Out of the Inferno

September 15, 1989
Lukas, author of Forgotten Holocaust: The Poles Under German Occupation , here assembles oral histories by 60 Christian Polish men and women who survived the Nazi occupation. Told in plain language, their moving testimonies recount the sadism, mass murders, deportations and imprisonment which Poles suffered at the hands of Hitler's invading army. These first-person narratives demonstrate that thousands of Poles courageously rescued Jews, at great risk to their own lives. One point of controversy is Lukas's intention with this oral history to refute the ``stereotype'' that Poles were anti-Semites who ``at a minimum were indifferent to the Germans' treatment of the Jews. . . .'' Yet, in an introductory essay, he supportively quotes comments about the ``unresisting attitude'' and ``passivity'' of Jewish victims of Nazism. In this treatment, he largely ignores the torrent of anti-Semitic legislation, daily brutality and prejudice that many Polish Jews faced prior to the German occupation.

July 1, 1989
Korbonski was a prominent leader of the Polish underground resistance to German occupation during World War II, and, since leaving Poland in 1947, he has been a major figure among Polish political exiles in the United States. He provides a rapid-fire review of efforts by the Polish underground to assist Jews and to inform the Western allies of the destruction of Polish Jews. The second half of the book contradicts postwar charges of Polish anti-Semitism and reproduces statements and documents emphasizing Polish assistance to Jews. This vigorous partisan contribution to the ongoing debate about Polish attitudes and actions during the Jewish Holocaust is a valuable statement by a leading participant. For collections specializing in these subjects. Lukas presents a selection of oral and written memoirs of some 60 Polish men and women who lived through the German occupation of Poland in World War II. The contributors derive from a wide social and political background and their recollections, ranging from a few paragraphs to a dozen pages, are highly episodic rather than analytic or evaluative. Most discuss some aspect of the Jewish Holocaust, and some describe their efforts on behalf of Jews. Only a few refer candidly to animosities between Poles and Jews. There is a long litany of the brutalities of the occupation, only occasionally relieved by isolated acts of heroism and generosity. Unfortunately, almost no contributors report on the parts of Poland under Soviet occupation. Recommended for World War II and Holocaust collections.-- James B. Street, Santa Cruz P.L., Cal.

Copyright 1989 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.