Polish-Jewish Relations in North America (Polin Vol. 19) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1874774978 ISBN 13: 9781874774976

Publisher: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2007

Synopsis

Poland today is a very different country from Poland of the past, yet attitudes inherited from the past continue to affect Polish Jewish relations in the present. In Poland itself, memories of the Jewish place in Poland's history are being re-evaluated. In America the old attitudes that divided the two sides in the Old Country seemed for a long time to be becoming more entrenched. This volume, probably the first comprehensive study of Polish Jewish relations in North America, explores how this happened, and also considers the efforts being made to put the resentments caused by past conflicts to one side as the influences long dominant in the Polish Jewish relationship in North America begin to lose their formative power. The contributors deal boldly with matters at the heart of the relationship. There is an attempt to quantify the attitudes of both sides to a number of key aspects of the Holocaust, and fascinating questions are raised about how the Holocaust has distorted the structure of Polish Jewish mutual perceptions, and why the Holocaust remains a problem in Polish Jewish relations. There is an investigation of how crude stereotypes of Polish peasants have found their way into Jewish history textbooks, crucially affecting the disposition of American Jews towards Poland, and of how the stereotyped world of the shtetl still haunts the American Jewish imagination with great consequences for the attitude to Poles and Polish Americans. The way in which this stereotype confronts reality in the context of the March of the Living is provocatively discussed, along with the options for dealing with a landscape 'poor in Jews, but rich in Jewish ruins'. A number of chapters describe attempts to overcome mutual stereotyping, including a detailed and valuable account of the National Polish American Jewish American Council and of the attempts that have been made to steer the Jedwabne debate in a constructive direction. These small beginnings show that it is possible to go beyond the˜resentments caused by past conflicts and to concentrate instead on what has linked Poles and Jews in their long history. 'Rich and diverse . . . a must for anyone taking up serious studies of Jewish issues not only in the United States, but also in Poland.' Przemyslaw Rozanski, Zeitschrift für Ostmitteleuropa-Forschung.

About this title

About the Author:

Antony Polonsky is the first holder of the Albert Abramson Chair of Holocaust Studies, a joint appointment held in the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC.

Review:

'Rich and diverse . . . a must for anyone taking up serious studies of Jewish issues not only in the United States, but also in Poland.' Przemyslaw Rozanski, Zeitschrift fur Ostmitteleuropa- 'Polin has for more than two decades defined the field of Polish-Jewish studies. Volume Nineteen continues that tradition by opening up the area of Polish-Jewish relations in North America . . . The introductory articles by the editors stands as a model of its kind. It not only introduces the articles in the collection and ties them together, but also stands as one of the best contributions in the volume for its incisive weaving of the Polish and Jewish stories in North America . . . This volume, like its predecessors, belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in Polish-Jewish relations.' Thaddeus C. Radzilowski, Shofar `Polin has long been a journal commanding attention and respect. This volume demonstrates that it sets the agenda for scholars of Polish-Jewish studies, contributes to the ongoing dialogue on the history of Polish-Jewish relations, and helps to understand how our relationships with members from each group might improve as a result of greater knowledge . . . Apparent throughout the volume is the immensely valuable service the editors provide to the scholarly community by including views on current happenings.' Sean Martin, Polish Review 'In the last fifteen years serious academic research into Polish-Jewish history has emerged as a burgeoning field at Polish universities. Indeed, Polin has played a major role in disseminating this research among an international audience . . . This volume brings together a number of very specific and more general essays, written by leading representatives of both fields, and from both perspectives. These articles point to a new and promising research sub-discipline in American ethnic history.' Tobias Brinkmann, Journal of Jewish Studies 'Very successful . . . a comprehensive introduction and eighteen separate essays, arranged roughly in chronological order, which discuss different aspects of interactions between Polish and Jewish ethnic communities . . . a plethora of accomplished scholars focus on sources of tension as well as examples of collaboration . . . a solid, provocative, and much-needed contribution to the scholarship; hopefully it will become a must-read to all those who in the future will undertake further exploration of Polish-Jewish relations in North America.' Anna D. Jaroszynska-Kirchmann, American Jewish History

About this edition

• Publisher: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1874774978
• ISBN 13: 9781874774976
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 674
• Editor: Biskupski Mieczyslaw B., Polonsky Antony