Zabójstwa ludności żydowskiej w Krakowskiem w latach 1945-1947. Fakty i mity
Murders of Jewish Population in Kraków Region 1945-1947. Facts and Myths

Summary/Abstract: The Jewish population living in Kraków Voivodship after World War II were often the target of attacks or even the victims of murder. Between January 1945 and the spring of 1947, at least 82 Jews were murdered there. They were for the most part civilians, but there were also militia (police) or security service officers among them. In a part of the cases it is difficult to determine unequivocally not only how the crime was committed and by whom, but even the reasons for it. In some instances, the perpetrators’ anti-Semitism was the driving force, often combined with robbery, while in other instances robbery was the prime reason. The Tatra Foothills (Podhale) was an especially dangerous area for the Jews: the land was crossed by the trails of illegal Jewish emigration and there was strong anti-Communist underground and a number of active gangs there. Some murders were committed by resistance fighters from a group led by „Ogień”: four Jews were shot dead in Maniowy, and five at Waksmundzka street in Nowy Targ. The most notorious crime was the shooting murder of 11 Jews near Krościenko. In these cases the perpetrators knew they were dealing with unarmed persons. In two instances (Maniowy and Krościenko) murder was combined with theft of belongings. The second particularly unsafe area was Miechów district, where tens of people were murdered after World War II. The number of Jews who got murdered suggests that Kraków voivodship was an area where the lives of Jews were particularly at risk. Only in Białystok, Lublin, Rzeszów and Kielce voivodships was the danger greater than there.

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