The Magnitude of Jewish Informers and Gestapo Agents

Here is my review, recently posted at http://www.amazon.com. In contrast to the usual emphasis upon Polish informers featured in Holocaust materials, this memoir focuses on Jewish informers.

Review of The Cracow Pharmacy, by Tadeusz Pankiewicz (1947, 1987). Holocaust Library, New York
Reviewer: Mr. Jan Peczkis

Insights into the Krakow ( Cracow ) Ghetto, Emerging Knowledge of the Unfolding Holocaust, etc.

This memoir of ghettoized Polish Jews is unusual in that its author is a Polish gentile. He was the only non-Jew allowed to stay permanently in the ghetto, running its pharmacy. Consider the geographical setting: “And, in the distance, beyond the Vistula [Wisla], one could see Cracow with the tall hill of Wawel on whose steeple flew the hated flag of the swastika.” (p. 51).

German cruelties went far beyond fulfilling Nazi orders. Some Germans clearly enjoyed tripping crippled and blind Jews—and doing this repeatedly. (pp. 46-47).

Pankiewicz named 17 different known Jewish Gestapo agents and informers (p. 37) and discussed their acts (pp. 18-19, 35, 36, 74, 131-132, 135, etc.). This included the denunciation of Poles attempting to help Jews. (p. 38). Most of the informers were eventually killed by their German masters or liquidated by the Polish Underground.

How much of the unfolding Holocaust was known to 1942 Poles and Jews, at what level of detail and correctness, and at what time of that year? (David Engel has accused the Polish government-in-exile of intentionally halving the number of Jews it allegedly knew were killed up to that time. Pointedly, knowing of the fact of the mass deportations of Jews should not be confused with having an accurate estimate of the number killed vs. the number spared for forced labor). Knowledge of the events was sketchy at best. In June 1942, the Krakow Jews being sent to Belzec had supposed that they were being resettled to work camps in the Ukraine , or to secret German munitions factories (pp. 58-59). Rumors, but only that, gradually increased. Not until November 1942, by which time the vast majority of Polish Jews had already been murdered, did a shocking letter arrive at Cracow ghetto. It reported on Belzec: the moans of people in trains, the mysteriously-ending railway spur, the sights and smells of smoke, and the locals’ accounts of gassed and cremated Jews. (pp. 94-95).

The remnant Jews of the Cracow ghetto were sent to Plaszow (made famous by SCHINDLER’S LIST) in March 1943 (p. 123). Local Germans resisted this move, fearing that it would make them superfluous and therefore likely to be sent to the Russian front. (pp. 102-103, 128). (Oskar Schindler confessedly had similar mixed motives for wanting to save his Jews at all costs.)

Polish aid to Jews took many forms: ZEGOTA (pp. 147-148), smuggling medications, etc., into the ghetto (p. 31), providing dye for the hair of older Jews to make them look young enough to the Germans to spare them for forced labor (pp. 29-30), intercessions with receptive Germans on behalf of individuals (pp. 134-135), Polish Blue Police turning a blind eye to Jewish escapees (p. 129), etc. Pankiewicz himself helped Jews numerous times, and hid Torahs and other precious items for safekeeping following the dismantling of the ghetto. (p. 145).

Perennial complaints about Poles not doing enough to save Jews must be balanced by the fact that, as in the other ghettos, many Jews spurned proffered Polish help in favor of staying in the ghetto. This decision almost always doomed them. (p. 111).

Regards,

Jeff Skalla

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=204456-1

This is Hillary’s foreign policy in the middle east – on the C-Span video.

I think her plan is a feminist plan much like the one I propose above.

Men broadcasters ignore the differences. If feminists were organized, we could make the policies more feminist as the work with women would be conscious and on-going.
Maryam Namazie writes:”In 1973, as a result of international attention and widespread opposition to the apartheid system in South Africa apartheid was recognized as a crime against humanity.
On the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, let’s together proclaim that sexual apartheid is a crime against humanity. ”
And start in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The brother attributing the killings of his sisters to their boyfriends is baldfaced lying.

Such lying is a sin in Islam.

Feminists Democrats should offer a platform that addresses the women of Iraq and Afghanistan. The feminist position on the war would advocate equal rights for Iraq and Afghanistan women with reconstruction democracy training and the implementation of a civil secular law system. We should eventually offer amendments to the constitution which will form a secular society with secular non-religious law. At the beginning some separate gender activities may be needed to protect women and enforce their rights..

Democracy training reconstruction in Iraq instead of rapid withdrawal can be the democratic platform. The CNN reports from Iraqi citizens say this is what the people of Iraq are asking the US to do now. A soldier said: We need a book of democracy because what we want is personal freedom. That is what we want all this suffering to result in – freedom for the individual in Iraq.

The Iraqi also said, We have all this oil – the people should not be so poor.

As part of the democratic platform on Iraq, the US should work out economic treaties with Iraq that benefit our both countries. We can use the oil revenue while creating a solar society with economic opportunity for males and females . We can leave behind a good public secular school system for girls and boys.

The boys want to do another Vietnam withdrawal throwing the people to their enemies. I want to use the Japan German model of reconstruction which led to friendly relations rather than the estrangement we have had from Viet nam and Cuba all these years.

This must become part of Hillary’s Iraq program not withdrawal – reconstruction training in democracy; with the end of gender apartheid as the primary goal.

Specifically, reconstruction with women trained by US soldiers, armed and functioning as protective associations for women’s rights – guarding women’s centers and shelters, enforcing sexual abuse and domestic violence complaints, working with male units. The democracy – freedom guarding functions of such units could be praised all over the country as a teaching method.

The abuse shelters and women’s villages are where women’s economic development takes place. there carpentry, plumping, solar green jobs, sanitation can be taught. Women’s home building companies can be formed and guarded.

We woman identified feminists must start to organize around this now or a great opportunity for democracy with equal rights will be lost in the world. See CNN report from Iraqi troops, Kira Phillips in Bagdad. This is film of Iraqis telling US media what they need – on what is needed. It may still be somewhere on the CNN website.

Iraqi want democracy training. Training from US troops, democracy training from western TV programs – – free fair election laws – Iraqi are watching this US election on their TV sets and trying to learn from it (that is why our voting booths and polling rooms should be on TV) -

Most Iraqi seemed to want want Clinton to win -(Hillary’s withdrawal plan showed a concern for Iraqi people’s welfare whereas Obama just wants to get out)

Iraqi want one person, one vote, privacy in voting, separate men – women polling stations, simplified voting, to learn about federal, state relationships and responsibilities, Iraqi want jobs, green jobs for males and females.

See also,CNN, On deadly Ground: Women of Iraq.
Sat and Sun night, the 15th and 16th.
Let’s all watch together.

Feminist must insist on a reconstruction that helps Iraq achieve secular society with all our individual personal freedom. We must insist, through the surge, on a secular system as the only way to freedom and peace between the religious factions and non Muslims in one society. The US has done this – we know what works.

We must teach separation of church and state — we must make this position our feminist foreign policy for Iraq and Afghanistan. That is the Iraq reconstruction plan that can unite the country. Sharia law should be abolished in Iraq and Afghanistan and secular law taught in the schools. We Hillary women could demand feminist reconstruction be in the platform at the democratic convention. We want trade and economic development to result in economic advancement for all our people; US, Iraqi and Afghani.

Remember, let’s all watch CNN this weekend and see Women of Iraq.

In “Przekrój” (a left-winged, pro-Israeli newspaper) there were an article about appaling behaviour of Israeli teenagers in hotels, and how thse “caretakers” are “protecting” them.

Poland is is not a Gaza strip. Got it? You don’t need armed guards here. There was a situation, where these bodyguards have beaten up an Italin man, living in Oswiecim for many years, because he demanded to turn off the bus engines. There were ugly incidents were guards have pushed out brutally a Jews from Oswiecim’ synagoge to make place for Israeli kids. Our government tried to settle this, by providing the guards by themselv, but Israel declined.

There some other unpleasent incidents described there, that are hardly helping mutual understanding between Israelis and Poles (for example these youths are separated completly from their Polish counterparts). How do you want to improve relations between states and nations, when ordinary people cannot meet each other?

I am sick of the disinformation. Did you know, that for many years in West in media the phrase “Polish concentration camps” were commonplace?

Poland is the one of the most pro-Israeli country in Europe (and there is some serious cooperation in defence industry). We are doing the best to preserve the memory of Holocaust, because the places of Jewish martydom are on our soil. I heard, that some French Jews were saying that when they are in Poland, they are safer than in Paris.

Ask youself how MSMs are accounting this, and how what they are saying is related to reality. I read blogs as a news source for three years, and I had to review my viewpoints on many issues, from Balkans to Middle East etc. and my amazement of the amount of lies, dishonestly and disinformation in MSMs is still amazing me.

P. Chesler:

My intention was’t to hijack your blog comments. I simply feel obliged to set the record straight, and clear out some misconceptions.