Analysis of Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland by Janet Gross

763 Words2 Pages

Most narratives out of the Holocaust from the Nazis point of view are stories of soldiers or citizens who were forced to partake in the mass killings of the Jewish citizens. Theses people claim to have had no choice and potentially feared for their own lives if they did not follow orders. Neighbors, The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland, by Jan T. Gross, shows a different account of people through their free will and motivations to kill their fellow Jewish Neighbors. Through Gross’s research, he discovers a complex account of a mass murder of roughly 1,600 Jews living in the town of Jedwabne Poland in 1941. What is captivating about this particular event was these Jews were murdered by friends, coworkers, and neighbors who lived in the same town of Jedwabne. Gross attempts to explain what motivated these neighbors to murder their fellow citizens of Jedwabne and how it was possible for them to move on with their lives like it had never happened. The account of Jedwabne is unique in the fact that it focuses on one mass murder of roughly 1,600 Jewish residents, which occurred in July 1941. The murder occurs during the violent German campaign of anti-Semitism in Poland. The main occurrence seen across Germany and Poland of the anti-Semitism campaign was the killing and justified harassment of Jewish residents. Without a doubt the event in Jedwabne was triggered by Nazi influence. What is interesting is how Gross represents these influences. He shows that the killings of Jedwabne were planned, organized, and enthusiastically conducted by local authorities and citizens of the non-Jewish community. Gross also points out that it is possible that Germans did not participate in this killing and that it is even possib... ... middle of paper ... ...e of Jedwabne to seriously examine what occurred in their town. What truly influenced the murders to have occurred by the non-Jewish citizens? Gross used excerpts of the accounts that occurred. Often they seem to be untold stories that were hidden away. The stories are heart wrenching and painful. It can be understood why for so many years these people chose to hide the truth. These people murdered their friends, co-workers, and neighbor whom they lived with on a daily basis. Those involved made a conscious decision to partake in the murders they were not innocent bystanders. Some chose to partake out of fear for themselves and their families, while others had deep resentment and hate for these people. Some of it was inspired by Nazi Germany, but there had to be something deep inside those people that prompted them to act with such hate and disregard for others.

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