Jews in the Polish Narratives on Rescuing Jews (1968–1989)
Jews in the Polish Narratives on Rescuing Jews (1968–1989)

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes the image of people of Jewish background as presented in the Polish narratives on rescuing Jews, published in the press of the Polish People’s Republic. The proposed methodological framework is the Bechdel test, applied in the film studies discourse and originally employed as a tool showing the type of women’s presence in films. The author analyzes the material researched in light of the recurring narrative clichés and the discursive order that sets the tone for speaking about the history of Poles and Jews during the German occupation, while at the same time attempting to verify whether and in what way Jews are even the subjects of these narratives. The conclusion is rather negative: Jews serve in the discourse as a pretext to talk about the heroism of Poles and to reassert both the national community and international opinion concerning their noble attitude in the face of the Holocaust.

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