Polish Government Urged to Ban Distribution of Anti-semitic Book Among Soldiers

The American Representation of the Central Jewish Workers’ Union of Poland today appealed to the Polish Government-in-Exile in London to bar the distribution among Polish soldiers of an anti-Semitic book, “Kultura Polski,” published by Roy Publishers, New York, and distributed as a gift to men in the Polish armed forces throughout the world.

The appeal, cabled to the Polish Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Jan Stanczyk, reads: “We call your attention to the fact that the Polish American Council, Rada Polonji, is trying to distribute through Polish Government channels thousands of copies of the book ‘Kultura Polski’ by Kazimierz Hartleb as a gift for Polish soldiers and refugees. Because this book contains anti-Semitic chapters and seeks to influence readers in favor of a semi-Fascist Polish Government as it existed before the outbreak of war, we ask you to take the necessary steps.”

Among the other anti-Semitic statements which the book contains, it describes Polish-Jewish relations as follows: “The Poles envy the Jews their wealth, particularly since the Poles are convinced that the Jews acquired their fortunes by wicked means. The more superstitious the Poles became, the richer the Jews got. The Jews lived in Polish towns like worms in beautiful furniture, like moths in precious furs. The Polish landlords liked eating spicy foods, and the Jews sold them these foods. That is why the Jews got everything from the landlords for a sack of pepper. The Jews meant everything to the landlord. The landlords rented mills, inns, hotels and hamlets to the Jews. The Jew was his best secretary and his trusty servant.”