Opinion  Ronen Bergman
In the name of my mother, the Holocaust survivor
Ronen Bergman
Published: 19.02.18, 17:04
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31. What is truth?
Christopher Maczynsk   (02.20.18)
Ronan Bergman:
"All we knew was that grandmother and mother had escaped to the woods, joined the partisans and managed to survive the war."

And Wikipedia about Ronen Bergman:
"His parents were both Holocaust survivors from German Nazi Death Camps in occupied Poland.[2]"
32. Polish journalists are asking you on Twitter and FB
Tomek ,   Lublin   (02.20.18)
to provide additional information, so they can verify your story. Why are you not responding?
33. facts not popular
steve ,   Drohiczyn, Poland   (02.20.18)
Based on my grand father(Polish) stories there were bad and good Jews around. There were many Jews, after Red Army or Russians entered Poland, who were cooperating with Soviets and pointed and directed NKWD to Polish patriots priests or polish police officers. Imagine that hundred of thousands of Poles were transported to Sybir or were executed by NKWD. The action created a lot of hate between two groups especially in Eastern Poland. The hate is not neither Poles or Jews responsibility, it's foult of murderous German and Russian systems with hitler and stalin at the top.
34. please explain
Bob ,   Philly   (02.20.18)
You said your mother had survived the war by escaping to woods. And that is really really great!
Quote:
"Mother and grandmother, and a few other relatives who survived, spent the rest of the war in the woods, with the partisans." Escaping to woods saved their lives. That way they did not experience the tragedy of their fellow Jews in ghettos and German death camps. Please explain us though how your relative's experience is different from those polish partisans who helped your family survive the atrocities of German war?
35. truth
Bob ,   Philly   (02.20.18)
Three weeks ago German Federal Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier officially confirmed (again) that Nazi death camps were German. Ronen Berman said senior German officials told him in Munich they are unable to say publicly that German death camps were not theirs. So Ronen Berman has been doing it for them. Even though his Jewish mother was a German war survivor. What a shame!

Here is official German standing on their death camps https://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/EN/Artikel/2018/01_en/2018-01-31-bt-gedenken-ns-opfer_en.html
36. American news media
paul ,   earth   (02.20.18)
By now everybody in the world know what American fake news media means. Right? So who cares what American media serves to their American readers?
37. New polish law
Leon ,   ny   (02.20.18)
Poles make over 50% of all Nobel Prize winners ! Anyone who denies this fact will be sentenced to five years of hard labor.
38. I knew it
P ,   Lublin   (02.20.18)
Here in Poland someone lies about hisown mother can expect no respect at all and a punch in a face.
Another thing is a fact that he is a jurnalist (kind of anyway), last but not least, he seems hate my country. Why?
39. Two questions
Marta ,   Warsaw   (02.20.18)
1. Who fed your grandfather when he was hid in sewage tunnels in his hometown?
2. What was penalty for helping Jews in German-occupied Poland?
40. Glad to know your mother surived
Michal ,   Warsaw   (02.20.18)
it makes me wonder if she really meet any nazis during WWII at least
41. Facts
Tosia   (02.20.18)
As historician he told the truth, not denying Holocaust, based on facts, documents and people relations. He just said,that during the 2nd WW there were good people and bad people, and majority trying to lead semi normal life who just would like to survive. He said also that bad things caused by induviduals should not be extrapolate to the whole nation.
42. Why do you lie
Dawid Osuchowski   (02.20.18)
Is this about $$$? Looks like your mother was 5 when she received this "award". Where are the proofs? None? Color me suprissed.

Where are the jews who helped Poles? Are they any? I dont know. Nut i know that jews were killing Poles while working with KGB and communists.
43. Where is the truth?
Tomasz ,   Lublin   (02.20.18)
1. In wikipedia about Ronen Bergman: "His parents were both Holocaust survivors from German Nazi Death Camps in occupied Poland"
2.In this article: "grandmother and mother had escaped to the woods, joined the partisans and managed to survive the war"
44. Few quetions
Saul ,   Bialystok   (02.20.18)
Few simple questions, you liar: In what year was your mother born, in what city, what kind of kindergarten she went to, what guerrillas did she go to?
45. one strange thing
Stephen ,   Posen   (02.20.18)
I read your story. I try to understend your emotional context of family drama.
But for god sake - your Mom swore not to speak polish while speaking german was ok ? that is just an absurd - Nazis burne alive six mln of her nation but she got angry for polish language? Looks like kind Germans organized genocide but the natives were the bad ones ??
46. Reaching an understanding between the sides
Shachar ,   Eilat   (02.20.18)
Ronen and in general Israel's position is largely emotional while the Polish PM's position is largely factual. What happened in Poland during the holocaust is very well known and studied in great depth. Because the worst atrocities were carried out on Polish soil, the Poles feel they are unfairly judged. I think they are right. The Polish army fought the Nazis, Polish partisans fought the Nazis and Poles suffered atrocities of the Germans on a scale no other Eastern European country suffered. Before the war Poland had the largest Jewish population of any country and it was accompanied by anti-semitism and occassionally pogroms. Many Poles were happy to be rid of the Jews, many helped their Jewish neighbours and everyone was trying to survive hell on earth inflicted by a brutal Nazi regime. Jews and Israelis want everyone to remember what happened to them, Poles want people to remember what happened to them. Let's let each other remember our histories, acknowledge our failings and above all remember we are now friends and allies.
47. what?
Shlom ,   Ottawa   (02.20.18)
Will we finally find out when your mother was born Mr Bergman? Facts, please,
48. missinterpretation of legislation
Dominik ,   Warsaw   (02.20.18)
"The legislation prescribing prison time and a fine for accusing Poland [1] and the Poles [2] of taking part in the Holocaust"

1. for accusing Poland of taking part in the Holocaust - Poland was NOT taking part in the Holocaust - so for lying about it you will be fined.

2. for accusing Poles of taking part in the Holocaust - Poles was taking part in Holocaust so for saying truth you will NOT be fined.
49. why?
Jacek ,   warsaw   (02.20.18)
Dear Mr Ronen, I do feel sympathy to you and the history of your family. I can even understand the psychological mechanism of accusing Poles of not being treated as Jews were by Germans during the war. But your story for polish is very ordinary. In every polish family there were victims.
My simply question is: could you please give the year of the birth of your mother and the year of the story about escaping ?
And one inconsistency of your story, if the Poles were worse than the Nazis, why your mother escaped to polish (you even is not enough honest to admit it) partisant not to Wermaht?
50. Mr
Mike ,   Skawina   (02.20.18)
You are a filthy lair. Almost a year ago, you wrote that your mother had to bury your father quietly so the Nazis won't find you. In the winter. 5 year old? Your father?

In case you forgot.
https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4952401,00.html

Horrible Poles oppressed Jews for over 1000 years.
"Thank you Mr. Hitler for saving us, from this Polish savages!"
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
51. Tell us some more details, guy...
Ole ,   Cracow   (02.20.18)
We want to know what you deffenitly know: when and WHERE your Mom was born
Where she survived?
Where hapend this horryfy story with burrying her Father?
What kind of partisants this troops were (Polsih, Soviet, Ukrainian, Lithuanian - beleie that no germans)
52. Poor journalism
Tomek ,   Lublin   (02.20.18)
I have already mentioned that this piece does not contain any verifiable detail. No geographic data, no names, not even a time frame. This story could just as well have happened on Mars. What strikes me though is that the author is a journalist but yet the piece is so difficult to follow because chronologically it is all over the place. I thought the expected standards at NYT were a bit higher than this.
53. Ms
Joanna ,   Kettering   (02.20.18)
The Jewish hysteria after the words of Prime Minister Morawiecki that during
the Second World War there were also Jewish criminals participating in the Holocaust,
shows very clearly what we are dealing with. This is the HOLOKAUST RELIGION that
rejects reality, so the Jews get crazy and mad when someone has the courage to say
how it really was. The religion of the Holocaust and truth are mutually exclusive.
Jewish believers of the religion of the Holocaust do not know the truth and
do not want to know it. We must be aware that this is a discussion with
blinded fanatics obsessed with hate for Poland and Poles
54. How old was your mather when she heard those horrible words?
joanna Grabowska   (02.20.18)
She and other family members, she told us, had paid a Polish peasant money to hide in his farm. “We were constantly hungry. It was starvation to the brink of death,” she told me. “Although it was forbidden, one day I sneaked in to see if the landlords had anything to eat. They didn’t see me, and then I heard those horrible words. They said they would call the Gestapo the next day to take us too.”
55. Manipulative
Poor journalism ,   London   (02.20.18)
I could give you my uncle's story to add a personal account from the Polish side.My uncle was a prisoner in Auschwitz. All he talked about was his cruel Jewish capo. So don't tell me Poles were worse than the Germans. Somebody helped your family to survive, and surely they were Poles, not Germans. And the camps were Nazi camps, not Polish. I do not think that the law introduced in Poland is right, however you are trying to manipulate the facts.
56. THANK YOU
ROB ,   BRESLAU   (02.20.18)
A murderer, Polish shit was written at the Embassy of Poland in Tel Aviv I would like to ask You, is this the position of the State of Israel, the Jewish Nation, a message in the name of You? Does this inscription also apply to Poles who died saving Jews during the Second World War? or the reluctance towards Poles that your mother spoke about concerns the whole Polish nation in all generations? To this day, Poland is a victim of war and suffers from the consequences of underdevelopment under the communist regime of the USSR. It's just injustice and hatred, unjustifiable accusation of the State for the actions of individuals. If you still think that the entire Polish nation deserves to be assessed by your mother guided by the same way of thinking,

I am allowed to say that the inscriptions on the embassy are the opinion of the Israeli government and the whole nation.
57. Mr Bergman - this is going to far
korela ,   USA N.Y   (02.20.18)
Mr Bergman, are you saying your mother did not want to speak Polish as she hated Poles so much but she had no problem with speaking German? This is ridiculous. The last few weeks has put in doubt all respect I had for Jews. The Poles were giving their lives to save so many of you, they begged western countries for help informing them what was happening to Jews in Poland and no one even moved his finger to help. I am really sorry but I start understanding why your nation is not very much liked around the world. You people lie, put blame on wrong nation and expect to be paid million of dollars from the country that saffered most in WWII. Shame on you!
58. Mr
Marco ,   Warsaw   (02.20.18)
One thing is certain in this bunch of pseudo facts: Mr Bergman is gonna have massive fame. His books are gonna sell just great. Money, money, money.
59. mr
Robert ,   Czestochowa   (02.20.18)
' and the Poles of taking part in the Holocaust" The new law is about Polish Nation, not "Poles".
60. THANK YOU
ROBERT ,   WROCLAW   (02.20.18)

Jews and Germans against Poles and swastika on Polish blood shed in war, Germany was better than Poles, Hitler was better than Poles
Mr Bergman, I wish you a great future among friends
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