them, and—as far as his financial resources allowed—supported all Jewish efforts, making material contributions, or donating clothes and linens, and not just his own, but also those of his pure Aryan wife, who had in normal times lent her support to Jewish causes by donating to Jewish institutions. He was reserved when discussing Jewish issues, but said one thing, namely that the times of Ozon were over, that if the Western powers won the war, it is the English and American model that would prevail, that state anti-semitism would be no more.
I experienced completely different behaviour from a convert who had been baptised some thirty years ago. This gentleman was a devoted Catholic, though in moments of candour he would let it slip that he used to be an active member of the Polish Socialist Party. Before the war, he had been an ardent antisemite, and he raised his nationalistic son in this spirit. He was married to a Polish Jew-hater. He spoke about Jewish issues like a native Pole, because he was aware that Jews knew him to be a fresh Christian. Since I was a journalist, he tried to stay on good terms with me. He suggested that even though he used to be in the PPS, he supported National Democratic Party [3] ideology, both as regards the state and the Jews. I found out by accident from his school friend, a Jew, that he is a baptised Jew himself. The convert in question was a former pupil at Górski’s school, and many Jewish residents had found out about this earlier, so when our local convert made antisemitic remarks, they would smile wryly, but none of them dared to remind him of his own Jewishness. This gentleman liked to brag that he led the Ozon co-operative, which, due to the Legionnaires’ influence, had discounts for trans-shipment services, thus competing with Jewish businesses. Next, I learned from our convert in a social chat that he was a senior official in the police and an alderman in a large provincial city. There he spoke against Jews, forcing them to support the BBWR. At his house, I told him frankly that he is of Jewish origin and that all the Jews know this. My convert blanched and begged me to keep it secret. He complained about his wife and son, who harass him for his Jewishness, not only in private, but also openly, since I heard his wife loudly abusing him, calling him a filthy Jew. He asked me how to conceal his roots because he feared the occupant’s reaction, while on the other hand he was afraid that Polish society might learn about his Jewishness. He changed, and began to support charities for Jews. When he was let go from his job because the institution was seized by the Nazis, he became deeply
