Jan Błoński „Poor Poles Look at the Ghetto” 20 Years Later
Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały, No. 2 (2006), Pages: 12-20
Submission Date: 2020-10-11Publication Date: 2006-12-02

Abstract
The author reflects upon Jan Błoński’s essay “Biedni Polacy patrzą na getto” (Poor Poles look at the ghetto) nearly twenty years of its publication by Tygodnik Powszechny. He points at the innovative character of the depiction of Polish-Jewish issues in the moral context, outside of all the political embroilments. Błoński’s voice is unique, because it acknowledges, in the spirit of the Gospels, that analysis of Polish-Jewish relations is a fundamental issue for the Polish society, a “homework” that needs to be done. This essay, Głowiński claims, is free from the embroilment in the dualism of the negative and positive myths regarding these relations. The author writes about reactions to this text, the letters to the editor and notes one particular voice, which he reads as an internalised nationalist ideology and the dangerous continuation of the nationalist discourse. Głowiński’s sketch concludes the post scriptum, in which the
author refers to another article, published in 2006 by Gazeta Wyborcza, regarding the current historical policy, whose proponents see Błoński’s essay as a negative reference point. The author notes that this essay constantly evokes strong emotions, and, as an expression of critical patriotism, still has its ardent opponents.
License
Copyright (c) 2006 Author & "Holocaust Studies and Materials"

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Michał Głowiński, Mordechaj Chaim Rumkowski – real man and hero of the legend , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 9 (2013)
- Michał Głowiński, Informer’s Eyes , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 10 (2014)
- Michał Głowiński, Błoński’s Essay Years Later , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: 2008: Holocaust Studies and Materials
- Michał Głowiński, Batja Klig, Biography , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 7 (2011)
Similar Articles
- Gabriel Finder, The Trial of Shepsl Rotholc and the Politics of Retribution in the Aftermath of the Holocaust , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 2 (2006)
- Jacek Leociak, Understanding the Holocaust. A Task for Generations , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: 2008: Holocaust Studies and Materials
- Dan Michman, Dutch Society and the Jewish Fate: A Puzzling Record , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 12 (2016)
- Natalia Aleksiun, When Fajga Left Tadeusz. Wartime Relationships of Survivors after the Holocaust , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 17 (2021)
- Editors Journal, Jan Grabowski, From the editors , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: 2010: Holocaust Studies and Materials
- Jan Grabowski, Editors, From the editor , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: 2008: Holocaust Studies and Materials
- Klaus Peter Friedrich, Nazi Murder on the Jews in Polish Communist Press (1942–1944) , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 2 (2006)
- Przemysław Czapliński, The Holocaust as a Horror. A Handful of Comments on Polish Literature during 1985–2015 , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 12 (2016)
- Marta Duch-Dyngosz, In Search of Local Memory of the Holocaust. The Case of Commemoration of Jewish Communities in Smaller Towns in Contemporary Poland , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 17 (2021)
- Natalia Aleksiun, Historiography of the Holocaust on the Polish-Jewish relations in Poland , Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały: No. 1 (2005)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 > >>
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.