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Total number of comments: 5 (since 2010-03-20 12:02:38)

Sylwia

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• Cohen on Poland
  • Sylwia May 3, 2010 at 11:49 pm

    Perhaps the main change in the transition in Poland is the revising of historical myths. In many ways Polish and Jewish histories are analogical. We're two nations that have their myths of martyrdom, and those myths help us survive in times of troubles. In Poland, during the 19th century, WWII and the communist era, the feeling of eternal victimisation was carefully nourished. It's what helps Poles to cope with oppression, provide clandestine education, unite in times of trouble, or hold the Polish moral code over the one imposed by the oppressor. In other words it's a very important factor when one needs to survive.

    However, as soon as Poland regained independence, it was recognised that a self-governing nation doesn't need to see itself as a victim. Moreover, it really harms rather than helps. What Poland needs is to be a self-confident country that is a serious partner on the international arena. It doesn't mean that Poles ceased to care that they used to be victims for the past two centuries, but they shifted their focus in history to earlier times that are better suited to the new situation. In case of Poland it's the period up to the late 18th century when there was the nobles' democracy, parliament, elected king, state reforms, the second codified constitution in the world, tolerance proclaimed by law, freedom of conscience, and even freedom of sexuality (e.g. homosexuality wasn’t criminalised), and peaceful cohabitation with many nations, including Jews, but also the Germans for example, who used to live in Poland for ages.

    Naturally it's not like suddenly everyone began to see oneself and one's country in a new light, but the shift was quite significant, and today youtube is full of short movies about the knights and such. It also helped that in the meantime Norman Davies wrote the history of Poland, which is now the school textbook. Otherwise we’d be stuck with communist propaganda. Davies, a Brit, saw our history with a greater distance than we did, and also from a broader, European, perspective. There are things that were strongly criticised by Polish authors at times when it was proper to do so in view of our politics, but that should be seen in a kinder light in historical perspective. There are others that Poles romanticised, while Davies’s opinion was more sober.

    It is important, because in the times of oppression Poland appeared as a raped woman. Quite literally, there are many paintings and poems to this end. A raped woman lives in a trauma all her life. She's never able to recover fully. Moreover, she doesn't have any control over her life and body. Things are done to her. What we needed instead, was a picture of a reasonable and steady man, who perhaps isn't always perfectly behaved, but can take his fate in his own hands and responsibility for his own actions, and, speak to others from the level of an equal. If we didn’t make the change we’d become over-emotional, paranoid and self-pitying. While I’m sure such feelings still aren’t far from the surface, at least as long as we’re not provoked they’re in check.

    Additionally, looking again at our attitude towards others, the Ukrainians or Jews for example, made us see that we weren't always fair. Victims are innocent and helpless, while seeing oneself as guilty of misconduct requires taking responsiblity for others. In a way it helped us grow up, because we began to be the older brother.

    I think that Jews also have this kind of history in the Early Modern period in Poland. Centuries of self-governing, skilful lobbying, resourcefulness and cooperation. That history was abandoned virtually everywhere outside of Poland. The Zionist story begins in the late 19th century, with everything before being a simplified picture of continuous oppression. But, it seems that more and more Jewish scholars rediscover the rich Jewish past in Poland. Academics meet and discuss the developments, write new books etc. It'll take some time before Jewish people begin to read them. It'd help if they were read at school. But I think that they will read anyway, simply because they'll be curious about their ancestors. Such an old nation like the Jewish one cannot have such a short and miserable history, can it?

    I recommend "Jews in Poland-Lithuania in the Eighteenth Century: A Genealogy of Modernity" by Gershon David Hundert. I had some complaints about the book. I wished it were longer and more detailed, and also I thought that the complex developments around the May 3 Constitution weren't shown at all. But perhaps the author doesn't know them well himself. After all it requires learning the history of two nations. Still, I learnt many new things from the book, which is always a good thing, and, what's more important, I didn't cringe throughout it. Other books I read showed so little understanding of Polish history that I lost patience and respect for the authors.

    Generally, Hundert argues that till recently Western historians made the mistake of interpreting the Jewish community via the history of the Western Europe, while in fact Jews were only tiny minorities there, with their rights severely restricted. He says that since the vast majority of American and Israeli Jews trace their roots to Poland, it is that community and its developments that should be seen as the basis for their today’s attitudes. He also makes an argument, which I loved, that Jews in Poland cannot be seen as a minority. Indeed, all other Western movies and books I saw seemed to suggest that Poland was a country of Poles with a large Jewish minority. In fact the largest minorities in Poland were the Poles and Ukrainians. There was no one majority. There were much smaller minorities than the Jews too. The Protestants, Muslims, Armenians or Karaites for example. He also shows that since Jews often lived in communities where they were actually a majority, they couldn’t have seen themselves as a minority. That all, plus their status in Poland, separate religious customs, the general lack of any uniformity in the Polish society (i.e. one wasn't different by being different), and collaboration with the nobles contribute to how Jews view themselves today.

    Hundert has an excellent grasp of the workings of the Old Poland’s society, which was peculiar in many ways, and very different from the West. He can _think_ the way people then did, by that recognising with ease what was or wasn’t beneficial to Jews. I truly think that every Jewish person should read the book.

    Unfortunately he ends abruptly with the end of the 18th century, but I hope someone will take his book to illustrate how the Jewish past translated itself into the many ideas that emerged at the end of the 19th century along with the rise of national feelings in the former Polish territories. Zionists, Seymists, Bundists or the Ultra-Orthodox Jews, all based their ideas on the Early Modern structure.

    For another interesting source, here’s a link to the materials from a workshop at the Wesleyan University:

    link to jewishhistory.research.wesleyan.edu

    If you follow the links at the bottom you’ll find many interesting papers and movies where scholars discuss various issues. I especially enjoyed Adam Teller’s papers. He displays a great sentiment for the past Jewish community in Poland, whether referring to good or bad things. With a great confidence, he takes them as they were, and clearly enjoys the effect.

    Of course, to fully understand Poland, one should read Norman Davies's God's Playground.

• My nephew in Jerusalem is headed to Poland
  • Sylwia March 24, 2010 at 5:43 pm

    I knew I'd do something wrong. I meant to link to this article: link to polishpress.wordpress.com

  • Sylwia March 24, 2010 at 5:13 pm

    While here they learnt about Marek Edelman (they never heard of him before!) and it appeared that they lived not far from the place where he lived in Łódź. They went to meet him and made a film about him too. As you may know Marek Edelman passed away last year, so it was the last chance for Israeli kids to meet him.

    Part I
    link to youtube.com
    Part II
    link to youtube.com

    I hope those films may provide a more balanced perspective.

    Regards from Poland, Sylwia

  • Sylwia March 24, 2010 at 5:12 pm

    This one is about their general impressions.
    Part I
    link to youtube.com
    Part II
    link to youtube.com

  • Sylwia March 24, 2010 at 5:10 pm with 2 replies

    A couple of years ago there was a series of articles in the Polish press about the Israeli trips to Poland. The Polish government was to talk to the Israeli one and do something about it, esp. to make it possible for Israeli and Polish kids to meet. I hope the situation has improved, but I'm not sure whether the March of the Living trips changed.

    The way the trips were organised seemed plain wrong. It was as if the kids were their security guards' hostages. They were told that something bad might happen to them, and that they shouldn't leave their bus or hotel. Seeing how it's often their first foreign trip they might come to the conclusion that the entire world is hostile towards them.

    From the Polish POV the groups seemed scary. It's not normal to carry guns in Poland. Celebrities and politicians alike go about unarmed. The president of Poland has four bodyguards and it's called waste of money. There's simply no reason why a group of teenagers shouldn't go wherever they wish and do whatever they like without bodyguards.

    I thought that perhaps you might show these films to your nephew. Some time ago a group of Israelis came to meet a group of Poles to work on movies together. (I'll post them separately because your site suspects me of spamming when I try to post many links.)

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