World II movie " Pianist " (The Pianist) is adapted from the memoir of Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Wladyslaw Szpilman ). The film tells the story of the German invasion of Poland and the Jewish massacre project was launched. With the help of many people, Schipilman hid in Warsaw and lived until the post-war story.
"Pianist" movie poster, the male protagonist lives alone on the ruins of Poland's streets
Stills
Pianist Shipirman (1911-2000), Holocaust survivor
Jewish Policeman
Most people will talk about the most important character in the second half of the story: German Captain Werm Hosenfeld. The first key figure who turned Shipirman's fate and avoided him being sent to the concentration camp was a disgraceful Jewish policeman. In the movie, the Jewish policeman Yitzchak is a distant relative of the hero. He is cruel and greedy for other Jews, either hitting people with a baton or asking for bribes. He also helped Shipirman, with three main scenes: Inviting Shipirman's younger brother to be a Jewish policeman was rejected, helping to release the arrested Henrik (the male protagonist's younger brother), and dragging him back into the police cordon before Shipirman and his family boarded the train. This image is a microcosm of several Jewish policemen in the memoirs.
Yitzchak
The formation of Jewish settlements and Jewish committees
1939 to 1941, with the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, Jewish settlements were formed. One statement shows that although the settlements originated from the laws enforced by the Germans, some Jewish elites believed that cooperating with the Germans was not a betrayal, but a Jewish political plan - the realization of autonomy. In Europe, Jews were always politically marginal. This is why the Jews took advantage of the first political opportunity to establish a Jewish district on Polish lands in 1939-1941. History has proven that some leaders of the "Jewish Political Committee" have naive ideas.
Jewish Political Committee
Class differences within Jews
Shpierman's memoirs show that the living space of Jews under Nazi rule is gradually compressed. It took several years from confiscation of property, control of rides, banning of vehicles, forcing labor, to random execution and sending it to concentration camps, until entering the gas chamber . Under the propaganda lies of the Germans, no one could foresee such institutionalized massacres. Under the exploitation of the Nazis, the Jewish settlements became slums, with most of the people alone, many of them died of cold and hungry on the roadside, and stealing and robbing became a trend; while the Jewish giants relied on surrender and bribery and always lived a life of debauchery.
Millions of Jews were controlled in colonies. In addition to fear of the Nazis, they also had trust in those who were famous in the Jewish Committee
Collective unemployment and bankrupt Jews tried their best to do business to make a living
orphans in the Jewish settlement
s slightly thicker winter clothes, shoes, and scarves were all snatched away by the Germans. In the winter of 1941, many Jews freeze to death
Jewish police were established in the early days, and at the same time, they tried to recruit a group of well-educated upper-class young people as policemen in the Jewish settlement. Schipirman's younger brother once refused such an invitation. His memoir said that friends who valued his cultural qualities came to persuade Henrik to join because "most young people from intellectual families do this. It is safe there, and if they can be good at adapting, their income will be good."
There are more than 2,000 Jewish police in Warsaw alone
Initially, the establishment of Jewish police was used to maintain daily order in the Jewish district. Some young people also think that joining can have opportunities to serve the community, such as directing traffic, checking documents, supervising garbage sanitation, etc. Jewish police have a certain role in controlling epidemics and resolving disputes. The residents of the Jewish district thank the Jewish police for carrying out these public welfare activities.
Jewish police
direct traffic, just waiting to cross the road, the Jews are also full of fear, and there will be harm from Germans and Jewish police at any time
They do not allow guns, only one baton. The costumes are not uniform enough, but civilians on the brink of death are enough than losing everything. If the salary is not enough, you can ask for bribes. The safety of himself and his family was also promised by the Germans. But essentially, the Germans used them and only needed those who blindly obeyed their orders.
Change: Jewish police assisted the German army in committing evil deeds
Over time, the role of Jewish police in improving living conditions in slums has greatly decreased, and they are as infamous as their masters.
Shpierman's memoirs record: "We used to shake hands with these acquaintances and treat them as friends. They were very decent people not long ago...Their greatest desire now is to follow Gestapo , be loyal to the Gestapo officials, follow them to show off their power on the street, show that they can speak a few German words, and compete with their masters to see who can deal with the Jews more cruel."
Movie screenshot, a Jewish policeman deliberately took the Jews passing by when they flattered the Nazis
When the Germans were bored, they deliberately took the Jews passing by. An old Jewish man was forced to shave his beard by the German army, and then killed him at will. The Germans humiliated the Jews in daily life and punished them to do gymnastics. Later, it was suspected that Ukrainian (?) Nazi
After the war, a few living Jewish police officers were accused of assisting the German authorities in 1941. In the summer of 1942, during a large-scale expulsion from Warsaw to Treblinka concentration camp, they surrounded Jews and sent hundreds of thousands of Jews onto the death train.
Jewish committee passed the Jewish police to deliver young and middle-aged labor to the Nazis through the Jewish police
Jewish people were arrested and deported to centralized operation stations
Jewish woman sent to the train
People called the Jewish police " dachshund dog " because they could search for hidden Jewish compatriots in any corner, as sensitive and loyal as dogs, and spared no effort.
Jewish police drove away the people
people's desire to survive: hesitation and fantasy
Most Jewish people have no resistance except to hide, obey. There is a representative scene in " Pianist ": the dentist, the businessman and the author's father debated at the centralized operation site. The dentist is pessimistic and believes that people are being sent to slaughterhouses and should resist and death is also glorious.
dentist in the movie "Pianist"
Businessmen are very interested and think that Germans are not so stupid, and don't use such a huge potential labor force as Jews. The management of the concentration camp may be strict, but it is certain that it will not be killed. My father confessed that as an authentic ordinary person, he still had hope for the 10% chance of survival. This similar debate has been persisted countless times among the Jewish community. Many people are dying step by step.
is facing a desperate situation: Jewish officials and police have a dilemma of choice
At this time, Jewish officials and police have not yet lost their conscience are facing a moral crisis. After learning that all Jewish people would be deported to concentration camps, Jewish committee chairman Chernyakov committed suicide by taking poison.
Some people deceive themselves, believing that when fulfilling the order, they are helping to save the lives of the Jews. Some police officers may warn residents in advance before deportation and exert help to individual Jews.
If the execution is not effective and the German quota assigned to each Jewish policeman will not be completed, they themselves and their relatives will have to be replaced. German troops will carry out the expulsion operation themselves, and they will be more cruel and ruthless than the Jewish police. As the roundup continued, some people realized that they were just a tool in the hands of the Germans and their destiny was not guaranteed. Jewish officials and police officers who refused to execute the orders were mostly sent to concentration camps with their families and even killed on the spot.
Conclusion
Polish Jewish historian Emanuel Ringelblum once described the cruelty of the Jewish police as "sometimes more cruel than Germans, Ukrainians and Latvians." After the Jewish settlements were cleared (1942-1943), they were no longer useful, and the fate of the Jewish police was eventually as tragic as that of other Jewish districts.
If Jews realized the truth about the Nazi genocide early, Jewish officials could abandon unrealistic fantasies, Jewish police would no longer help the evil and unite, and Jewish people in World War II might survive more.
The crowd behind the barbed wire still stares at us today and asks our hearts. If it were you, what would you do then?
