Anti-Semitic beliefs in contemporary Poland (original) (raw)
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Antisemitism in Poland: Economic, Religious, and Historical Aspects
The article discusses the phenomenon of antisemitic prejudice in Poland after 1989. The comparative cross-national data suggests that prejudice against Jewish people remains visible in Poland independent of the difficult history of Polish-Jewish relations. The studies reviewed in this article present potential causes and mechanisms of anti-Jewish attitudes in Poland, such as relative deprivation, victimhood-based national identity, and authoritarian political attitudes.
Harmful Ideas, The Structure and Consequences of Anti-Semitic Beliefs in Poland
2013
The harmfulness of anti-Semitic beliefs is widely discussed in current political and legal debates (e.g., Cutler v. Dorn). At the same time, empirical studies of the psychological consequences of such beliefs are scarce. The present research is an attempt to explore the structure of contemporary anti-Semitic beliefs in Poland—and to evaluate their predictive role in discriminatory intentions and behavior targeting Jews. Another aim was to determine dispositional, situational, and identity correlates of different forms of anti-Semitic beliefs and behavior. Study 1, performed on a nation-wide representative sample of Polish adults (N = 979), suggests a three-factorial structure of anti-Semitic beliefs, consisting of: (1) belief in Jewish conspiracy, (2) traditional religious anti-Judaic beliefs, and (3) secondary anti-Semitic beliefs, focusing on Holocaust commemoration. Of these three beliefs, belief in Jewish conspiracy was the closest antecedent of anti-Semitic behavioral intentions. Study 2 (N = 600 Internet users in Poland) confirmed the three-factor structure of anti-Semitic beliefs and proved that these beliefs explain actual behavior toward Jews in monetary donations. Both studies show that anti-Semitic beliefs are related to authoritarian personality characteristics, victimhood-based social identity, and relative deprivation.
Antisemitism in Contemporary Poland
2013
At the Hoover Institution, I found a space where academic freedom, debate, and discussion is not only permitted but truly encouraged. This is crucial during these times, especially in relation to the study of contemporary antisemitism. I am also thankful to Raphael Fischler, Doron Ben-Atar, Shalem Coulibaly, Jeffrey Herf, and Olufemi Vaughan. I am especially grateful to all the scholars who attended the conference. Most of them did so at their own expense and traveled considerable distances to be there. The conference, on which this series is based, was the largest academic gathering ever on the study of antisemitism. More than one hundred speakers from approximately twenty academic fields and more then twenty countries attended the event. It was truly a remarkable gathering at an important historical moment. Due to the high level of scholarship, the conference produced many key insights and has given rise to many important research projects. Finally, I would like to thank Daniel Stephens for copy-editing and reviewing the contributions for this project. I am most grateful for his professionalism, patience, and assistance, often beyond the call of duty. Without his efforts these volumes would not have been possible. I am thankful to Alan Stephens for his much-valued advice and for making this publication possible in the first place. I am also most grateful to Lauren Clark and would like to thank
Jew. The Eternal Enemy? The History of Antisemitism in Poland
Peter Lang, 2018
Helen Fein formulated a similar definition in a collection published in the series Current Research on Antisemitism by the Berlin Research Centre on Antisemitism at the Technische Universität: I propose to define antisemitism as a persisting latent structure of hostile beliefs toward Jews as a collectivity manifested in individuals as attitudes, and in culture as myth, ideology, folklore, and imagery, and in actions-social or legal discrimination,
Nationalities Papers, 2013
After first outlining the notion of anti-Semitism, the predominant survey method used for researching it, and the history of the presence and the current (near) absence of Jews in Poland, this article gives the results of different surveys of various kinds of anti-Semitism in this country, including the authors' own, and discusses the findings of their qualitative study – focus group interviews with members of three different Catholic communities from three different cities. The qualitative study confirmed the hypothesis that imagined and stereotypical rather than real Jews are the objects of modern anti-Semitism in Poland, while real historical and stereotypically perceived Jews are the objects of its religious and post-Holocaust variants. The roots of religious anti-Semitism lie in the not entirely absorbed teachings of the Catholic Church on the Jewish deicide charge. Religious anti-Semitism supports modern and post-Holocaust kinds of anti-Semitism. Modern anti-Semitism is rooted in poor education, lack of interest in the Jewish history of Poland, lack of inter-group contact, and persisting stereotypes of Jews. Among the various Catholic communities of Poles, there are considerable differences in attitudes to Jews. The qualitative study also revealed a methodological deficiency in the standard survey questions intended to measure anti-Semitism, which are sometimes understood as questions about facts rather than about opinions.
Antisemitism in Poland 2013: Research Report based on Polish Prejudice Survey II
2013
Attitudes toward Jews in Poland The question of antisemitism remains a persistent problem in contemporary Poland, despite the small size of the local Jewish community. This phenomenon is often called "antisemitism without Jews". Longitudinal studies conducted by Polish Public Opinion Research Center suggest that Jews are one the most disliked minorities in Poland: about 30% of Poles openly declare aversion towards people with Jewish origins and this trend seems to remain constant. Most recent opinion poll by the Center for Research on Prejudice, University of Warsaw, found that: about 12% of Poles would not accept to work with a person of Jewish nationality, about 14% of Poles would not accept a person of Jewish nationality as a neighbor, about 24% of Poles would not accept the marriage of their relative with the person of Jewish nationality. However, according to the studies up to 90% of Poles do not know personally any single Jewish person. Three components of the antisemitism More recent sociological research on antisemitism in Poland distinguishes two forms of antisemitism: the traditional and the modern. While traditional antisemitism is based on historical anti-Judaic motives of early Christianity, such as the concept of Jewish deicide or the blood-libel accusation, modern antisemitism is based on a belief in Jewish conspiracy, i.e. that Jews have excessive power in the society, that Jews have control over international banking and the media, or that Jews realize their plans in a secret way. German researchers suggest that the third form of antisemitism-secondary antisemitism-is equally important. Secondary antisemitism is the belief that Jews are abusing the history of the Holocaust and that Jews themselves are responsible for the antisemitism.
Extended Antisemitism: The Case of Poznań
Sprawy Narodowościowe, 2021
Extended Antisemitism: The Case of PoznańThis article examines contemporary antisemitism in Poznań. The first part of the study reconstructs how the contemporary collective memory in this Polish city was shaped, starting in the interwar period. Referring to earlier contexts, the author points to the founding myth of the medieval legend of the stolen Hosts, which prevails in Poznań. She also retraces the history of antisemitism at the Adam Mickiewicz University. In recent years, the university has disclosed archival records, including those connected with the introduction of ghetto benches and the numerus clausus rule, in this way attempting to atone for disgraceful events in its history. Reflecting on antisemitism in Poznań, the author asks what fuels it in the almost mono-ethnic city that Poznań is today, and introduces the term extended antisemitism. For the purposes of the article, she conducted interviews (using the Delphi technique) with researchers and social activists involve...