Eighty years ago, the city of Kielce in southern Poland was the scene of the worst pogrom in postwar Polish history. In 1946, just 14 months after the allies' victory over Nazi Germany and the end of the World War II, an estimated 40 Jewish Holocaust survivors were robbed, beaten and brutally murdered by their neighbors.
On the morning of July 4, 1946, an angry mob gathered in front of what was known as the "Jewish House" at 7 Planty Street, the headquarters of several Jewish aid organizations. The two-story building also served as temporary accommodation for over 150 Jews who had survived the Nazi regime, by hiding in Poland or by going into exile in the Soviet Union. These traumatized individuals were trying to build new lives in Poland or planning to emigrate to Palestine.
"Death to the Jews!" the mob shouted as they gathered in front of the building, armed with stones and clubs.
The house at 7 Planty Str. in Kielce, scene of a massacreImage: Jacek Lepiarz/DW
A rumor was spreading around the town: That the Jews had kidnapped and murdered Christian children. A civic militia was sent to the house and they told others they were going to look for children, which only incited the crowd further.
