"Aftermath" Film Powerfully Evokes Polish Anti-Semitism
After Germany itself, no country has been more scrutinized for its behavior during the Holocaust than Poland. This is understandable considering the fact that 3 million Jews lived in Poland and the fact that the largest death camps were in Poland.
Sometimes, however, this scrutiny takes awkward turns. From time to time one hears references to the "Polish" camps, and it is necessary to set the record straight: These were German camps located in occupied Poland.
At other times one hears comments such as the Poles learn their anti-Semitism from their mother's milk or the Poles were even worse than the Germans. These are most unfortunate comments because while Polish anti-Semitism was real and virulent, there is an implication of something historic and inherent about Poland that does not square with the record.
The question that must be posed is: If Poland was always an anti-Semitic country, why were 3 million Jews living there on the eve of World War II? The answer is that for many centuries, Poland was a more welcoming place for Jews than countries in Western Europe.
Jewish communities were given a degree of autonomy and stability in Poland that did not exist elsewhere in the late Middle Ages and early modern period. Anti-Semitism existed, of course, but Jewish life could flourish. It was only later, with the dissolution of the Polish Empire and, particularly, in the 20th century with the emergence of reactionary political forces, that Polish anti-Semitism took a turn for the worse.
In sum, the history of Poland and the Jews is a lot more complicated than some would have it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/abraham-h-foxman/aftermath-film-powerfully_b_4611435.html