Jewish survivors in Kielce
Before the war, Kielce had a Jewish population of about 24,000. Almost all were murdered during the Holocaust. By the summer of 1946, about 200 Jewish survivors had returned to or settled in the city. Some lived in a Jewish Committee building at 7 Planty Street.
The false kidnapping story
Nine-year-old Henryk Błaszczyk left home on July 1 without telling his parents and returned on July 3. He falsely claimed that he had been kidnapped and held by Jews in the basement of the Jewish Committee building. The allegation began to fall apart during the investigation, including because the building had no basement, but the rumor spread.
July 4, 1946
Police and soldiers entered the building as a crowd gathered outside. Violence escalated into shootings and beatings. Jews inside the building and those forced or fleeing into the street were attacked. By the end of the day, at least 42 Jews had been murdered and more than 40 injured.
The effect on postwar Jewish life
The pogrom shocked Jewish survivors in Poland and abroad. Anti-Jewish violence had occurred elsewhere after the war, but Kielce became its most notorious symbol. The massacre accelerated the westward flight of Jews from Poland through the Brihah network toward displaced persons camps in Germany, Austria and Italy and, for many, eventual emigration.
Why Kielce matters
The pogrom is evidence that liberation did not automatically bring safety. It also shows why postwar survivor history cannot be reduced to a simple return home. Decisions to leave Poland were shaped by the destruction of family and community, property disputes, political upheaval, antisemitism and the possibility of further violence.
Related topics
Brihah
Survivors Returning Home
Displaced Persons Camps
Key sources
This page draws on the institutional sources listed below.
- USHMM — The Kielce Pogrom: A Blood Libel Massacre of Holocaust Survivors
- USHMM — Brihah
- USHMM — Effects and Aftermath of the Holocaust