Polish Jew Analyzes Jewish Disloyalty, Under Tsarist Russian Rule, Towards Polish National Aspirations

jan peczkis|Friday, January 27, 2012

ON THE POGROMS AGAINST THE POLISH PEOPLE (THE ROLE OF THE SOCIALISTS-LITVAKS IN THE RECENT REVOLUTION) is the title of this Polish-language book. It gives insights into the Zydokomuna (Bolshevized Judaism) between the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917, as wellas the true causes of the emerging Endek enmity against the Jews. However, the author hardly ever mentions Dmowski, and is in no sense pro-Endek. He considers them reactionary and cowardly (p. 365), and (incorrectly) pro-tsarist. (p.294).




Author Julian Unszlicht (whose brother, Joseph,was an ardent Communist) identifies himself as a Pole, and only a Pole, of Jewish background. (p. 30). However, his continued tie to Judaism is indicatedby the fact that he dedicated this book to those Jews who remained loyal to the Polish cause (p. 4), for better or worse. (p. 7). Writing in what turned out to be soon before Dmowski would launch his retaliatory boycott of Jews, the author concluded that, "Jewry has betrayed Poland. That is an indisputable, unlamented, and aggravating fact." (p. 5). 

Litvak (Litwak) publications (for specific citations, see, for example, pp. 127-129) made very derogatory remarks about Poland. Moreover, Unszlicht cited statements from the respected assimilationist Jewish periodical IZRAELITA, which echo Litvak positions, in stating that Polish culture is "a stinking pond", "a corpse", "a bankrupt cheater's playing card". (p. 5). Unszlicht went further thanDmowski and the Endeks later would: He called the "assimilated Jews become Poles" notion a total farce. (p. 5). The "Polish corpse" innuendo was a common feature of Jewish publications. (e. g, p. 19, 38, 58,121, 127-128).

Far from being marginal, the Litvaks and theiravant-garde, the Socialist-Litvaks (in contradistinction with Polishsocialists), were the representatives of Polish Jewry under tsarist Russianrule. (p. 6, 370). Jewish nationalists, whether of the Zionist or Bundistvariety (notably the latter: p. 361), actually harmed Jews by keeping them inmedieval-like isolation, and in aggressive separatism from, if not enmityagainst, Polish-ness. The foregoing was the conclusion of not only the Endeks,but also of Polish socialists, as shown in their publication (which, BTW,equally condemned the Litvaks and the Endeks: pp. 183-184). 

The most dangerously anti-Polish organizations,controlled by the Litvaks or Jewish nationalists, also included the Marxistso-called Social Democrats (SDKPiL; hereafter SD)(p. 8, 13), often acting inunison. (p. 295). What's more, SD positions often enjoyed the support of largerJewish parties, such as the Bund. (p. 58, 361, 284, 368). 

The cancer ran deeper. Sometimes, apparentadvocates of Polish independence, such as the monthly KRYTYKA run by the Jew W.Feldman in Krakow, turned out to be allies of the SD and enemies of Polishindependence. (pp. 27-28). 

The Litvaks were agents of Russification, ofturning the remaining Jews against Poles, and of trying to turn Poles againsttheir national interests by defamation. (pp. 12-13). Thus, the Polish Eagle wasvilified as a symbol of the unchecked power and oppressiveness of the Polishnobility. (p. 127). Polish heroism at the Battle of Grunwald was merely an escapade of one set of kings, nobles, and clergy fighting against another set, with the Pope switching sides to be on the side of the victor. (p. 130). TheNational Democrats (Endeks) were bourgeoisie reactionaries stifling class-consciousness by turning Polish workers against German and Russian workers, and trying to bring back the pre-Partition Poland of privileged and non-privileged. (pp. 130-131). [Exactly the same Communist propaganda came inhandy, four decades later, against the Polish government in exile in London.]

Rosa Luksemburg (Luxemburg), according toUnszlicht, exemplified the influential "Polish" Jew who traveled toother nations and defamed Poland, causing great harm to the Polish cause. (p.316). She opposed Polish statehood (pp. 304-305) and even attacked Polish socialists. (p. 174). 

What of the paradoxical fact that Jews had longfound haven in Poland, and continued to do so to escape Russian persecution,yet were pro-Russian and anti-Polish? Unszlicht answers: "There is astrange Jewish psychology which gravitates to the strong and powerful, and looks down on the weak and oppressed..." (p. 12)[Perhaps a similar psychology explains why Jews today are less angry over the 5-6 million Jews murdered by the Germans than they are over the comparatively trivial wrongs by Poles.] Antigoyism was also a factor in Jewish attitudes. (p. 11, 13, 44, 73,121, 305, 359, 363, 365).

For all its presumed appeals to the proletariat,the SD actually supported Jewish interests. For instance, calls for workers togo on strike primarily targeted the Polish bakeries, even though they paid muchbetter wages than Turkish or Jewish bakeries. (pp. 192-193). Otherwise, attacks on the Polish proletariat essentially served as a foil for protecting Jewish shopkeepers and the like. (p. 295). SD agitators were responsible for driving German and Polish socialists in Lodz against each other (p. 227), and for numerous violent attacks on Polish workers (e. g, p. 255, 263)--whence thetitle of this book. 

Unszlicht characterizes the 1905 Revolution, in Congress Poland, as an essentially Jewish-dominated one. Moreover, it sought tocreate a Jewish hegemony over Poland that would be essentially a fulfillment of the Judeopolonia utopian ideal. (pp. 361-362). 

The Jews' election of Jagiello to the Duma[otherwise best known for provoking Dmowski's retaliatory boycotts] further underlined the anti-Polish and pro-Russian sympathies of the Jewish nationalists. (p. 185). Despite being unsympathetic to the National Democrats, Unszlicht realizes that the Endeks, rather than being purveyors of anti-Semitism in the usual sense of the word, were animated by something much deeper--a reaction against the provocative stance by Jews against Polish concerns. (p. 186). 

Although the SD accused the Endeks of being pro-tsarist, it was the SD performing a service to the tsarist authorities by making common cause with the tsar against the Polish national movement. (p.189). Furthermore, SD agitators and Okhrana worked together to cause 200 Polishworker demonstrators' deaths in Warsaw. (pp. 59-60). A part of the SD, notably those who assassinated Poles and engaged in other anti-Polish provocations, turned out to be Jewish Okhrana agents--as exemplified by one named Azef, andhis son Phillip, responsible for thousands of deaths. (p. 324-329; see also p.355-on)! 

The Polish reaction? Unszlicht comments:"The Polish cooperatives fight with never-before-seen effort against Jewish usury..." (p. 6). On the other hand, there was a surprising nonchalance to attacks on the Polish cause by some Polish leaders. (pp.24-25) [much like the situation today.]