Kielce pogrom

Kielce pogrom
Part of anti-Jewish violence in Poland, 1944–1946
Plaque on ulica Planty 7, Kielce, dedicated by Lech Wałęsa, 1990
LocationKielce, Poland
Date4 July 1946
Morning until evening (official cessation at 3 p.m.)
TargetPolish Jews
Deaths38 to 42 Jews
MotiveBlood libel
Convicted39 convicted (9 executed)

The Kielce pogrom was an outbreak of violence toward the Jewish community centre's gathering of refugees in the city of Kielce, Poland, on 4 July 1946 by Polish soldiers, police officers, and civilians[1] during which 42 Jews were killed and more than 40 were wounded.[1][2] Polish courts later sentenced nine of the attackers to death in connection with the crimes.[1]

As the deadliest pogrom against Polish Jews after the Second World War, the incident was a significant point in the post-war history of Jews in Poland. It took place only a year after the end of the Second World War and the Holocaust, shocking Jews in Poland, non-Jewish Poles, and the international community. It has been recognized as a symptom of the precarious condition of Eastern European Jewish communities in the aftermath of the Holocaust and as a catalyst for the flight from Poland of most remaining Polish Jews who had survived the war.[3][4]

  1. ^ a b c The Kielce Pogrom: A Blood Libel Massacre of Holocaust Survivors Archived 24 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Interview with Krzysztof Kąkolewski, Archive copy at the Wayback Machine Also available with purchase at "To Moskwa zaplanowała ten mord" (The murder was planned in Moscow), Tygodnik Angora – "Przegląd prasy krajowej i światowej", Łódź, 29/2006 (839); section Kultura, p. 56. Copy available at Forum historycy.org, 3 July 2006, and at Gazeta.pl Forum (incomplete) Archived 7 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, 7 June 2016. (in Polish)
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference patterns was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "The Kielce Pogrom: A Blood Libel Massacre of Holocaust Survivors". Holocaust Encyclopedia. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 1 March 2023.