Polemics on the survival strategies applied by Jews on the Aryan side of Dębica county

Abstract

For years historians have discussed the attitude of Poles towards Jews during the Holocaust. Tomasz Frydel’s article on the survival strategies applied by Jews during the German occupation in Dębica county is one of the contributions to this discussion. The authors of the present article wanted to draw the reader’s attention to Frydel’s somewhat simplified approach toward the issue of Polish -Jewish rela-tionships. The first part of this article is a critical analysis of accounts and testimonies given by persons who survived the Holocaust around the current Subcarpathian Province. This part also illustrates the reality of Polish residents of Dębica county during the German occupation, which was one of the main causes for their attitude towards ghetto runaways. The second part describes the attitude of the Home Army towards Jews hiding on the Aryan side in Dębica county during the German occupation. It analyses Frydel’s findings concerning the numbers of murdered Jews and circumstances of their death.