Anti-Semitism is resurging in Europe in the biggest wave of hatred against Jews on this continent since the Holocaust.<\/p>\n
The recurring communist antisemitism<\/big><\/p>\n This new antisemitism is especially driven by the extreme left and Islamism. It is not the first time that communism has targeted Jews.<\/strong> As I pointed out here five years ago, in 1844 Karl Marx published an antisemitic pamphlet<\/a> that could have been signed by any Nazi. In 2019 I also talked here about the Ludmi\u0142\u00f3wka Pogrom, an anti-Semitic massacre perpetrated by Polish communists<\/a>. Likewise, in 2022 I published an article about the mass deportation of Polish Jews by the Soviets to Siberia and Kazakhstan between 1938 and 1941<\/a>, after the German-Soviet invasion of Poland.<\/p>\n The European Jewish Congress remembers the anti-Semitic purge of Polish communism in 1968<\/big><\/p>\n On March 19, through its Twitter account, the European Jewish Congress (EJC) recalled another episode of communist antisemitism<\/a>: the anti-Jewish purges in Poland in 1968<\/strong>. The EJC explained it as follows in its message:<\/p>\n In March 1968, Poland\u2019s communist regime launched a so-called \u201canti-Zionist\u201d campaign, accusing thousands of Jews as enemies of the state.<\/strong> Under the guise of politics, it became a state-led antisemitic purge, forcing much of Poland\u2019s remaining Jewish community into exile.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n An anti-Semitic campaign disguised as \"anti-Zionist\"<\/big><\/p>\n Like other communist crimes, these events are unknown to many people, so I will provide some further details about that purge. The Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) dedicates a section of its website to this antisemitic campaign<\/a>, noting:<\/p>\n The antisemitic propaganda campaign (then termed \"anti-Zionist\") began with antisemitic pamphlets that appeared in Warsaw in February 1968.<\/strong> These pamphlets were linked to the protests surrounding the \"Dziady\" photograph and pointed to the \"inappropriate\" origins of some of the \"commandos.\" The issue appeared in the press on March 11<\/strong> in an article published by \"S\u0142owo Powszechne,\" a newspaper of the PAX Association. During the following weeks, the antisemitic campaign became a prominent element of the March propaganda.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In 2023 I already told you here about the Pax Association<\/a>, a Trojan horse of communism to infiltrate Polish Catholicism<\/strong>, organized in collaboration with the Soviet NKVD (the predecessor of the KGB) to support the Polish communist dictatorship and divide Catholics.<\/p>\n Regarding that antisemitic campaign, the IPN points out that the Polish communist dictatorship launched false accusations against the \"Zionists,\" a term it used to refer to all Jews.<\/strong> Among other things, they were accused of using \"commandos\" to incite the student protests of that time. \"They were also criticized for their joy at Israel's victory in the Six-Day War<\/strong> and the suffering of the Arab population in the occupied territories.\"<\/em><\/p>\n The campaign included a purge of Jews in the Polish People's Army<\/big><\/p>\n In 2020, Pawe\u0142 Piotrowski noted in an article published on przystanekhistoria.pl<\/a> that there were sympathies for Israel among officers of the Polish Army<\/strong>, as many Israelis were Ashkenazi Jews of Polish origin: \"Our Jews are defeating their Arabs,\"<\/em> they pointed out<\/strong>, since the Arab countries of the region had the support of the USSR and other communist dictatorships. The IPN adds on its website:<\/strong><\/p>\n A key element of the propaganda was accusing Israel and \"international Zionism\" of allying themselves with the Federal Republic of Germany.<\/strong> This alliance aimed, on the one hand, to have the Poles convicted of crimes against Jews during World War II and, on the other, to strengthen Israel's military power in the fight against its Arab neighbors.<\/p>\n \"Anti-Zionist\" slogans also appeared in numerous mass demonstrations<\/strong> organized in factories, institutions, and rallies in provincial capitals.<\/p>\n Throughout the campaign, efforts were made to avoid using the word \"Jew\" or \"Jewish.\"<\/strong> Antisemitism was distanced, for example, with slogans such as \"Antisemitism, no! Anti-Zionism, yes!\" These tactics were complemented by a popular joke of the time<\/strong>, in which a son asks his father, \"Dad, how do you spell Zionism?\" to which he replies, \"I don't know, but before the war it was spelled with a '\u017b'.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n That joke refers to the fact that \"Jews\" in Polish is \"\u017bydzi.\" According to the IPN, this anti-Semitic campaign forced more than 13,000 Jews to leave Poland.<\/strong> Pawe\u0142 Piotrowski, in turn, discusses the effects of this anti-Jewish campaign within the military. The anti-Semitic purge in the Polish People's Army<\/strong> (the official name of the armed forces under that communist dictatorship) resulted in the expulsion of approximately 180 officers<\/strong>, according to historian Jerzy Eisler. Of these, a maximum of 100 eventually left the country. Piotrowski adds:<\/strong><\/p>\n The officers, like other people of Jewish descent, did not leave Poland voluntarily, but were forced to do so<\/strong> by constant harassment. They were deeply assimilated into Polish society, and their children often only learned of their Jewish heritage later in life.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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