The case of Jedwabne weighs heavily on Poland. One day, fifty-nine years ago, residents of this locality murdered most of their Jewish neighbors. Half a century has elapsed and nothing has happened. Poland is celebrating a decade of independence, but the case of Jedwabne is still barely known.
This is a great moral challenge and a serious political problem. The distant story
shows that Polish Christians did more than witness the Holocaust: in Jedwabne, they took
part in it. Many will deny it, since the revelation undercuts the widely accepted image of
the Poland of the time. "It is impossible", some will say. Others, refraining
from denying the fact, will state that "there is no point in reviving a story which
took place more than half a century ago". But it should be stressed that the truth
will out, and it could have a far-from-salubrious effect on the world's image of Poland.
Let us recall: in July 1941, people from Jedwabne (with the participation of strangers)
murdered most of their Jewish neighbors - over 1,600 people. Even though the murderers
were acting under German eyes, there were no German orders. Unable to finish the bloodbath
with axes and other primitive tools, the perpetrators herded Jews into a barn and burned
them there.
Everybody in town knew about it: everybody could see it, hear it and smell it. It seems
hard to believe that the things that happened then did not become the dominant subject of
conversations. People must have been talking about it ever since. Yet the topic of
Jedwabne has never been aired publicly. Not a word was uttered about it in the church; the
local priests did not urge their congregations to reflect on it; historians remained
silent. Is it not strange that not a single writer in Poland had sufficient courage to
deal with this topic? The neighbors took over Jewish-owned houses. Has anyone ever tried
to describe how it happened, or how the new occupants felt? Christians rescued a handful
of Jews from the massacre. Polish neighbors did not thank them. Did the rescuers not
deserve gratitude? What does the fact that the tragedy passed into oblivion indicate? Over
the past fifty years, not even the smallest monument to the victims has been erected. The
truth proved to be too horrifying to face.
Young people from Jedwabne surely have a difficult time dealing with the burden despite
the fact that only some of those living at the time were perpetrators. Spiritual leaders
today should help break the silence and overcome the fear of speaking about this shameful
incident publicly. The younger generation, one way or another, is linked to the tragedy
only indirectly - but could become accomplices by remaining silent. Years ago, it would
certainly have been hard to stand up to the murderers, protected as they were by the town
authorities. But afterwards? A few years later? Decades and decades later? Individuals
involved in the Jedwabne massacre were brought before the court after World War Two -
under communist rule, a fact which did not make it any easier to raise the issue. But even
today, ten years after the fall of communist Poland, solidarity with the victims has not
been expressed and there is no sense of disgrace.
Keeping the silence about the tragedy does Poland no good. The massacre in Jedwabne
will soon
be known worldwide. Its symbolic meaning may overshadow the meaning of the Kielce pogrom. We all will be blamed unless we do
something to convince the world that Poland does not treat the tragedy of Jedwabne
lightly. Poles will be accused of being unable to wrestle with the sore spots in their
history, blamed for making foreigners do their dirty work. Recently, some officials from
the local and national governments have demonstrated their good will. A penitential
service has been offered in Jedwabne, and historians participated in a meeting organized
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, this is far too little. The truth has not
reached the public and the fact that the Jedwabne [criminal - ed.] case is to be reopened
by The Institute of National Remembrance is as
encouraging as it is worrying - for it may be perceived as an attempt to relieve us all
from responsibility for hasty actions. By July 2001, the date marking the sixtieth
anniversary of the massacre, Jan Gross's book will have been published in English and it
will surely be followed by a series of reviews. The gravest accusations of Polish
anti-Semitism will become more credible. This can be prevented only if Poland's most
honorable representatives show that they are aware of the problem, deplore the tragedy,
and are not shirking their responsibility.
What should be done? The residents of Jedwabne should be helped and prepared for bearing
the burden of the tragedy and the prospect that their town's name will acquire a sinister
meaning even outside Poland. There is a need for the official acknowledgment of the truth
and for paying homage to the victims - publicly and openly. The ceremony should make
worldwide headlines and be broadcast by CNN. It should be made clear that the ceremony is
organized on behalf of all of Poland, and it should be attended by the Polish leadership:
the president, the primate of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, and the prime minister.
A successful ceremony will be tantamount to success in the Christian-Jewish dialogue. The
Church's teshuva will bear fruit.
These are fragments of a lecture delivered at the Literature House in Warsaw on October 5, 2000, during a session organized by the "Open Republic" Association, "Więź" monthly, and the Polish Pen-Club. The full text of the lecture was published by "Więź" in February 2000. The other speaker at the session was Archbishop Józef Życiński.