Once again about the Kielce pogrom in 1946 in the light of latest research

The Kielce pogrom in July 1946, in which 42 people were killed, resulted in numerous studies. Still we do not fully understand the pogrom mystery and we keep on wondering – how did it come to this? It is impossible to answer this question without knowing social and political context of the time.
An in-depth analysis of Polish-Jewish relations may help to explain the problem. The three recent publications may be helpful in this context: Mirosław Tryczek, Miasta śmierci. Sąsiedzkie pogromy Żydów (Cities of death. Pogroms of Jews from the neighborhood, Warsaw 2015); Next is the night. The fate of Jews in selected counties of occupied Poland (Dalej jest noc. Losy Żydów w wybranych powiatach okupowanej Polski, two volumes, Barbara Enkelking and Jan Grabowski, Warsaw 2018); and the key research of the anthropologist Joanna Tokarska-Bakir: Under the Curse. A social portrait of the Kielce pogrom (Pod klątwą. Społeczny portret pogromu kieleckiego, two volumes, Warsaw 2018).
The main conclusion of the last study results from the analysis of the staffing of such institutions as Civic Police, Security Office, Polish Army. These offices, suffering from personnel shortages after the war, were staffed by members of the resistance movements and partisans – people accustomed to the fact that Jews are to be killed. It was them, in large part, pre-war officers, policemen and lawyers, not scum or communist provocateurs, that enabled the Kielce pogrom (Vol. 1, p. 15).

Scapegoating and Conspiracy Theories during COVID-19 Antisemitism has unfortunately persisted throughout history, and the COVID-19 pandemic has not been an exception to this troubling trend. The conditions created by the pandemic, such as fear, uncertainty, and anxiety, have fueled the emergence and spread of conspiracy theories targeting various groups, including Jewish communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a plethora of baseless beliefs and conspiracy theories about its causes, which have contributed to the rise of antisemitism during this time. Pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, inherently create anxiety and uncertainty among populations. This change has affected many areas, both political and social. Conspiracy theories that base the cause of the emergence of COVID-19 on Jewish identity are an essential factor for this study. Tendencies toward antisemitism and scapegoating have supported these conspiracy theories. In this study, how antisemitism manifested itself in media and online discourse during COVID-19 and how Jewish identity is affected by the process.