Northwest Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Ethnocide Education

Review

Poland's Jewish Heritage - Overview written by James Lehman. 

Joram Kagan was born in Lublin, Poland.  He was deported to the Arkhangelsk region in 1940 before evacuating to Iran in 1942.  Kagan later went and served in the Givati Brigade during Israel’s war of independence.  He is currently retired and living with his family in New York City.  In this text Mr. Kagan offers vital information for those interested in examining Poland’s Jewish heritage.  The paperback is not long (264 pages) and contains three chapters.  The first provides an introduction to the Polish Jewish culture past and present.  The second offers a chronology of the Jewish presence in Poland and the third chapter consists of an in-depth glossary of Polish Jewry. 

In this small volume readers learn that prior to World War II, Poland represented the largest Jewish population in Europe, and the second largest in the world.  During this period over 10% of Poland’s population were Jewish and even today more than 15 million Jews around the world are linked with the heritage of Polish Jewry.  A large portion of Jewish immigration into Poland began during the crusades when many Jews in Western Europe faced persecution and Poland became a place for protection and security.  Things would continue to get better for the Polish Jews after World War I when Poland was reborn as a country of minorities consisting of, Jews, Bialorussians, Ukrainians and Germans.  Furthermore, the Treaty of Versailles provided protection for minorities and the Polish Jews. 

The devastation of the Polish Jews began just prior to World War II.  Nazi Germany under the control of Adolf Hitler, implemented a policy to kill and destroy the culture all of the Jews in Europe.  The end result of this atrocity was the deaths of over 6 million Jews in Europe and also a loss of Jewish culture in many countries, including Poland.  Today there is only a very small Jewish community in Poland; well under 10,000 total.  Moreover, the Jewish culture that was so prominent in Poland prior to WWII is barely a fraction of the size today.  This text illustrates the effects of genocide on a particular group of people and in this case the Polish Jews. 

For the Educator

This text would be helpful when examining how genocide, specifically the Holocaust can affect a country and/or group of people.  Chapter one can provide students with background knowledge on Jews in Poland and also truly illustrate the effects that the Holocaust had on the Polish Jewish community. 

One valuable teacher resource is the glossary of terms relating to Polish Jewry.  For example on page 105, Kagain defines the term Palmiry as follows, “A mass grave, now a cemetery, memorializes the spot in the woods of Kampinow near Warsaw where 1,700 people were executed in January 1940.  At least 250 of those murdered were Jewish.”  The terms Kampinow and Warsaw from the previous definition can also be found in the glossary. 

Another valuable teacher resource is the many maps contained in the volume.  For example, there are eight pages of maps displaying the Jewish community before and after WWII, the general government of Poland, German-Soviet Partition of Poland, Jewish Ghettos in Poland, Nazi Concentration Camps, locations of Jewish resistance and revolts and other general maps of Poland. 

According to the Fry Readability Scale, the first chapter reads between a 10^th to 12^th grade reading level, which would be appropriate for high school students to read on their own, provided of course, that they have the skills and background knowledge to read at this grade level.  Fortunately for all readers, an in-depth glossary in the last half of the book, will make comprehension easier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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