There were a handful of assimilated Jews in Poland no more than couple of hundreds thousands but the rest was like those in in Beit Shemesh or Mea Shearim in Israel or Postville, Monsey, New Square, Kiryas Joel in US and Outremont in Canada to name few places where they dwell ripping off local population Except for few families that were granted permission by Polish king Henry the Pious to stay in Poland (after they got kicked out of England) the rest of them were unwelcome invaders squatting on someone's land, imposing their customs on native people and greeted every enemy that showed up at their gate, so save your breath ,... No one invited you there you invaded them - Squatters can't own a land they squat on or any assets acquired at the time they squatted on someone's land - By the way for most Poles and anyone who was forced to share a land and co-exist with you you're a drag on the rest of society, to be diplomatic,...

Researchers and historians not revisionists, pinhead - Why don't you visit Auschwitz's web site and check on your own instead of relying on your "great pro" and hasbara goon ,...

You have nerve to question someone's civilised way to communicate with others - Please google "Israeli teenagers are a nuisance in Poland" read and learn something about your 'civilised ways' because those teenagers reflect your attitude to the rest of us, Goyim that is ,...

Simply because there was no or a tiny fraction of Jews in other countries compared to Jewish population in Poland. Why? Simply because they got rid of you tired of your conduct and customs - Learn to pay an attention to others opinion of you and utilise to change instead swipe it under the rug and point your finger at others ,...

1. Given the history of Polish emigration, I wouldn't be so arrogant towards others. Millions of us have moved elsewhere. Often we weren't "invited" nor appreciated (in North America, Anglo-Saxons despised the uneducated Eastern European immigrants at the beginning of the XX century). 2. Haredi or Hassidic communities can create issues, but they are not the worse neighbourhoods out there. I know Montreal and I would prefer Outremont to areas populated by certain other communities. And Cote St-Luc where many secular Jews dwell is a perfectly good place to live. Most Jews are not ultra-religious. 3. I wouldn't call people who have lived in a certain country for centuries "squatters". It was their home.

1. Given the history of Polish emigration, I wouldn't be so arrogant towards others. Millions of us have moved elsewhere. Often we weren't "invited" nor appreciated (in North America, Anglo-Saxons despised the uneducated Eastern European immigrants at the beginning of the XX century). 2. Haredi or Hassidic communities can create issues, but they are not the worse neighbourhoods out there. I know Montreal and I would prefer Outremont to areas populated by certain other communities. And Cote St-Luc where many secular Jews dwell is a perfectly good place to live. Most Jews are not ultra-religious. 3. I wouldn't call people who have lived in a certain country for centuries "squatters". It was their home.

"unwelcome invaders" were allowed to stay in Poland ? You don't know what you're talking . First you say "a handfull" , then "no more than a couple of hundreds thousands" . Those hundreds thousands contributed much to Poland and Humanity , Much more than their % of population . The Poles , what were they then ? illiterate peasants , nothing more .

The difference between extermination camps and others is big in my eyes . In the latter people had a chance , a tiny one , to survive , while in the extermination camps they were gassed on arrival , leaving NO trace at all . In Auschwitz a 60000 survived to participate in the death marches , during wich a 15000 died or were shot . My father was amomg them , he died in Dachau in march 45 . Auschwitz was NOT the extermination camp , it was Birkenau , some km from it . In the Jewish virtual library I found the names of the main camps + the number of sub ones . A total of a thousand . Same source said that in the then soviet union the nazis also had a quantity of camps . So the German ministry of Justice number can be correct . In the Jewish virtual library i found even a much higher number , 20,000 , given by researcher in the USA . All depends of course how people define camps . We do not disagree much since you realised that i spoke about extrermination camps .

I hope you see the obvious fallacy of your argument. Preferential treatment of one group of applicants always comes at a cost to other applicants. Americans use the affirmative action to increase the number of black and Hispanic students. Americans use the affirmative action to decrease the number of white and Asian students. These two statements are de facto synonymous but the former sells better. For the record, I am against any kind of quota system to regulate admission to universities. My parents were neither peasants nor workers, so I got exactly zero points for my background.

In Poland it was AGAINST the Jews before WWII , while in the US and communist Poland it was to favor minorities , disavantaged ones . A BIG difference , you probably are UNABLE to understand .

to call Auschwitz an extermination camp beacause this name usually refers to the WHOLE network of camps, consisting of: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. But for the sake of accuracy, the gass chambers were of course at Birkenau, as you wrote.

Follow the timeline "great pro"- Wannsee Conference took place in January '42, the implementation of final solution became a reality later in 1942. Auschwitz camp was operational and populated in May 1940, there goes your myth that it was build exclusively to exterminate Jews. It's easy to establish who and how many of them were exterminated at Auschwitz before the first transports of Jews showed up at the camp's gate.

Those who were not invited and not appreciated in North America were turned down at Ellis Island and sent back where they came from ,... 3. I wouldn't call people who have lived in a certain country for centuries "squatters" - Well other countries didn't give a damn about your excuse and kicked you out without an expulsion notice. By the way you call native Palis that live there forever a squatters ,...

History proves that those soft-hearted trusting Poles should have done what the other countries and societies have done in 109 instances since 250 AD. - Poland was Europe's super power, saved them from Ottoman conquest until you showed up in great numbers. The rest of your post is so stupid I won't waste my time to comment it ,...

It's a gal's name ,...

Lived in Poland hundreds of years and established thriving communities. Poland was the center of Jewish enlightenment. They owned land, businesses and worked in a cross section of the economy. Fought and died for Poland. Until Polish laws took their rights away. Precluded them from entering universities and practicing various occupations. Without a source of income, they were forced into poverty. Discrimination and pogroms taught them to be weary of their neighbors. Perhaps you don't know that. You weren't born yet and only have your anti-semitic relatives to twist history for you. Once Poland was turned into ashes by German invaders, your family left. Guess they couldn't cut it in Poland so they immigrated to the US. In spite of the opportunities in this country, you still can't cut it. So you sit home with your head in the toilet looking to demean Jewish history and accomplishment. You're a pathetic example of racism and failure.

"The Poles , what were they then ? illiterate peasants , nothing more" Charles, I understand that you're getting emotional after split's comments, but this is an exaggeration too. Most Poles were peasants, but that was the case everywhere. And we always had elites as well. We had kings, aristocrats, generals, scholars (Copernicus was Polish), great poets and good statemen. For example, the principle of religious freedom was first codified in Poland in the Warsaw Confederation.

Those are some answers to opinion polls in Poland regarding Auschwitz. The polls were conducted in 2000 and 2005: about 10% of adult Poles have or had relatives that were imprisoned in Auschwitz; about 5% lost a relative in the camp; about 20% had relatives imprisoned in Auschwitz or other Nazi camps; 95% declare that the memory of Auschwitz is important; about 50% have visited the camp. Now the part that will surprise you: for about one third, Auschwitz is primarily “the site of martyrology of the Polish nation”; for about 20-30% it’s primarily the site of the Jewish Holocaust; for most remaining respondents it’s the site of both Polish and Jewish suffering or the suffering of “many nations”. When asked “for whom the memory of Auschwitz is important today”, the answers were: “All people (68%)”, survivors (47%), Poles (37%)…Jews (25%). I’m pretty sure that Jewish respondents will be shocked that only a minority of respondents said that Auschwitz is “primarily the site of Jewish Holocaust”. This, I think, is partly due to how the memory of those events developed in communist countries (there was more emphasis on the struggle of many nations against the Nazis and less on the Jewish Holocaust). And partially, it may be because as the first questions illustrate, many Poles had relatives who were imprisoned in those camps so they look at them through the prism of this experience. The answers though illustrate pretty well that there are important differences in how Jews and Poles perceive the camps. For many Jews, they are sites that are exclusively linked to the Jewish Holocaust, situated among hostile/indifferent/potentially guilty local population. That’s why Rivkah came up with this absurd (sorry) supposition that Poles just started visiting Auschwitz and that they had to “change their attitudes” in order to do so. In reality Poles have always visited Auschwitz and always remembered it, albeit maybe not in the same way as Jews.

I understand that you got emotional after split's comments, but you're exaggerating too. Most Poles "then" were peasants, but that was the norm. We always had elites though - kings, aristocrats, warriors, scholars (Copernicus was Polish), great poets and good statemen (for example, the first law of religious tolerance was enacted in Poland in 1573). And not all Jews were successful businessmen or scholars either (btw, there were no Einsteins or Noble prize winners among Polish Jews residing in Poland).

In the US they favor minorities not because they are minorities but because they are underrepresented in higher education. Asians are also a minority in the US but do not get any preferential treatment because they do great anyway. Of course, it follows that, relative to Hispanics and blacks, Asians are discriminated against. Consider Asian Americans in the US today to be equivalent to Jewish Poles in pre-war Poland. Sometimes being smart sucks.

They won Nobel prizes once they left Poland. They didn't have the opportunity to pursue this level of achievement in Poland. But you are correct about something Justine. They were human beings living their lives and trying to care for their families. They didn't expect to become famous but they didn't deserve this treatment.

Asians are a minority in the US and there are many subgroups among this minority. Preferential treatment in higher education will depend on the school and their selection committees. There are many variables. You cannot generalize. Being smart doesn't usually "suck" unless you're not smart and you envy those that are. Further, comparing Asian Americans to Jewish Poles in pre-war Poland makes no sense. Asian students are known to be achievement oriented as are Jewish students.

how sad that Jews have to revel in the "Sympathy" of others supporting Israel and taking action against all past and future enemies of the Jews and Israel is the only real way to honor their memory

Here the names of Jews , BORN in Poland who were awarded a Nobel prize . Reichstein , Schally , Singer , Hoffman , Michelson , Max Born and Charpak . Source : The Israel science site . Why did they leave Poland ? Impossible or not allowed to go ahead ? Antisemitism ? A great % of doctors and lawyers in Warsaw were Jews . Much more than the % of Jews in Poland . Jews also participated in Poland's struggle for independance . Berek Joselewicz , joined the Tadeusz Kosciuszko uprising in 1794 , set up a Jewish cavalry battalion composed of volunteers that bravely defended Warsaw against the Czar's cossacks . Source : The Polish institute in Tel Aviv . There was of course a Polish aristocracy and some scholars , but most Poles were uneducated and illiterated . Regarding this split , we know this biped , not worth a dime .

For most history, most populations were uneducated and illiterate. I know that Jews have contributed vastly to science and culture but I don't like when you imply that people with less (per capita) contributions are somehow less worthy. For once, extraordinary numbers of highly intelligent people are only found among Ashkenazi Jews. Among other Jews, those numbers are "normal" (which isn't an insult). Are you going to look down on Moroccan or Yemeni Jews for that? Second, many Jews throughout history were poor and doing modest jobs. They might have been more literate than the surrounding peasants (who btw were not always illiterate), but they weren't necessarily doing anything more glamorous. Oh, and also BTW, Poland had a higher proportion of "nobility" than most other Western countries. Around 6-10% of population, compared to 1-3% elsewhere. They were not always wealthy but at least they were literate.

You're real something - Why did Maria-Curi Sklodowska (native Pole) leave Poland because of antisemitism? Why all of Israeli scientists rewarded with Noble prize for their work abroad left Israel because of antisemitism? Berek Joselewicz managed to bribe to join 500 starving amateurs out of 3 million Jews in Poland his unit was wiped out in first day by much smaller Russian unit with Joselewicz and few others surviving the battle. He didn't die with his soldiers and surrounded to Russians.

Jews didn't own any property in pre-partitioned, independent, self-governed Poland or any other western country at that time including America - Do your homework, it's easy to check what the Jews owned prior to 1772 (first partition) in Poland and what they have acquired in 147 years during partition. The land you mention they 'owned' was confiscated from imprisoned and exiled Polish patriots and given to Jews as a reward for a collaboration with enemy especially in the Russian part at the time they got stripped of their privileges in Russia, got kicked out from cities and certain areas to make them move to Russian part of partitioned Poland.

You managed to dig out a sole Jew that defended Poland during Kosciuszko Uprising now tell us how many Jews became a land and property owners as a reward for collaboration with an occupier during 146 years of Poland's partition ?

Poland was partitioned for 146 years her educational system was non existing or at best in shambles economy in ruins. Poland regained Independence in 1919 and got 20 years before being attacked and devoured again by her neighbors. Meanwhile during this 20 years she had to defend herself from invading Soviets, rebuild the country and sustain 3.3 million schnorrers.