A report released Wednesday on the representation of Jews, Judaism and antisemitism in Polish textbooks noted improvement, but highlighted issues such as the malicious presentation of Jews as culpable for Jesus’s death.
The London-based nongovernmental organization IMPACT-se found that the textbooks had expanded material on topics such as ancient Israel, Jewish migration and the Jewish presence in Poland. However, they continue to reinforce outdated narratives, particularly concerning Jewish-Christian relations, the Jews’ place in Polish society, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The findings of the study, which reviews 42 textbooks for adherence to UNESCO-based standards of tolerance in education, are being shared with the Polish government in Warsaw this week. The textbook review came after Poland’s Ministry of Education announced plans for a comprehensive curriculum reform, alongside similar initiatives in eight other European countries.
The Shoah
Holocaust education remains a focal point in Polish textbooks.
In its report, IMPACT-se commented, “While recent textbook updates have made progress in emphasizing the unique atrocities Jews faced, and the role antisemitism played in their suffering, there is room for these improvements to be applied consistently across all textbooks.”
In some cases, the specific targeting of Jews is placed alongside Polish suffering during World War II. This, the study said, “risks diminishing the distinct persecution Jews faced under Nazi occupation.”
The report also cited a fourth-grade history textbook that attributes Jews’ vulnerability during the Holocaust to their “distinctiveness,” without mentioning the systematic antisemitism and the role of local collaborators.
Jewish-Christian relations
Stereotypes of Jews are perpetuated in some Polish textbooks in the context of Jewish-Christian relations.
A fifth-grade history textbook presents Jews as “merciless” and responsible for authorizing Jesus’s crucifixion, echoing narratives from earlier centuries.
Furthermore, the contributions of the Jewish community to the development the Poland over the centuries are frequently overlooked, the study found, as are the significant impact of Jewish culture and heritage in Poland. A 2021 high school textbook provides an overview of Jewish attitudes toward the Polish state, but perpetuates stereotypes of “indifference” and “hostility.”
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Polish textbooks often portray Jewish people and their connection to the Land of Israel in a negative light.
“Palestinians are commonly depicted as the indigenous population with an uninterrupted claim to the land, while Jewish ties to Israel are either minimized or ignored altogether.”
A fifth-grade history textbook presents Israel’s War of Independence as a conflict between Arab natives and Jewish immigrants, for example, implying that Jews stole the land from an indigenous population.
“There are a lot of pleasing improvements in Poland’s textbooks, especially in their growing Jewish content,” said IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff, noting the rich centuries-old, though ultimately tragic, history of the Jews of Poland. “However, this positivity needs to be reflected throughout the entire curriculum. It is concerning that conspiracy theories about Jewish involvement in the death of Jesus and narratives denying Jewish indigeneity to the land of Israel continue to appear in educational materials.”