Dear Ms.Kahn,
This letter concerns "The History Channel Recommended" endorsement on Alexander Kimel's web page:
http://idt.net/~kimel19.
Mr. Kimel, as an Auschwitz survivor, deals with Holocaust. His view is very disturbing and strongly biased against
Christianity and Poles, his arguments, moreover, are superficial and leading to false conclusions. Mr. Kimel writes:
2. "Who could stop the carnage?"
Answer: "The Christians religious establishment such as the German Lutheran and Catholic Churches, the Pope
and the Vatican, etc."
3. "How could the stop the killing of Christians by Christians?"
Answer: "By denouncing it from the pulpits. Hitler, needed the support and admiration of the German people.
German women, married to Jews, protested and stopped the deportations of their spouses. The denunciations of the
gassing of the German retarded children, stopped the crimes, although for a while only. It worked."
In 1934, as Papal Secretary of State, then Cardinal, Pacelli had urged Pope Pius XI to open the doors of Vatican
City to Italian and German dissidents, and later he prepared the 1937 encyclical Mit Brenneder Sorge, deploring
the harassment of Catholics of Germany, which caused official protest from the German Ambassador to the Holy See.
Shortly before his election, the Pope -to- be demonstrated his concern for Jewish intellectuals by sending a letter
(dated January 12, 1939) to the four Cardinals of the U.S. and Canada, begging them to try to remedy the 'deplorable
reluctance' of Catholics universities in those countries to accept more German Jewish professors and Jewish thinkers
on their faculties. As Pope, the following year, he founded the Catholic Refugee Committee in Rome and according
to Monsignor G.Roche's well- documented study Pie XII Avant l'Histoire, this committee paved the way for tens of
thousands of German Jews to enter America as Catholics, providing them with a regular and efficient service documentation,
baptismal certificates, financial aid, and arrangements abroad. This French historian estimated that by 1942 over
one million Jews, on Vatican directives, were being housed in convents and monasteries throughout Europe. The Holy
Father himself set an example by taking care of some 15,000 Jews at Castel Gandolfo, as well as several thousand
in Vatican City. The Chief Rabbi of Rome, Israel Zolli, subsequently became a Catholic convert, allegedly in gratitude
for Pius's wartime protection, and took as his given name, Eugenio, Pius XII's given name. Meanwhile, Monsignor
Angello Roncalii, the future Pope John XXIII, was working at his Istanbul post, helping many hundreds of thousands
of Eastern European Jews on their way to Palestine. An underground printing press at Nice (France), protected by
the Archbishop and the Mayor of the city, produced 1,895 identity cards, 1,360 work permits, 1,230 birth certificates,
428 demobilization letters, and 950 baptismal certificates before it was discovered.(*) At the same time in France,
Union Generale des Israelites de France (during Marshal Petain Government), very unpopular, allowed itself to be
manipulated by the Germans and French and became responsible for tax collection of administration of aid, which
was sorely lacking due to lack of support of the major Zionist organizations during the WW II.(**)
Perhaps the best summation of Pius XII's efforts on behalf of the Jews was contained in the book Three Popes and
the Jews, by the Israeli journalist and diplomat Pinchas E.Lapide: "The Catholic Church under the pontificate
of Pius XII was instrumental in saving at least 700,000, but probably as many as 860,000, Jews from certain death
at Nazi hands......these figures exceed by far those saved by all others churches, religious institutions and rescue
organizations combined."(*)
And further Mr. Kimel continues:
"During the Holocaust, most Eastern European nations voluntarily helped the Germans in eradicating the Jewish
population: The worst offenders were: The Ukrainians, the Croatians, the Lithuanians, the Poles and Slovaks. What
do they have in common? They are all very religious, and the Catholic Church plays a dominant role in their national
and individual lives. Besides the intensive religious all those nations lived in appalling conditions, and shared
a xenophobic type of culture. Each nation hated all the neighboring nations.
In those nations, the frustration of life in poverty, coupled with the quest for Jewish properties and envy, were
channeled into a hatred toward the Jews. This process is helped by the teaching of the Church that the Jews are
responsible for Christ's Crucifixion.
Nevertheless there is hope for the future. The xenophobia of the pre-war culture disappeared already and there
is hope that with the improvement in the standard of living, and a reduction of the Church influence, the anti-Jewish
bias will cease to exist.
In Poland the peasants kept killing Jews and delivering them to the Gestapo for 2 lbs. of sugar, without being
censured by the priests, or the underground Polish authorities. The determination of the policy toward the Jews
was left open, it was left to the local Church Hierarchy, or to the individual priest. Some local priest had the
courage and wisdom to speak up.
Another hazard was the activity of those ...Polish 'Hoodlums': young men 'who beat and rob every Jewish passer-by',
and who led Nazis to the apartments of well to do Jews, and participated in the looting. These same rowing gangs
had also beaten up some Poles 'not blessed with Nordic features'. For many days " a middle-aged Polish woman,
wrapped in a long black shawl and a stick in his hand, has been the terror of Marshalkowska Street. She has not
let a single Jew by without beating him, and she specializes in women and children. The Germans looking on and
laugh.
It is a tragic paradox, that the Polish Home Army, nominally under the Allied Command, didn't fight the Germans
because of atrocious counter measures, but spent most of their energies to fight their nominal allies - the Russian
P.O.W. and their own compatriots, the Jewish escapees from the Ghetto, hiding in the forests."
Terese Pencak Schwartz, historian, a Jew from Los Angeles, pictures different reality:
"Growing up in a Polish community, and raised by parents who survived the Holocaust, I heard many stories
about the atrocities of this World War II horror. I learned how one of my family's homes in Poland was burned to
the ground by Nazis. I learned that my uncle was shot in the head by Nazi soldiers because the family was hiding
a Jewish woman. It was only after I moved to the Los Angeles area several years ago that I realized that many people
were not aware that millions of victims of the Holocaust were NOT Jewish. Outside the Polish community, I heard
very little mention about the five million non-Jewish victims -- usually referred to as "the others".
But what about "the others"? There were five million of them. Who were they? Whose children, whose mothers
and fathers were they? How could five million human beings have been killed and forgotten? After studying several
carefully-documented books, and interviewing non-Jewish survivors, I found more information about the five million
forgotten than I had ever imagined -- information that most people are not aware of. Polish people suffered enormously
during the Holocaust -- Jews and non-Jews.
Eleven million precious lives were lost during the Holocaust of World War II. Six million of these were Polish
citizens. Half of these Polish citizens were non-Jews. On August 22, 1939, a few days before the official start
of World War II, Hitler authorized his commanders, with these infamous words, to kill 'without pity or mercy, all
men, women, and children of Polish descent or language. Only in this way can we obtain the living space [lebensraum]
we need'.Heinrich Himmler echoed Hitler's decree: 'All Poles will disappear from the world.... It is essential
that the great German people should consider it as its major task to destroy all Poles.' On September 1, 1939,
Hitler invaded Poland from three directions. Hitler's invincible troops attacked from the west, the north and the
south. Poland hardly had a chance. By October 8, 1939, Polish Jews and non-Jews were stripped of all rights and,
were subject to special legislation. Rationing, which allowed for only bare sustenance of food and medicine was
quickly set up.
The Polish language was forbidden. Only the German language allowed. All secondary schools and colleges were closed.
The Polish press was forced underground. Libraries and book shops were burned. Polish Art and culture were destroyed.
Polish churches and religious buildings were burned. Most of the priests were arrested and sent to concentration
camps. Street signs were either destroyed or changed to new German names. Polish cities and towns were renamed
in German. It was Hitler's goal to obliterate all traces of Polish history and culture. Hundreds of Polish community
leaders, mayors, local officials, priests, teachers, lawyers, judges, senators, doctors were executed in public.
Much of the rest of the so-called Intelligentsia, the Polish leading class, was sent to concentration camps where
they later died. The first mass execution of World War II took place in Wawer, a town near Warsaw, Poland on December
27, 1939 when 107 Polish non-Jewish men were taken from their homes in the middle of the night and shot. This was
just the beginning of the street roundups and mass executions that continued throughout the war. The goal of these
executions, deportations, and the ruthless domination of citizens was to terrorize all Poles into docile subservience.
During the war, Poland lost 45% of her doctors, 57% of her attorneys, 40% of her professors, 30% of her technicians,
more than 18% of her clergy, and most of her journalists. Poland's educated class was purposely targeted because
the Nazis knew that this would make it easier to control the country.
Non-Jews of Polish descent suffered over 100,000 deaths at Auschwitz. The Germans forcibly deported approximately
2,000,000 Polish Gentiles into slave labor for the Third Reich. The Russians deported almost 1,700,000 Polish non-Jews
to Siberia. Men, women and children were forced from their homes with no warning. Transferred in cattle cars in
freezing weather, many died on the way. Polish children who possessed Aryan-looking characteristics were wrenched
from their mother's arms and placed in German homes to be raised as Germans.
The Polish people were classified by the Nazis according to their racial characteristics. The ones who appeared
Aryan were deported to Lodz for further racial examination. Most of the others were sent to the Reich to work in
slave labor camps. The rest were sent to Auschwitz to die. Polish Christians and Catholics were actually the first
victims of the notorious German death camp. For the first 21 months after it began in 1940, Auschwitz was inhabited
almost exclusively by Polish non-Jews. The first ethnic Pole died in June 1940 and the first Jew died in October
1942. Of the 11 million human killed during the Holocaust, six million were Polish citizens. Three million were
Polish Jews and another three million were Polish Christians and Catholics. Most of the remaining mortal victims
were from various European countries including Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Holland, France and even
Germany. Priests and Pastors Died for Their Beliefs. Hitler wanted not only to conquer all of Europe, but Hitler
also wanted to create a new religion and to replace Jesus Christ as a person to be worshipped. Hitler expected
his followers to worship the Nazi ideology. Since Catholic priests and Christian pastors were often influential
leaders in their community, they were sought out by the Nazis very early. Thousands of Catholic priests and Christian
pastors were forced into concentration camps. A special barracks was set up at Dachau, the camp near Munich, Germany,
for clergymen. A few survived; some were executed, but most were allowed to die slowly of starvation or disease."
Mr. Kimel's war memories appear extremely vivid, clear and plentiful, on the other hand however, he does not find
worth mentioning, that priests were exterminated equally ruthlessly compared to Jews and Gypsies. Similarly, he
forgets the fact that out of 15,000 medals "Yad Vashem Righteous Among the Nations", 5,000 were presented
to Poles. Finally, he fails to mention, that only in Poland helping Jews was punished by death.
It comes extremely easy to find guilty parties, but we have to remember, we must not forget that Jews themselves
are not without fault: the Zionist during Holocaust organization did very little in order to help and save as many
Jews as possible.
"One cow in Palestine is worth more than all the Jews in Poland", said Yitzak Greenbaum, the Chairman
of Jewish Agency, during WW II, and the Holocaust.(*)
The same person asked: "Couldn't you give money out of the United Jewish Appeal funds for the rescue of Jews
in Eastern Europe?" (the fragment of Jews' appeal letter to Yitzak Greenbaum), answered: "I said 'NO'
and I say again 'NO' ".(*)
The essays published on Mr. Kimel's web page are extremely dishonest and offensive to Christian religious institutions
and especially Poles. I demand the removal of your recommendation endorsement from his page. The WW II was destructive
for many nations and this kind of single nation preference is absolutely dishonest. Seeking compassion and demanding
apologies over 50 years after the War ended, and the main responsible factors are long gone, is infantile and does
not surely bring nations together, or reconcile their differences.
Quoted from Alexander Kimel's web page and "The Zionist Connection II, What Price Peace", Chapter XIII:
The Holocaust: Stoking the fires, Chapter XIV: Christians in bondage, by prof.Alfred M. Lilienthal, 1982(*); and
"Shadows of World War II" by Karen Farrington,1995(**).
Sincerely yours,
Wilhelm Glowacki & Dominik Thomeyer
On behalf of themselves and the "Ciemnogrod" Conservative Club