Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland

On July 10, 1941, Jedwabne Mayor Marian Karolak coordinated the murder of the local Jewish citizenry. He called the Polish Gentiles to the town hall and “ordered them to round up the Jews to the square” (58). The Gestapo had also visited town, but no one can confirm if this visit occurred on the day of the massacre or the day before. The sole “town council member who left a deposition is Józef Sobuta, and his testimony is less than forthcoming” (58). The Germans gave municipal authorities eight hours to get rid of the Jews but insisted that “some Jewish craftsmen be kept alive” (173).

Gross wonders about what “specific role the Germans [played] in the implementation” (59) of the Jedwabne massacre. He also speculates about how many Germans were in town that day and what they did. The Germans were, after all, the “undisputed bosses over life and death in Jedwabne” (59). The Germans officiated over all “sustained organized activity” (59), usually by giving orders or expressing their consent. They were the only group of people who decided what happened with the Jews. They could have stopped the murders at any time but never chose to mediate.