Changing Poland
As a child of Jewish Holocaust survivors from Poland and the Ukraine, as well as an American Fulbright who lived in Poland for a year, I am encouraged by the Palikot movement and the radical changes evidenced in Polish politics, described in the December 9 article, “Not Your Grandma’s Poland Anymore.” With Palikot garnering 10% of the national vote, signs are encouraging that the pendulum has swung, and a more mature, democratic Poland is emerging out of the ashes of the past.
The fear of a backlash from the right wing must not dampen the optimism. By example, in the United States, the struggles and accomplishments generated by the civil rights movement led to the enactment of laws directly responsible for the momentous changes we have seen in this country since the 1960s.
Through the perseverance of and the risk-taking advocacy of groups such as Palikot, there is a chance for a real sea change in the laws in Poland that have enabled the right wing to practice and fund their propaganda. Anti-Semitism may never be entirely removed or outlawed, but the right to openly practice discrimination against Jews and other minorities will be curtailed in Poland if there are laws that outlaw such discrimination on the basis of religion or race.
Minna Zielonka-Packer
New York, N.Y.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.