The American Jesuit Review breaks the Ninth Commandment – Our rebuttal

The American Jesuit Review breaks the Ninth Commandment – Our rebuttal

America Media, the publisher of the Jesuit Review, claims to be the leading provider of editorial content for thinking Catholics and those who want to know what Catholics are thinking. Unfortunately, the article With Anti-Semitism on the rise can Poland come to terms with its past? of November 2, 2018, provides not really editorial content that one can expect from a Catholic magazine.

Monika Rice, the article’s author, a native of Poland, and a graduate of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan spread hate speech, unsubstantiated generalities, and lies and hearsay presented as ‘truth’ about Poland. Poland has one of the lowest levels of anti-Semitism in the world but not so for Monika Rice. In some way, she resembles Judy Munro-Leighton, a left-wing activist, who invented a sexual harassment story, to discredit Brett Kavanaugh, an American lawyer, and jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Munro-Leighton admitted later, that she had never met Kavanaugh.
It is quite common that left-wing activists break the Ninth Commandment (“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”) but it is surprising that it happens in a Catholic magazine. 

Guided by the love of our “neighbor”, the American Jesuit Review, we sent a letter of protest to the editors. Please see our rebuttal and support our efforts by contacting the Jesuit Review too (assetta@americamedia.org, malone@americamedia.org, america@americamagazine.org, reidy@americamagazine.org, weber@americamagazine.org, martin@americamagazine.org).

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Dear America Media,

Your correspondent shows a remarkable ignorance of facts in this article. Plus, why attack a Catholic country with such biased reportage. The deadly anti-Semitic incident happened in the US!
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2018/11/02/anti-semitism-rise-can-poland-come-terms-its-past

The principle behind that law was to prevent factually inaccurate phrases such as “Polish death camp”. Everyone agrees that those types of descriptions are a complete distortion. In fact, they actually come under an internationally agreed definition of Holocaust Denial and Distortion.
“Attempts to blur the responsibility for the establishment of concentration and death camps devised and operated by Nazi Germany by putting blame on other nations or ethnic groups.”
https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-holocaust-denial-and-distortion

Which is precisely what Monika Rice is attempting to do. She is trying to make Poland an axis ally of the German Nazis. She is clearly oblivious to the 1000 year history of Jews in Poland and why Poland was for hundreds of years the center of the Jewish world. Why? Because it was the only country in the world where Jews were given sanctuary from oppression. Instead, she propagates a false and negative stereotype of anti-Semitic Poles. She fails to mention that no other country did more to try and help Jews during the German orchestrated genocide or that no other country paid a higher price for their resistance to the German invasion and occupation.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/polish-victims

Only in German-occupied Poland was there a German mandated death sentence for any person AND their family for trying to help Jews. Tens of thousands of Poles were executed by the Germans for helping Jews.
http://db.yadvashem.org/righteous/search.html?language=en

As another statement of fact. The Polish law did NOT prevent scholastic or artistic endeavours. They were specifically excluded. BUT, you wouldn’t know that since Rice excluded that from her very selective citation. Here’s the bit she left off when spinning her yarn.
“3. An offence is not committed if the perpetrator of a prohibited act set out in sections 1 and 2 above acted within the framework of artistic or scientific activity.”
https://www.ms.gov.pl/pl/informacje/news,10368,nowelizacja-ustawy-o-ipn—wersja-w-jezyku.html

So, Rice’s whole premise is undermined. Research was NOT affected by the law. Neither was writing about the (very few) individual acts of collaboration. Additionally, the law was not proposed it was in force. Albeit nearly 6 months later it was later amended (sections 55a and 55b were repealed) due to hysterical, almost rabid, reactions in some quarters.

Here’s the subsequent joint Statement from Poland and Israel.
http://www.pmo.gov.il/English/MediaCenter/Events/Pages/eventStatement221116.aspx

It is shameful that a magazine associated with Jesuits would publish such one-sided garbage. Gross is not a reliable historian. His narrative is tendentious and totally lacks academic discipline. Sadly, some accepted what he wrote without question or using what is usually referred to as “common sense”.
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2016/03/scientific-misconduct-at-princeton-university

Here’s a great article on the subject written earlier this year.
https://polishmediaissues.online/anti-semitism-a-difficult-subject/

I also draw your attention to the online comments from Jenny Davis who makes wild accusations. “She” (fake id) is a troll who has been regularly reported to Facebook and her defamatory comments have no value or foundation. “Her” comments should be removed and she should be blocked from your site. In fact, it would be better if that whole article was removed together with the comments. You should publish an apology for propagating such a distorted and anti-Polish article.

Sincerely,

Chris Jezewski