Poles and Jews : A Call for Myth Reconstruction

Nationalism’s global resurgence has upended societies. With the rise of the Polish nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, and American Jewry’s swift reaction to its law punishing people who allege Polish complicity in Holocaust crimes, both sides have revived old stereotypes. Stark-Blumenthal argues that American Jews’ disgust with Polish nationalism ought to be checked by America’s centuries-old embrace of white supremacy. Poles and Jews: A Call for Myth Reconstruction confronts both the anti-Polonism deeply embedded in the American Jewish community and Poland’s enduring relationship with antisemitism. Armed with two decades of research and in-depth interviews with scholars, community leaders, and laity in Poland and the U.S., Stark-Blumenthal dispels myths and considers new approaches to this relationship.

Jennifer Stark-Blumenthal is an independent researcher of Polish-Jewish relations with an extensive background in Judaic studies from Brandeis University, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and YIVO. Having conducted interviews with scholars, community leaders, and laity in Poland and the U.S., Stark-Blumenthal elevates context, respectfully challenging current taboos dividing the two groups.