated that from the list of "unreliable"
"at No. 7 Planty Street, a house candidates for deputies, for this
occupied exclusively by Jews, a reason: "Gomulka had proposed
Catholic child had been murder- this, but Jakub Berman object-
ed or was about to be murdered ed, saying, 'In all this reaction-
for ritual purposes." He relates ary undergrourid he was one of
the historically known facts—of those who tried to save Jews.'
the gathering of an "ugly Gomulka withdrew his proposal
crowd" that murdered 41 Jews with obvious haste, and the mat-
and the wounding of many oth- ter was dropped."
ers, of the arrest of 62 persons,
In its entirety, "Warsaw in
their trial and the sentencing to Chains" is another tragic story
death, on July 11, of nine of - of a tragic era that has not yet
the accused.
ended in Eastern Europe.
The facts • that emerged were
that eight - year - old Henryk
Blaszczyk was instigated by An-
toni Pasowski to be hidden in
the latter's apartment and to say
CASABLANCA (JTA) — Don
that he was sequestered by the
Teodoreo Ruiz de Cuevas, new
Planty Street Jews but managed
Spanish Minister here, was
to escape. Korbonski charges
given a reception by the Sephar-
that the anti-Jewish rumors
dic Jewish community of Casa-
- were circulated by "notorious se-
blanca. Jack Sabah, leader of
curity agents acting openly, of-
the community, praised the en-
ten in the presence of militia-
voy for his "sustained efforts
men whose attitude remained
in seeking good understanding
passive; that the same agents
between the S'panish Moslem
led the crowd against the Jew-
and Jewish inhabitants of Mor-
ish house; that the crowd in-
occo."
cluded uniformed militiamen;
Don Cuevas is a Catholic. He
that the massacre had lasted for
and his family have for many
several hours; that the security
years been interested in Jewish
police had not intervened; that
affairs. The Minister is the
the president of the Jewish com-
author of a book dealing with
mittee, Kahane, who was one of
Jewish customs and tradition.
the murdered, had several times
A lecture that drew attend-
telephoned to the police asking
ance from many leading Jewish
for help, but had received
and governmental circles here
none."
was delivered by Prof. Arcadio
"The pogrom ... had follow-
de Larrea Palacin, a distinguish-
ed the best Russian models," ed member of
the Royal Spanish
the a u t h o r of "Warsaw in
Academy, and author of several
Chains" writes. What was the
works- dealing with tales of
purpose of it? Information
Jewish traditions which have
about the pogrom, he states,
persisted in northern Morocco
"leaked, I suppose, deliberately
since 1942. Among those in at-
by Jewish Communists. The
tendance were Dr. Leon Ben-
pogrom had been organized in
zaquen, former Moroccan Jew-
an effort to influence Western
ish Minister, representatives of
opinion. As a result of the dis-
the Government, and Spanish
patches sent by foreign embas- diplomats here.
sies and foreign correspondents
present in Poland during the
referendum, (which then was Bnai Brith Youth Add
in progress) the West was swept Eight Foreign Chapters
by a strong current of sympathy
The Bnai Brith Youth Organ-
for the Polish people, victims of zation enlarged its foreign mem-
a cynical electoral fraud. Hence bership by the establishment of
it was hoped that the West, eight new chapters abroad.
hearing of such a horrible atroc-
Three are in Israel -- two in
ity as a racial pogrom, would Jerusalem and one in Tel Aviv.
turn against the Poles and for- One of the Jerusalem groups is
get about the referendum. The a co-ed chapter of 35 teen-age
real authors of the pogrom could boys and girls. The other two
not be concerned about the fact are co-ed units of Bnai Brith's
that a number of Jews would be young adult movement.
killed—this mattered little in
Five others—all young adult
view of the Russian principle groups — are in Amsterdam,
n nas ludey mnogo (we have no Mexico City, Sydney and Perth,
shortage of people). . They Australia and Leeds, England.
had not forseen, however, that
BBYO now has 30 chapters
the people of Kielce, including outside North America with a
even the Communists, would not membership of 2,500.
reconcile themselves to being
Membership in 1307 chapters
held responsible for organizing in the United States and Canada
a pogrom and would try to get stands at an all-time high of
to the bottom of the affair and 36,900.
discover the real culprits . . .
The surviving Jews did not con-
Little men seek little honors
ceal their opinion of the role t from other little men.

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