SHTETL

[Gość: Rabin]

http://www.papurec.org/3.htm

http://www.papurec.org

3. POLISH nation libel
April 10, 1996


The Public Broadcasting System has announced its threat to show SHTETL on
Frontline on April 17, 1996.

The film, termed a ''documentary'' is historically inaccurate. Its purpose is no
other but to promote negative bias against Poles. Its producer/narrator, Marian
Marzynski, who was rescued as a Jewish child by Poles during WWII, completely
changed the original purpose of the film as planned by a Nathan Kaplan (now
deceased), to make it more commercial - - to appeal to Jews in the United
States, Israel and elsewhere to spread misinformation, breed hatred and foster
interethnic conflict between Poles and Jews. The producer also involved the
youth of Israel in this Project Hatred Against Poles.

Zbigniew Romaniuk, a young Pole with a passion for preserving Jewish history in
Bransk, Poland, was approached by Marzynski and Kaplan to make a movie on the
life of Jews in Bransk. He gave his time, knowledge of local history and
goodwill toward a production that would be accurate and objective. This
intention was shared by Kaplan who died before the film was finished. The final
product shocked and distressed Romaniuk. History is distorted. Poles are shown
in the worse possible light. Help to Jews by Poles; betrayal of Jews to the
Germans by other Jews, round ups of Poles for torture, imprisonment or death
after the ''liberation'' by the Soviets with Jewish collaboration, - all are cut
out. Marzynski now refuses to respond to Romaniuk, although when he needed
Romaniuk''s help he contacted him often.

Marzynski claims that Poles gave ''over to the Germans'' most of the Jewish
orphans they hid. That absurdity is contradicted by the conditions of the time,
i.e. German orders to put to death any Pole who gave the slightest aid to a
Jew. Poles giving the hidden orphans to the Germans would have offered
themselves for death. Marzynski also claims that the was an altar boy in a
Catholic church at the age of about six and a half. That is also absurd. Altar
boys had to be at least nine and know Latin to respond to the priest.

About three years ago, another PBS ''documentary'', The Liberators, was intended
to show the role African-American soldiers, members of the 761st Tank
Battalion, played in the liberation of Dachau and Buchenwald. It was televised
nationally on Veterans Day receiving glowing reviews, hailed as an antidote to
Black-Jewish tensions. Offended, Black veterans of the 761st and Holocaust
scholars, confirmed that this unit never took part in the liberation of these
camps.

PBS used public funding to show a ''documentary'' without first checking
historical accuracy. The same is occurring with SHTETL, except in this case the
distorions of history will have far reaching consequences.

Polish-Americans and members of the public at large are outraged at this
inappropriate use of support dollars and are calling for the withdrawal of
Shtetl from broadcast due on April 17, 1996. Please join us:

By e-mail to PBS press contacts:

Jim Bracciale, [e-mail]
Karen Klein, [e-mail]

Eileen Walsh, [e-mail]




By fax to PBS executives:

Jackie Kain 213-665-6067
Marie Campbell 617-254-0243

For more information contact by fax: Irena Szewiola Fax #[phone]