Anti-Jewish violence in Poland, 1944–46 Blood libel a Jewish woman to kidnap and murder a Polish child, and the alleged discovery of thirteen (or even eighty) corpses of Christian children that supposedly had been found in Kupa Synagogue

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Blood libel[edit]

Sporadic public anti-Jewish disturbances or riots were enticed by spread of false blood libel accusations against Jews in a dozen Polish towns – Kraków, Kielce,Bytom, Białystok, Bielawa, Częstochowa, Legnica, Otwock, Rzeszów, Sosnowiec, Szczecin, Tarnów[38][39][40] Acts of anti-Jewish violence were also recorded in villages and small towns of central Poland, where the overwhelming majority of attacks occurred.[1][41] According to Szaynok, the perpetrators of the anti-Jewish actions were seldom punished.[42] Shortly after the Kielce pogrom, violence against Jews in Poland had ceased.[43]
The Kraków pogrom of August 11, 1945, was the first anti-Jewish riot in postwar Poland, resulting in one death.[44][45] The immediate pretext for it were rumours of alleged attempt by a Jewish woman to kidnap and murder a Polish child, and the alleged discovery of thirteen (or even eighty) corpses of Christian children that supposedly had been found in Kupa Synagogue.[46] During the riot, Jews were attacked in Kazimierz, and other parts of Old Town. Fire was set in Kupa Synagogue.

Kielce pogrom[edit]

Main article: Kielce pogrom
A pogrom (the causes of which are still very controversial),[47] erupted in Kielce on July 4, 1946.[48] The rumour that a Polish boy had been kidnapped by Jews but had managed to escape, and that other Polish children had been ritually murdered by Jews – according to Pynsent – ignited a violent public reaction directed at the Jewish Center.[48][verification needed] Attacks on Jewish residents of Kielce were provoked by units of the communist militia and the Soviet-controlled Polish Army who confirmed the rumors of the kidnapping. Police and soldiers were also the first to fire shots at Jews – according to Szaynok, thus "giving civilians a pretext to join the fray."[49]

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