First and foremost, creators of Difficult Questions deserve our words of gratitude. It is my hope that the book will garner many readers, not only among young people.

Paweł Smoleński, Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, February 13, 2007

The book “Difficult Questions in Polish-Jewish Dialogue” is a collaborative work of Forum for Dialogue and the American Jewish Committee. The project was created after analyzing over one thousand questionnaires from Poland, US, Israel, Canada and Australia. In them, young Poles and Jews posed questions regarding the past, present and future of Polish/Jewish relations. Editors selected 50 most difficult and most frequently asked question for the book and had experts from Poland, Israel and the United States provide the answers.

Where did Jews in Poland come from? How could it be that Poles allowed Germans to build concentration camps in their neighborhoods? Why has the Israeli army shelled districts where Palestinian civilians live? Answers to these and other questions can be found in the book Difficult Questions in Polish-Jewish Dialogue.

”We set out to identify which themes present the greatest difficulty for dialogue among young Poles and Jews. But we realized the difficulty these young people had in even formulating many of the “difficult questions” they would have liked answered; they worried that even putting them into words might offend the “other side.” When such questions did arise in the course of a Polish/Jewish encounter, the result was open contention – some people became agitated, others burst into tears.”– explain book editors in the preface.

The book is the first endeavor in Polish publishing to build bridges of understanding between Poles and Jews. The history which is learned in school by young American and Israeli Jews is an entirely different version from that which young Poles are taught. “Difficut Questions” aims to present perspectives of both sides.

This book, built around actual questions raised in Polish/Jewish encounters, is our way of acknowledging two central points. First, the topic of Polish/Jewish relations is immensely important – not just for considering the past, but, every bit as much, for charting the future. And second, let’s be honest; there have been some tough issues. But rather than either bury them or simply talk past one another, we believe they should be thoughtfully and constructively considered, which is precisely what this book aims to do.

David A. Harris, AJC executive director (excerpt from the Preface)

To learn more about topics the book discusses, visit the following website