The Kielce pogrom of 1918 refers to the events that occurred on 11 November 1918, in the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

city of

Kielce Kielce (, yi, קעלץ, Keltz) is a city in southern Poland, and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the bank ...

located in current

Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship The Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, also known as the Świętokrzyskie Province, and the Holy Cross Voivodeship ( pl, województwo świętokrzyskie ) is a voivodeship (province) of Poland situated in southeastern part of the country, in the histo ...

. According to 1919 Report by

Henry Morgenthau, Sr. Henry Morgenthau (; April 26, 1856 – November 25, 1946) was a German-born American lawyer and businessman, best known for his role as the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Morgenthau was one of the most prominent Americans w ...

who led the ''Mission of The United States to Poland''; during Poland's fight for independence towards the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, shortly after the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

troops were evacuated from Kielce by their military command, the city authorities allowed local Jewish community to hold a rally at the Polish Theatre. The participants rallied behind the Jewish demand for political and cultural

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...

. Mission of The United States to Poland, Henry Morgenthau, Sr. Report According to one U.S. source, during the rally, anti-Polish speeches were also being delivered. A respected lawyer, Mr. Frajzyngier, who attempted to deliver a public address in Polish was booed. The angry audience shouted: "No Polish language here!" According to Stanisław Białek from the Jan Karski Society, the voices of protest sparked a rumour about the anti-Polish character of the meeting. As the meeting went on, a crowd of Polish onlookers gathered outside the theatre. At 6:30 P.M. the meeting began to break up, wrote Morgenthau. Only about 300 people remained in the auditorium. Soon, a group of soldiers entered the theatre and began to search for arms, driving the Jews towards the stairs, where a double line of extremists, some armed with clubs and bayonets beat the Jews as they were leaving the building according to Morgenthau. Outside the theatre, Jews were assaulted by the mob again. Jewish homes and shops were damaged. During the

pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...

four Jews were killed and a large number wounded, wrote Morgenthau. based on information provided by a Russian writer M.J. Olgin, a Jewish Communist representing

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

interests in Poland which ultimately led to the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921) * russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...

of 1919. Olgin escaped to USA in 1915 and began to advocate that the affairs of Poland need to be taken over by an external force. "A number of civilians have been indicted for participation in this excess", but had not been brought to trial by the time his report was delivered.Województwo Świętokrzyskie – Kielce (including Kielce Synagogue/Synagoga w Kielcach).

References

{{Massacres of Jews Conflicts in 1918 Massacres in Poland Mass murder in 1918 Antisemitism in Poland Anti-Jewish pogroms of the Polish-Soviet War Jewish Polish history Riots and civil disorder in Poland November 1918 events category:Kielce D. Flisiak, Pogrom ludności żydowskiej w Kielcach z 11-12 listopada 1918 roku: przyczyny, przebieg, konsekwencje, „Facta Simonidis: zeszyty naukowe Państwowej Wyższej Szkoły Zawodowej w Zamościu”, 2017, nr 1, s. 243-259.

See also

References