Anti-Zionist purge in the Polish Army

The anti-Zionist purge in the Polish Army was the removal from the Polish People's Army of soldiers of Jewish origin, carried out in year 1968 following Six-Day War between Israel and allied with Soviet Union Arab countries.

Background

Polish People's Army was successor of the polish armies formed in the Soviet Union during WW2. Due to slaughter of polish officers in the Katyn Massacre, most of officers staff were people, who were educated in Soviet Union, with large proportion officers with Jewish roots. Jewish officers were also promoted due to suspected loyalty towards Soviet Union. Following formation of Israel in 1948, Stalin disappointed by pro-American stand of Israel oriented Soviet policz against people of Jewish roots. However, this policy didn't propagated to Polish People's Army, where many people sympathized with Israel. Following the Six-Day War Soviet Union considered military action against Israel and concerted the East Bloc countries to break the dimplomatic ties with Israel.[1]

March crisis

Following meeting of East European countries in Moscow, Polish leadership realized that Poland and Israel are now firmly in 2 opposite blocks and in case of armed conflict there could be loyalty conflict for officers of Jewish roots. As result, in 1967-1968 Anti-Zionist purges were performed, and culminated in the so-called March events.[2]

General Wojciech Jaruzelski, a member of the top management of the Ministry of Defence, and, from April 11, 1968, Minister of Defence, who headed a special committee, was to be responsible for the purge in the army. General Teodor Kufel, the head of the Military Internal Service was also co-responsible.

There is no unanimous agreement on the number of officers removed as part of the purge. Peter Raina indicated the number of several dozen,[3] Anka Grupińska - 150.[4] Lech Kowalski reported that six orders containing 1348 names (both officers and petty officers) had survived, and added that soldiers of Jewish origin were being removed from the army by General Jaruzelski in 1980.[5]

The people affected by the purge were deprived of the officer rank "because of the lack of moral values" and degraded (e. g. Mieczysław Krzemiński[6]).

Anti-Semitic character of purges

During purge, number of officers were purged only due to their Jewish roots and without proof of their loyalty towards Israel. This makes the purge of having Anti-Semitic character.

References
  1. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/the-soviet-union-and-the-six-day-war-revelations-the-polish-archives
  2. Lech., Kowalski (2012). Jaruzelski, generał ze skazą : biografia wojskowa generała armii Wojciecha Jaruzelskiego (Wyd. 2. popr ed.). Poznań: Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka. ISBN 9788375069792. OCLC 792985342.
  3. 1935-, Raina, Peter (2001). Jaruzelski : 1923-1968. Warszawa: Wydawn. Efekt. ISBN 8388900005. OCLC 48016180.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. "Czystka antysemicka w Wojsku Polskim 1967–1968 | Wirtualny Sztetl". sztetl.org.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  5. OMI, Telewizja Polska SA -. ""Towarzysz Generał" - Telewizja Polska SA". www.tvp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  6. "Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej". katalog.bip.ipn.gov.pl. Retrieved 2018-03-04.


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