| mr Melbourne is right about the reception that Polish righteous gentiles faced after the war from their own neighbors. Many memoirs of those hidden by Polish gentiles report that after the war their hosts begged them not to reveal their names and what they did to save Jews, lest they suffer insults or worse. One excellent case in point is Tadeusz Pankiewicz`s memoir, The Cracow Ghetto Pharmacy. His pharmacy had entrances both on the ghetto and non-ghetto sides and Pankiewicz performed quite heroic deeds at the time and was a true eyewitness of the liquidation of the ghetto (made famous by Schindler`s List). He is even represented in the film. After the war, he was vilified for his heroic deeds. This is not to say that all Poles should be condemned (except for these few). Far from it. But it does not help Poland`s newly found historical memory to whitewash the entire record. Political maturity means acceptance of the complexities of life, however ugly they may be. |
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