Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Relations between the Catholic Church and the Jews are mostly good these days. There are individual exceptions. The Wiesenthal Center alerts: Father Rydzyk, Jew-Hating Media Mogul Leverages Antisemitism to Cause Political Crisis in Poland 
Rydzyk went on to accuse the tiny Polish Jewish community of “grafting $65 billion from Poland" under the pretext of “Jewish pogroms†in the 1930’s saying, “They [the Jews] will come to you and say, 'Give me your coat! Take off your trousers! Give me your shoes!'"...
...Three million of Poland’s estimated 3.25 pre-World War II Jewish population, the largest Jewish community in the world, were murdered in the Nazi Holocaust. The Jewish Community’s property was never returned after World War II by the Communist regime. Current efforts to address the Restitution issue have led to Rydzyk’s outrage.
Father Rydzyk’s extremism was previously criticized by Pope Benedict XVI. His radio station has hosted antisemites and Holocaust deniers. Join the Wiesenthal Center’s call to the Catholic Church to dismiss this “Josef Goebbels in a collar.â€
Click here to sign and forward a petition asking for his dismissal.
I have met quite a few people from poland and Italy that really disliked jews , my own father, born In Italy In 1930 always made those jew comments then they bought a house next to Izzy and Hanna and things changed, my mom became best friends with Hanna and we all miss her since her passing last year.
My point Is that when a person Is exposed to good people It should not matter what background they are from.
By the way has anyone seen that new LIBERTY MUTUAL tv commercial where someone sees someone do a selfless act and they themselves do a selfless act the next day like the lady who stops the pizza guy from getting hit by a car?
They should run that commercial 24/7 on al-jizzera...
I've seen that one. Quite good. I'm a sucker for "feel good" stuff like that.
Some perspective, from David Harris of AJC in the NYT:
To the Editor:
The complexity of contemporary Poland was underscored by the two news articles on Poles and Jews published side by side ("In Poland, a Jewish Revival Thrives Minus Jews" and "Call to Punish Polish Priest for Anti-Semitic Remarks," July 12).
Anti-Semitism has not disappeared from Polish soil any more than it has vanished from other countries in Europe. The anti-Semitic broadcasts on Radio Maryja, which enjoys a large national audience, not to mention the recent assault on the Polish chief rabbi, are sobering reminders of the danger of what has been called the world's oldest social pathology.
Yet Poland, since courageously overthrowing Communism in 1989, has made tremendous strides in building strong links with Israel, enhancing ties with world Jewry, and creating a welcoming climate for Jewish renewal. These laudable efforts have been supported by successive governments and bolstered by dedicated civic institutions like the Forum for Dialogue Among Nations.
The American Jewish Committee, which has been active in Polish-Jewish relations for decades, can attest to the dramatic change under way. Significant gains have been achieved against the backdrop of an anguished and multilayered history. Indeed, the increasingly vibrant Polish-Jewish relationship should be seen as a metaphor for the triumph of hope over despair.
David A. Harris
Executive Director
American Jewish Committee
New York, July 12, 2007
And recall it was Harris and the AJC who published Rosenfeld's "Progressive" Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism.