In a critical chapter of Poles and Jews: A Call for Myth Reconstruction, author Jennifer Stark-Blumenthal confronts the effects of extreme shifting politics on the public’s understanding of past Polish-Jewish relations.

In 1989 Poland broke free from Soviet control and began to create a more tolerant and open society. Though at first willing to face an exploration of the difficult past, a decided backlash has since emerged. Over the past 15 years, the far-right PiS party has gained immense power by branding historical investigations into Polish violence against Jews during WWII as malicious efforts to shame the Polish people and dishonor the Polish state. Polish historians (Jan Gross, Jan Grabowski, Barbara Engelking, et. al.) have been charged with tarnishing the good name of Poland and falsifying the past. By establishing a comprehensive network of government-sponsored historical and memorial institutes, PiS-has distracted from any Polish wrong-doing by not only underscoring Polish suffering during WWII but also by grossly exaggerating Polish efforts to save Jews.

Recently, PiS has attempted to disconnect even more from Jews and the Jewish presence in Poland. The new president, Karol Nawrocki, canceled the Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony. The director of restoration at the Warsaw Jewish cemetery, Witold Wrzosinski, was fired by the PiS minister, Michal Laszczkowski, who is responsible for preserving national monuments.  “Among Neighbors,” a documentary on the murder of Jews in post-World War II Poland, was denounced by President Nawrocki and other Polish officials.

Recently, American Ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose, who serves at the pleasure of Donald Trump, proposed that accusations that Poles helped the Nazis amount to a “blood libel,” an ironic use of the term. Contextualizing the rise of Polish nationalism within its global framework, including the illiberal surge in the United States, Stark-Blumenthal brings added perspective to this dynamic within the Polish state.

Please join us January 11, 2026, when Freighted Legacies returns with a conversation featuring author Jennifer Stark-Blumenthal and her monumental book, Poles and Jews: A Call for Myth Reconstruction. We will focus on Chapter 20, “Myth Reconstruction and the Backlash in Poland.” Understanding the complex political and cultural dynamics within Poland will be a key takeaway from this upcoming webinar. Stark-Blumenthal also poses the significant question: Could the study of history replace nationalist slogans and tired prejudices? We hope you will join in the conversation.

Previously on June 8, 2025, Stark-Blumenthal shared the book’s origins, which developed out of a friendship with young musicians from Poland working at a Jewish summer camp in Georgia, USA. We have this introduction in both Polish and English.

For January 11, we will focus on a Myth Reconstruction and the Backlash in Poland (chapter 20). You can access the Polish translation here.

To acquire the paperback of the book at a special discount click here.