Mateusz Pielka

Jewish Issues in the Daily Newspaper Słowo Pomorskie in the Years 1938–1939

The article deals with Jewish issues appearing in the daily newspaper Słowo Pomorskie in the years 1938–1939. The newspaper was published in Toruń in the years 1920–1939 and covered the Pomerania Province (Pomorskie Province) at that time. In the article, the political character of Słowo Pomorskie and its importance for local structures of the National Party (Stronnictwo Narodowe) are discussed. The newspaper usually presented a negative image of the Jewish population, which was connected with the antisemitic attitude of the nationalist groups. The author also describes the role of the Catholic clergy in propagating the anti-Jewish attitudes. The antisemitic contents is divided into thematic categories—foreign and domestic issues are separated. The analysis of the newspaper texts shows, among other things, the affinity of the antisemitic views of the National Party with other movements of this kind in Europe. In the Polish context, the hatred toward Jews did not diminish on the eve of the outbreak of World War II, but rather became radicalized.

The Case of the Accusations of a Ritual Murder in Chojnice (1900) in the Light of the Polish Press

In 1900, the German Empire was extremely shaken by a violent crime. To the east of the country, in the province of West Prussia in the town of Chojnice (Ger. Konitz), a junior high school student, Ernst Winter, was murdered. The circumstances of the case and the manner of the crime led the local population to believe that the boy had been killed by the Jews in order to win his blood for ritual purposes. The accusation of the local Jewish population resulted in a rapid increase in the hostility of Christians (Germans and Poles) towards their Semitic neighbours. The lie about the guilt of the Jews quickly went through the entire province, and then reached the furthest corners of Germany. In Chojnice, riots and numerous attacks on Jews and their property took place. Anti-Jewish excesses have spread rapidly in West Prussia. The course of the investigation and its relationship with the anti-Jewish riots was described by the main representative of the Polish press in West Prussia – Gazeta Toruńska.