The Warsaw Ghetto Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Bartoszewski, Władysław. The Warsaw Ghetto: A Christian's Testimony. Boston: Beacon, 1987.

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As a first hand encounter of the Warsaw Ghetto, the understanding of the events occurring from the perspective of a Christian portrays the conditions in which the Poles were under. By describing the things that were done to help the Jews, it is clear that there were Poles that did as much as possible to help protect and disguise Jews as Aryans. The personal relationships that were created between the Poles and the Jews demonstrate the strength of the two parties in one of the hardest times in history. The personal encounters, as well as the vivid descriptions of the streets of Poland, help explain what was done by the Poles

to help the Jews, while living in fear of being caught and killed by the Germans.
Blobaum, Robert. Antisemitism and Its Opponents in Modern Poland. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 2005.
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In the beginning, a large majority of Catholics were against providing assistance to the Jews, as it was believed that the Jews hated Poles more than the Germans. It was only after the witnessing of the violence towards Jews that priest ultimately began aiding the Jews. Afterwards, just as civilians were doing what they could to help the Jews, Catholic leaders throughout Poland wanted to do what they could to help as well. From hiding escapees to providing forged baptismal certificates, many forbidden actions were taken to protect the lives of the innocent. The arrangements by Catholics to protect Jews further demonstrates that although in fear of being caught, Poles were able to find ways to help Jews hide from the Germans.
Borin, Jacqueline. "Embers of the Soul: The Destruction of Jewish Books and Libraries in
Poland during World War II." Libraries & Culture 28.4 (1993): 445-60. Web.
In an attempt to rid Poland of any Jewish literature, many Polish libraries were burnt to the ground. Many of these libraries contained rare prints and collections that were unavailable elsewhere. Not only were these public materials burnt, but also any Jewish books or religious artifacts were required to be eliminated in the book burnings that took place. When the ghettos were established, all public libraries were closed down and in return, private libraries were created and Poles working within would smuggle Polish material in. These reading materials were mostly written in Polish, exemplifying the commonality between the Poles and Jews. All together, the knowledge of what occurred in the ghettos was discovered by the Polish literature written by the Jews regarding their experiences.
Engelking, Barbara. "Reflections on the Subject of Polish-Jewish Relations During World War
II." Polish Sociological Review 137 (2002): 103-07. Print. http://loyola-
primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/01LUC:Library_Collections:TN_jstor_archive_1023292880
From the start, the Germans were upfront about their actions and instilled fear in the people of Poland. Whether it was the Jews who were separated from society or the Poles witnessing the suffering of the Jews, no one knew what to do. Although both parties suffered from the occupation of the Germans, it is not a comparable suffering. The Poles were in constant fear of losing their nationality after just regaining it, while the Jews were losing all aspects of their religion. The reliance of the Jews on the Poles was a necessary relationship to ensure their survival through the catastrophe that took place during World War II.
Friedrich, Klaus-Peter. "Collaboration in a "Land without a Quisling": Patterns of Cooperation
with the Nazi German Occupation Regime in Poland during World War II." Slavic
Review 64.4 (2005): 711-46. Print.
Depending on the role of the Poles in society, their outlook on the Jews varied. For example, it was known that Polish police were used by the Germans to enforce regulations against the Jews such as house searches and deportations to labor camps. To benefit from the suppression of Jews, there were Poles robbing Jewish households and were profiting from taking over Jewish businesses. It was experiences such as these that tainted the Polish-Jewish relationship that had established over the years.
Gross, Jan T.

"Polish-Jewish Relations during the War: An Interpretation." Archives

Européennes De Sociologie / European Journal of Sociology / Europäisches Archiv Für

Soziologie 27.2 (1986): 199-214. Print. http://loyola-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/01LUC:Library_Collections:TN_jstor_archive_1223999261

During the occupation of Poland, Poles were left with a difficult situation at hand. While it is easy to place blame on the Poles for not helping hide more Jews, but it must be noted what was done to protect the lives of many. Poles volunteered to help the Jewish people out at the risk of the lives of themselves and their families. Even as they were afraid, the Poles did what they could to help save Jews even though they believed in the containment of Jews in isolated areas. In the end, the Poles refrained from interfering with the Jews isolation, as requested by the Germans.

Korboński, Stefan. The Jews and the Poles in World War II. New York: Hippocrene, 1989.

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The establishment of ghettos and Star of David identification armbands made it instantaneously known that a person was Jewish. It was during the Warsaw Uprising, Warsaw contained one of the ghettos that was established, that the strength of the relationship between the Poles and the Jews was exemplified. The instance that Poles were able to help Jews at the risk of their own lives was not an uncommon one. It was during the Uprising that the Poles were able to free a labor camp that was maintained by the Germans, freeing those who were brought there to die. It was after circumstances such as these that it was highly necessary of the Jews to blend into the Polish population. Regularly, there were countless circumstances that the Poles did all they could to protect the lives of the innocent Jews.
Paulsson, Gunnar S. Secret City : The Hidden Jews of Warsaw, 1940-1945. New Haven [Conn.]:
Yale UP, 2002. Print.
Within Warsaw, there was a division of the population based on their point of view. There was a group of Poles who were ready to fight, a large group who were passive about the situation, and tiny portion with no opinion. The Jewish perspective believed similarly, as they saw the supporters, the denouncers, and the great majority who were unaware of the circumstances within Warsaw. A great majority of the survival of Jews would not have occurred without the Poles who took Jews under their protection, risking their own lives and the lives of their families.
Poland. Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych. The Mass Extermination of Jews In German
Occupied Poland: Note Addressed to the Governments of the United Nations On
December 10th, 1942, And Other Documents. New York: Published for the Polish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Roy, 1942.

As one of the first witness accounts as to what was occurring in Poland, this address identifies the situation at hand and sheds awareness to other countries. By focusing on each of the issues attached to the occupation of Poland, the news can be spread easily. This is due to the fact that by identifying all of the horrible things being done to the Jews, the rest of the world would immediately feel the need to help. Although awful to hear, the detail used to depict what was occurring was ultimately necessary to attract the attention of other countries to help stop further elimination of Jews.

Ringelblum, Emanuel, Joseph. Kermish, and Shmuel. Krakowski. Polish-Jewish Relations

during the Second World War. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern UP, 1992.

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From the perspective of a Jew who was almost killed in two separate circumstances, the relationship with the Poles was essential to survival. Before the formation of the ghettos, the Jews placed trust within Poles to protect personal belongings from being destroyed. This relationship strengthened even more when Jews with businesses trusted Poles with their stocks and warehouses, creating a business partnership. Unfortunately, these goods were typically not returned as the Germans confiscated them. In cases that the goods were kept in safekeeping, it represented the trust the Poles had in the Jews, as they risked their lives to protect the goods. Other circumstances demonstrate that the Poles were willing to support Jews through financial issues, as well as with food to prevent starvation, the ultimate goal of the Germans when creating the ghettos. All in all, the relationship the Jews built with the Poles further demonstrated the important role Poles had in the number of surviving victims of the Holocaust.