Become a Member
World

'Jew' was a swear word in Lublin. Now we fight to tell truth about this city

'Jew' was a swear word here. Now we fight to tell truth about this city

December 18, 2014 13:09
The \"Jewish Gate\" theatre

By

Isabel De Bertodano

2 min read

When Polish tour guide Magdalena Pokrzycka-Walczak arrived at work one day in 2012, she was shocked to be told of a complaint against her.

"Two Polish women on one of my tours claimed that I focused too much on the Jewish history of Lublin," says Ms Pokrzycka. "They told my boss to watch out for me because I was probably a Jew."

Widespread antisemitism continues to exist in Poland, and Poles who try to educate others can be the butt of it. So what motivates non-Jews such as Ms Pokrzycka to devote their lives to raising awareness?

At school during the Communist era, when Jewish history was suppressed, Ms Pokrzycka thought the term "Jew" was a swear word describing "a bad person". Later, as a guide, she refused to believe a Jewish community had existed in Lublin. "I would argue about it, insisting it was impossible."