Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland

The story of the Jedwabne massacre is seldom told, but Jedwabne is not unique for its participation in the “final solution.” How is this small Polish town a microcosm for much of Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, during World War II?

What factors, other than antisemitism, motivated the Poles in Jedwabne to kill their Jewish neighbors? Imagine yourself in these circumstances. Do you think that you would behave any differently? Why or why not?

Gross notes that it was mostly men who conducted the pogrom, particularly fathers and sons. What can you infer about the ritualistic aspect of fathers and sons engaging in the murder of a persecuted group? Why do you think women were not involved in the murders? Does their lack of participation in the bloodshed mean they were innocent? Why or why not?

Gross describes how both Poland and Germany encouraged a collective narrative that depicted their citizens as suffering in the aftermath of World War II. How does this revisionist history work both to the benefit and to the detriment of a society? Are there any similar contemporary examples?

What changed political conditions made it possible for Poland to confront its dishonorable history as late as the year 2000?

Gross provides several testimonies in which children were the targets of antisemitic hostility. Of all vulnerable groups that could have been targeted, including the elderly and the handicapped, why do you think Poles were particularly aggressive in their desire to eliminate children?

According to witnesses, there were many spectators of the pogrom, some of whom arrived from nearby towns, and the burning of Jews supposedly took place in an area about the size of a sports stadium. Why does Gross make a connection between mass murder and spectatorship? Can you draw any parallels with other events in world history?

Polish villages that committed pogroms maintained collective narratives about the massacres, which Gross thinks is a positive way of dealing with painful history. On the other hand, the villagers kept these stories hidden from the public. Why do you think the villagers maintained this collective secrecy? What might they have feared, and do you think their reservations were reasonable or justified? Why or why not?