Poles were not targeted for extermination by the Nazis but why is that disputed?

Don’t miss the 5000-word research from Haaretz (the Times of Israel runs a 600-word summary) exposing that a group of dedicated Polish Wikipedia contributors erected and maintained for 15 years until now, a fictional WW II Nazi extermination camp for Poles in the middle of Warsaw. The hoax also lives outside of virtual reality with real commemorative meetings (and tears?). Let’s ask have several questions about that.

***

First, how can one be pleased with good results if one knows they are based on falsehood?

You get a good mark for your exam but you cheated. Well, you needed the mark but it won’t give much internal pride. But feeling good about oneself was not the goal here.

You try to trick someone into believing in your religion. Why would you want someone to believe in falsehood? Well, you probably reason that an important part of your religion is true and that the end (getting him to join) justifies the means. And you must be not so honest.

You falsely claim that you were no perpetrator or co-conspirator, and not even an innocent bystander, but actually a prime victim. How can that take away your guilty conscience? Well, you probably deny any guilt anyway and this way you can get, in the war for sympathy, some satisfaction in defeating the real victims whom you hate. Winning from people you abhor doesn’t need to come through a just fight.

***

Another question to ask is, is this a isolated case? No, it isn’t.

Many Japanese pretend to be WW II victims like the Jews. At the end of WW II, two of their main cities were flattened with nuclear bombs (what we would since call a crime against humanity) but all through the first half of the 20th Century, Japanese soldiers were more vicious aggressors than the Nazis. They were the villains now playing the victim.

Some Germans also tried to sell themselves as victims of WW II, Hitler, the Nazis. Problem is that Germany as a whole, enthusiastically embraced the Third Reich. Sure, after the war, Germany laid in ruins. Millions of Germans had died. But it was clear for all to see that it had been the aggressor and a monstrous one at that, not just concerning their sustained hatred for Jews.

(Most Germans may have been unaware of the death camps and the official extermination program, but Hitler incessantly talked about killing them all to enthusiastic crowds and there was no revolt against the burning of the synagogues throughout the land, to name a few points.)

Also Poland lost a lot to the Nazi invaders. Millions died. Much of its art and landmarks had been purposefully destroyed. The Nazis considered the Poles and their cultural heritage as ‘racially’ inferior. But there was no program to exterminate them and most Poles stood by in silence while Europe’s Jews were exterminated in their midst. Something that couldn’t have been done in the Netherlands — from where the Jews were railed to Poland for a good (but evil) reason.

NB: Modern Germany shows that as a People it has repented. There is still a large group of German Nazi sympathizers and Jew-haters but the State and the people fight them beautifully. If I had to live outside of Israel, Heaven forbid, Germany would be at the top of my wish list.

Also the Christian world has to a certain extent admitted to have been on the wrong side of history for millennia. They have not yet as far advanced as Germans but there is a beginning to be appreciated.

Germany and Christians not only show that repentance is possible. Their atonement is also an indictment to the Japanese, the Poles and many Muslim countries. Why haven’t they begun doing the same yet?

***

My final question. What does this Polish fable tell us about reality?

That Poland harbors a sizable group of Poles who hate truth and Jews and that the Polish Nation as a whole does a bad job fighting them.

About the Author

MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. * As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. * This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2000 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog, to which one may subscribe too, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. * Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. * Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. * Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. * He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. * He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. * He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. * His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. * To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. * His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1