JEWISH SENTINEL

22 JEWISH WORLD • DECEMBER 20-26, 2024 Neighborhood Collaborators Polish police took initiative in Jewish killings By ZEV STUB W riting a comprehensive history of Polish citizens during the Holocaust is a hefty task. A Polish law that crimi- nalizes any mention of Polish re- sponsibility for or complicity in Nazi crimes makes it even harder. That makes the groundbreaking research conducted by acclaimed Holocaust historian Jan Grabowski for his new book, On Duty: The Role of the Polish Blue & Criminal Police in the Holocaust, all the more remarkable. Relying on meticulous documen- tation, the book argues that Polish institutions were more than willing to assist the Nazis in their extermi- nation campaign, and they often led the way through their own initia- tives. Grabowski, a professor at the University of Ottawa, spent more than 10 years conducting the re- search, including years in Poland going through Polish archives, pri- vate diaries, and records from more than 100 small towns where Jews lived in high concentrations. “I read horrifying things in the di- aries of Polish policemen describing how many Jews they killed each day,” said Grabowski, 61. “There were anecdotes about a cop asking for a glass of vodka before shooting a Jew or using hot water to clean the blood off their hands. They killed friends and schoolmates without re- morse, even in places where no Ger- mans ever came to check up on them.” Much of the evidence Grabowski uncovered had never been seen be- fore. “It’s not easy to write a book like this when you have opposition from massive Polish organizations with teams of PhDs whose job is to go after people like myself,” said Grabowski, who began his research for the book before Poland passed the controversial 2018Act on the In- stitute of National Remembrance. “But thorough and inde- pendent historical research is necessary to make sure that a nation can't rewrite its history into a happy sto- ry of righteous Poles sav- ing Jews.” In particular, the book focuses on the actions of 3oland s %lue 3olice, oIfi- cially known as the Polish Police of the General Gov- ernment. The police were established shortly after the German occupation of Poland in 1939 and con- sisted mainly of prewar 3olish Solice oIficers "We are talking about a police force of 20,000 peo- ple that previously was in charge of enforcing mun- dane civilian laws like making sure that horses walking on the street had horseshoes," Grabowski said. "What fascinates me is how quickly these nor- mal ordinary cops were transformed into ruthless killers." Grabowski has written numerous books and articles focusing on the Holocaust in Poland. His book “Hunt for the Jews: Betrayal and Murder in German-Occupied Po- land” won the Yad Vashem Interna- tional Book Prize in 2013. HOLOCAUST According to a new book, Polish police murdered Jews during the Holocaust with gusto and even without Nazi orders. continued on page 26 ;he book ^as ^ritten despite a 7olish la^ that criminaliaes any mention of 7olish responsibility for or complicity in 5aai crimes. 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