Editorial note

Broad circles of people have been involved in the Polish discussion on the crime that was committed in Jedwabne. A number of them have made important statements. This anthology presents texts chosen from among the articles published by the Polish press. Some of them appeared even before the book Sąsiedzi [Neighbors] by Jan T. Gross was published in Polish in May 2000.

The reader will note that the articles included in the anthology Thou Shalt Not Kill: Poles on Jedwabne are printed in chronological order. Although the first of these articles was published in 1988, the discussion on the crime in Jedwabne started in 2000 and has continued since. The anthology shows how the discussion evolved from its start to the beginning of March 2001 (by which time a total of almost 200 articles had been published). The only exceptions are articles forthcoming in the April issue of Więź, which has not yet been published but is ready for printing. This anthology has been prepared by the editorial staff of Więź.

The articles presented here were selected so as to provide a representative sampling of the arguments that have appeared in the Polish press. The editorial team, listed below, accepts responsibility for any oversights in the selection of the texts.

Terms that might be unfamiliar to the English-speaking reader are briefly glossed in the "Explanatory notes." Where they appear in the texts, the words described in the notes are marked with an asterisk.

Quotations from Neighbors in the body of the text reflect the contents of the Polish edition, Sąsiedzi (Sejny, 2000). For the convenience of the reader, the wording from the American edition (Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2001) has been used when it does not differ substantially from the Polish edition. When there are differences, this has been noted and the quotation from the American edition supplied in a footnote.

The Polish national debate on Jedwabne goes on. Another wave of new and significant publications on the subject is appearing even as this anthology goes to press. Unfortunately, it is already too late for us to include them in this collection.