r among the Polish people, a fervor that often erupted in hostility and violence against Jews. Over 90% Catholic, the population of Poland is heavily immersed in the Christian faith. Two World Wars and occupation of the country by both Russia and Germany has devastated PolandÆs economy and infrastructure. For these reasons Polish government and Church officials continued to portray the few Jews left in Poland as the source of PolandÆs economic and social ills. Jews were associated with the Communist government and blamed for that countryÆs persecution of Poles. In effect, the Jews represented the perfect scapegoat on which ineffectual state and Church leaders could blame their countryÆs problems. In an overwhelmingly Catholic nation, Church leaders maintained great power and influence over government and society. Contemptuous anti-Semitic teachings were part of Christian ideology. Local priests would whip up anti-Semitic fervor by telling Catholics Jews drank the blood of their babies and other rhetoric. In Shtetl an account of a Polish Jew living under Nazi occupation, Eva Hoffman argues that such propaganda and tactics by Church and state served to keep both Jews and Poles from integrating into a blended culture. She argues that while Poles may view Jews as ôcraftyö, Jews would often display a ôcondescendingö attitude toward Christians. Hoffman further claims that both state and Church were able to use the fact that some Jews remained loyal to whoever occupied Poland and not Poland itself as a reason to incite more ire against them.
One of the worst acts of violence against Jews after WWII occurred in 1946. Known as the ôKielce pogromö, this violent attack on Jews demonstrates the apathy with which both Polish government officials and Church officials viewed Jews. As one historian writes of the killing, ôBy not doing anything to stop the massacres that took place in Kielce the Catholic Church has been ...