RE: “Would you hide a Jew from the Nazis? – There are parallels between 1930’s and today’s global refugee crisis” Waterloo Region Record, September 19, 2016 by Nicholas Kristoff

Poland’s greatest son, Saint Pope John Paul II respectfully referred to the Jewish people as our “elder brothers in the faith” during the first ever visit to the synagogue of Rome by any pontiff. Furthermore, he wrote in his book “Crossing The Threshold Of Hope” that “Auschwitz does not cease to admonish, reminding us that anti-Semitism is a great sin against humanity, that all racial hatred inevitably leads to the trampling of human dignity”. (1) Thankfully, I never had to face the same degree of hatred as the Jews and other ethnic groups did, before and during WW II.
However, my father’s sister Teresa Unger, her young children Joasia, Tadzio and Piotrunio did. All, except for Piotrunio who miraculously survived, were brutally killed by Ukrainian nationalists, in the Polish village of Jasniszcze in 1944, resulting in walls being splattered with their blood. (2)
In total, about 120,000 Poles and 30,000 Ukrainians opposed to the ethnic cleansing were bestially massacred by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), using the cruelest imaginable methods of torture, even worse than the German Nazis, e.g. dismemberments, mutilations and impalings. The leader of this independence driven fascist genocide (officially recognized as genocide by Polish Parliament, on July 22, 2016) was Stepan Bandera – now, sadly a national “hero” glorified on a Ukrainian stamp! (3)(4)(5)(6). I wonder what the world reaction would be like, if Germany now decided to issue a stamp honoring one of its past leaders, Adolf Hitler?
Therefore, with my Polish family being victims of ethnic cleansing, myself born in a distant country terrorized during and after WW II (as is Syria now), immigrating to Canada speaking no English, and now a Christian doctor, I think I can offer more realistic perspectives than the writer Nicholas Kristoff, concerning Polish/Jewish history, extremist ideologies and global human crises.
Kristoff insinuates that all Poles “bear moral responsibility for refusing to help desperate people” and writes that “Poles responded to Nazi occupation by murdering Jews”. This is blatantly false and insults the dignity of Poland’s heroic people. It also further propagates the myth of Polish anti-Semitism, initiated by Stalin to slander Poles and to “justify” the mass migration of Jews to Palestine after WW II, and the need for a protracted stay for the Red Army in Poland, long after the war was over, which in 1945 numbered 3,000,000 Red Army men, (NKVD/ NKGB troops). (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)
Consider these pertinent historical facts, namely:
1. The Polish nation was one of War II’s greatest victims, losing probably the highest percentage of citizens i.e. 33% (close to 11,400, 000 people), 20% of its territory, and 38% of its national wealth. Additionally it suffered the crucible of German Nazi occupation, followed by the tyranny of post war Soviet Communist take over. Supported by Churchill’s and Roosevelt’s betrayal (in spite of Poland’s enormous contribution to an Allied WW II victory) the dictator Stalin was allowed to take control of Poland and other East European nations after the war. (16)(17)(18)
2. Poland’s unique acceptance of Jews into its country began mostly with King Kazimierz III the Great in the 14th century. He recognized Jews as a distinct legal, national, religious and cultural group, with protection under Poland’s laws. This essentially saved Jews from extinction in medieval and early modern Europe, where they were persecuted, evicted and killed in other European countries. At one time, over 80% of Jews worldwide lived in Poland. (19)(20)
3. According to a Holocaust survivor from the Auschwitz concentration camp,
Mr.Joseph Nitchthauser a Polish Jew living in Brazil, Poland was: the only nation out of 17 European countries that didn’t cooperate with the Germans; never supplied any of its people to the SS or Wermacht units; and neither was involved in arresting Jews. (21)
4. In spite of German occupied Poland having the strictest German edict of any other country, namely instant death for the Poles and their whole family for helping to save a Jew, Poland totals the greatest number of people credited with saving Jews ( 6,195 Righteous Gentiles) more than any other country in the world. Notable examples include Irena Sendler, the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize nominee who saved 2,500 Jewish children in Warsaw and Henryk Slawik, nicknamed the Polish Wallenberg, who saved 5,000 young Polish Jews when working in Hungary. (22)
5. The Polish-Soviet Repatriation agreement signed in Riga on February 24, 1921 permitted over 700,000 Jews to enter Poland from the Soviet Union. Actually, about 800,000 Jewish refugees from USSR entered Poland, all of whom were given Polish Citizenship. (23)
6. Just before WW II, Poland was the only country that opened its borders completely to the Jews leaving Hitler’s Germany, allowing 20,000 Jewish refugees,while Australia and US refused to accept any – from fear of racial problems and from American Jewish fear of economic competition, respectively. (24)
7. An often unmentioned fact is that before WW II, Poland was the only country in the world where Polish born Jews could be citizens even without speaking the national language. What other country would allow 15% of its citizens not to speak its language? (25)
Therefore, instead of perfidious criticism the Polish nation deserves well earned gratitude for its tradition of unmatched tolerance, compassion and heroism, in the face of evil.
Whitewashing the truth out of political correctness or moral relativism, about extremist ideologies/organizations such as: Communism; Fascism; Zionism; Globalization; Illuminati; Planned Parenthood (abortions); and Islamic State (ISIS terrorism) is cowardly and shameful. Minimizing their harm dishonors the memory of those lives already destroyed by them (as in my family) and threatens future lives - since history often repeats itself. Imposing those extremist ideologies by immigrants/refugees on our new neighbors, often against deeply held traditions (e.g. Christianity) in our adopted nations, inevitably leads to animosity and possible bloodshed. This is evident with “honor” killings, Sharia law, sex selective abortions and random and planned executions, e.g. Catholic priest
Fr. Jacques Hamel brutally killed by Islamic jihadists, while celebrating Mass in France this past July, 2016. (26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)
Concerning global crises, two other very serious ones that world leaders should address, aside from the global immigrant/refugee crisis are: the worldwide persecution of Christians totaling
200 million yearly; the subsequent killing of 105 thousand Christians every year; and the slaughter of 40 million unborn children per year - with 1.7 billion unborn children killed in the last 40 years! (33) (34)(35)
In conclusion, although its important to remember past injustices and to be on guard for history not to repeat itself, we would be wise to also heed the words of Jesus Christ, the centerpiece of the human race, spoken about the Last Judgment and directed to all human beings, whether persecuted Jews, Muslims, Christians or the unborn, namely:
“Amen, I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me”. (36)

Dr. Andrzej Caruk October 22, 2016
- Polish Canadian immigrant
- Former member of Friends of Solidarity
- Orthopedist/writer practicing in Kitchener, Ontario with publications on health, history, life and faith issues.

Dalsza część artykułu dostępna po wykupieniu subskrypcji. Kup tutaj!