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PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHWR #2286/01 3001321
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P 271321Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2295
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 1475
RUEHKW/AMCONSUL KRAKOW PRIORITY 1360

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 002286 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2016 
TAGS: KNAR PGOV PHUM PREL PL
SUBJECT: REVIVAL OF JEWISH LIFE IN POLAND, BUT CHALLENGES 
PERSIST 
 
REF: WARSAW 1489 
 
WARSAW 00002286  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Mary T. Curtin for reasons 
1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
 
¶1.   (U) SUMMARY:  Twentieth century Poland's history of 
Jewish relations has made many Jews see Poland solely as a 
Jewish cemetery and hotbed of anti-Semitism.  Anti-Semitism 
persists, but is no worse than most European countries, and 
rejection of anti-Semitism is on the rise, notwithstanding 
the presence of anti-Semitic elements in the ruling 
coalition.  Few outside of Poland realize that there is an 
active Jewish community in Poland that is growing in size and 
diversity, and non-Jews are also becoming increasingly 
interested in learning more about Polish-Jewish shared 
history.  This new community faces challenges, both from 
within and without. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) Following the Holocaust, many Jews who survived left 
the country and most of the remainder of the decimated Jewish 
population hid their identity.  The pogroms in Krakow (1945) 
and Kielce (1946), which saw hundreds more Jews murdered, 
further cemented this phenomenon.  The 1968 Polish political 
crisis and expulsion of Jews was the final nail in the 
coffin, driving almost all remaining Jews out of the country 
and forcing those that remained even further underground. 
From a high of 3.3 million Jewish residents pre-Holocaust, by 
1970 the Jewish population numbered less than 5,000.  Thus 
many Jews around the world saw Poland only as a Jewish 
cemetery and a hotbed of anti-Semitism, a place where 
"children take in anti-Semitism with mother's milk," as 
former Israeli PM Yitzhak Shamir famously said.  This image 
persists to this day, but another, more positive trend is 
taking place. 
 
--------------------------- 
PEEKING OUT OF THE FOXHOLE 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) Few outside of Poland - even those who devote time 
and money to Holocaust remembrance - realize or acknowledge 
that there is a Jewish community in Poland at all, let alone 
a growing one.  Jewish tour groups from the United States and 
Israel generally visit only Nazi death camps, keeping the 
twin images of Poland as a Jewish cemetery and hotbed of 
anti-Semitism as the only possibilities.  But while 
statistically speaking the level of anti-Semitism in Poland 
has remained relatively constant, at around 40 percent 
expressing dislike for Jews (so called "anti-Semitism without 
Jews"), the level of those rejecting anti-Semitism is on the 
rise, especially among young, educated urbanites.  Various 
press outlets try to outdo one another in revealing 
anti-Semitic statements by members of coalition partner 
League of Polish Families' (LPR) youth wing.  The impromptu 
rally in support of Israel in Warsaw on July 30 during the 
opening days of the Hizballah conflict, where over 500 Poles 
- mostly non-Jews - gathered on the streets, further 
underscores this change. 
 
¶4. (U) Even the Israeli Embassy admits that politically it 
has no stronger ally in Europe than Poland.  And despite the 
questionable anti-Semitic attitudes of coalition partners LPR 
and Self Defense (SO), President Lech Kaczynski, Prime 
Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and their Law and Justice (PiS) 
party often say and do the right things on thorny issues such 
as anti-Semitism, Holocaust memorial sites, and property 
restitution.  This has encouraged many Polish Jews in hiding 
to peek out of the foxhole and acknowledge their identity. 
The appointment of four new Rabbis in Poland during this 
summer testifies to this new trend.  New orthodox rabbis 
arrived in Warsaw, Krakow, and Wroclaw, and a progressive 
(equivalent to reform in North America) rabbi in Warsaw. 
Small communities are coming together in cities and towns 
around the country such as Krakow, Lublin, and Chelm, 
publicly proclaiming their desire to be Jewish. 
 
¶5.  (U) Officially there are between 8,000 and 20,000 Jews 
currently living in Poland, although estimates run as high as 
60,000.  Many Poles who were born and raised Catholic are 
finding out as young adults that they were actually Jewish 
but their parents or grandparents hid this fact.  Following 
this discovery, many such people have returned to synagogues 
to embrace and learn about their roots, and several have made 
the stronger commitment of officially converting to Judaism 
(even undergoing ritual circumcision).  Equally noteworthy 
are those with no Jewish heritage who are looking into Jewish 
culture, history, music, and even faith.  Finally, youth 
groups such the Union of Jewish Students (PUSZ) in Warsaw and 
Czulent in Krakow are active and constantly attracting new 
 
WARSAW 00002286  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
members.  As a result, whereas ten years ago there were 200 
active members in the total Warsaw community with an average 
age in the 70s, there are now three active congregations with 
over 700 participants and the average age has dropped into 
the 40s. 
 
---------------------------------- 
CHALLENGES FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) However, as described in Reftel, many Jewish groups 
are concerned with the persistence of anti-Semitism both in 
and out of the government.  Progress on Jewish property 
restitution is slow, anti-Semitic graffiti is common in small 
towns, "Jew" is a frequent slur, and the most widespread 
image of Jewish people in Poland is a that of an elderly man 
with a long beard counting his money.  Amazingly, these are 
not seen by the general population as inherently 
anti-Semitic, but rather as "cultural."  Notwithstanding the 
May 27 attack on Rabbi Michael Schudrich, openly violent acts 
of anti-Semitism are rare.  Israeli DCM Yossef Levy calls the 
phenomenon "fairy tale anti-Semitism" based on myths and 
legends rather than an active hatred, noting that the 
situation in Poland is no worse than that in most European 
countries, and in some cases much better.  This is partly 
owing to the lack of any significant Jewish community, and 
also to the absence of a sizable Arab immigrant population. 
Levy also noted that many Israeli embassy officers wear 
yarmulkes in public and have not experienced any problems. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Tensions exist among the different groups in the 
Jewish community, notably the Warsaw branch of the Union of 
Jewish Religious Communities (Gmina) and Beit Warszawa, a 
progressive (equivalent to reform in North America) synagogue 
which on October 20 officially installed Burt Schuman as the 
first progressive rabbi in Poland since before the Holocaust. 
 The Gmina is the legal Jewish body in Poland, has special 
tax status as such, and receives restituted communal 
property.  It excludes Beit Warszawa members from use of the 
ritual bath (mikveh) and burial in the Jewish cemetery. 
Rabbi Schuman's arrival several months ago has spurred some 
thaw between the groups.  Both he and Rabbi Schudrich are New 
Yorkers, and through their cooperation the two communities 
have come together to celebrate holidays on multiple 
occasions. 
 
¶8.  (C) This division has served as a minor, albeit 
noteworthy deterrent to some wishing to live openly as Jews. 
Another obstacle is the lingering belief and fear that Poland 
is completely anti-Semitic.  Many Jewish adults grew up 
hearing horror stories about the Holocaust and communist eras 
and refuse to believe that things have changed.  Warsaw 
University Professor Piotr Soltan says he would like to place 
a mezuzah (small box with a Jewish prayer) on his door post 
but his wife, who is not open about her roots, refuses since 
"the neighbors will know."  She believes the stress of being 
"'outed" as Jewish in the 1970s led to her father's early 
death and wants no outward sign that she or her children are 
Jews.  TV producer Szaj Szendel recently started attending 
synagogue in his late 30s after his father admitted to him 
that they were Jewish.  After counseling with the rabbi he 
decided to pursue formal conversion, undergo circumcision, 
and even change his name to sound more Jewish.  His father 
warned him against such a course, and eventually relented but 
calls his son "crazy" for making this choice. 
 
¶9.  (U) To many Polish Jews, "never again" is not only a 
rallying cry to remember the Holocaust, but a warning never 
again to be openly Jewish.  While efforts to commemorate the 
Holocaust, rededicate abandoned cemeteries, and fight 
anti-Semitism are both necessary and commendable, some Polish 
Jews say an exclusive focus on these serve to perpetuate the 
cult of victimhood as the only option and by definition 
forestall the development of active Jewish life.  Those who 
are pursuing such a life need encouragement.  There have been 
Jews in Poland for nearly 1,000 years ranging from extremely 
orthodox to progressive and fully integrated, and recent 
trends show that this is still true and that numbers are 
increasing. 
HILLAS