When the fighting armies overran Poland, the Poles saw their chance and
seized it. The dream of a free Poland had never been absent from their
minds. When the world catastrophe came the Poles saw in it not only an
opportunity to regain their land, that had been dismembered more than
a century before, but also an opportunity to avenge themselves on the
hated Jews. Just as the Russians had always played the Poles against
the Jews, so now the Poles hoped to play Russian, German, Austrian and
Jew against each other. It was indeed to the interest of both Russia
and Austria to court the sympathy of Poland. And the Poles seized the
occasion to denounce the Jews, now to the Russians, now to the Germans,
as spies and traitors.
The position of the Jews under this cross-fire became unbearable. Here
are several cases, selected at random, showing its effect upon the
Jewish population:
One of the first towns in Russian Poland captured by the Austrians was
Zamosti, near the Hungarian frontier, taken by a detachment of Sokol
troops in September, 1914. They were soon driven out by the Russians;
and at once the Poles of the town denounced the Jews to the Russian
commander, accusing the Jews of having given aid to the enemy during
the Austrian occupation of the town. Twelve Jews were arrested. They
denied their guilt but were sentenced to death. Five of them had
already been hanged, when, in the midst of the execution, a Russian
priest, carrying an image of the Virgin, appeared and with his hand on
the image took oath that the Jews were innocent and that the accusation
was merely a product of Polish vindictiveness. He proved that the Poles
of the town themselves had supported the Austrians and that even a
telephone connection with Lemberg could be found. The seven remaining
Jews were then set free. But five had already been hanged.[18]
At Lemberg, in September, 1914, the Poles accused the Jews of firing on
Russian troops; as a consequence a great many Jews were arrested, and
nearly seventy were attacked and wounded; but an investigation proved
them all innocent, and Drs. Rabner and Diamond, the Jews who had been
taken as hostages, were released.[19]
At Kieltse and Radom the Poles plundered many Jewish shops and when
the Russians returned after the German retreat the Poles denounced the
Jews as German sympathizers. Here also those Jews who were arrested
were found to be innocent and released after investigation.[20]
At Mariampol, near the East Prussia frontier, because of a similar
accusation, the entire Jewish male population, with their Rabbi,
Krovchinski, at their head, were compelled to work the roads for three
days—September 22–24 (October 5–7), 1914 (the first two of these days
falling on the Sukkoth holiday.)[21]
In this town, also, one Gershenovitz was sentenced to penal servitude
for six years =because he acted as Mayor during the German occupation,=
although the inquiry held by the Russians showed that =he had been
forced by the Germans to accept the office.=[20]
At Jusefow the Jews were accused of poisoning the wells. Seventy-eight
were killed outright, many Jewish women were violated and all the
houses and shops plundered.[22]
In Drsukenihi a mill owner, Chekhofski, was accused of having given
a signal for the German bombardment of the town by blowing his mill
whistle. When the Russians reoccupied the town he was brought to
trial before the Military Tribunal and the charge was proven to be
groundless.[23]
These are only a few instances, taken at random, of Polish slanders.
=In not a single known case were the charges justified; on the
contrary, their gross absurdity was demonstrated on numerous occasions
before military tribunals that could not possibly be charged with
prejudice in favor of the Jewish side of the issue.= A perfect
illustration of this is furnished by the story of the villages of
Groitsi and Nove-Miasto, near Warsaw.