[wvns] Israeli brats a nuisance in Poland
Israeli teenagers are a nuisance in Poland
Anna Szulc
11 05 2007
http://polishpress.wordpress.com/2007/05/11/israeli-teenagers-are-a-nuisance-in-poland/
Roberto Lucchesini, originally from Tuscany, for several years now a
resident of Krakow, hasn't been sleeping well recently. Before he will
be able to move his arms normally again, he will have to go through
long rehab. All this because of how he was treated, in broad daylight
in front of passers-by and several teenagers who were hermetically
closed in their coach-buses. Israeli bodyguards, equipped with
firearms, binded his arms behind his back over his head with
handcuffs. In Krakow, in the middle of the street. A moment before,
the Italian was trying to make coach drivers parking in front of his
house turn their engines off. - "Israelis handcuffed me, threw me on
the ground, my face landed in dog excrement, and then they were
kicking me". After that the perpetrators were gone. Italian had to be
freed by the Polish police.
Lucchesini moved to Kazimierz, a district of Krakow, that used to be a
Jewish commune of which the only things left now are synagogues and
memories, often painful. He found an apartment with a view on the
synagogue. - "Back then I had thought this was the most beautiful
place on Earth" - he says - "after some time I understood that the
place is indeed beautiful, but not for its today's residents".
Kicking instead of answers
Other resident of Kazimierz, Beata W., office worker is of similar
opinion. Israeli security searched her handbag on one of the streets,
without telling her why.
"When I asked what was this all about, they told me to shut up. I
listened, I stopped talking, I was afraid they'd tell me to get
undressed next" - she says annoyed.
A young polish Jew, who as usual in Sabbath, went to pray in his
synagogue couple months ago, also didn't get his answer. He only
asked, why can't he enter the temple. Instead of an answer, he got kicked.
"I saw this with my own eyes" - says Mike Urbaniak, the editor of
Forum Of Polish Jews and correspondent of European Jewish Press in
Poland. - "I saw how my friend is being brutally attacked by security
agents from Israel, without any reason."
All this apparently in sake of Israeli childrens' safety.
- "For Poles it may be difficult to understand, but security agents
accompany Israelis at all times, both in Israel and abroad" - explains
Michael‚ Sobelman, a spokesman for Israeli embassy in Poland. - "This
is a parents' demand, otherwise they wouldn't agree for any kind of
trip. Poland is no exception."
But it was in Poland, as Mike Urbaniak reports, where Jews from Israel
brutally kicked a Polish Jew in front of a synagogue, and then
threatened him with prison. In plain view of the Israeli teenagers.
- "We are very sorry when we hear about such incidents" - Sobelman
admits - "Detailed analysis is carried out in each case. We will do
everything we can, to prevent such situations in the future. Maybe we
will have to change training methods of our security agents, so that
they would know Poland is not like Israel, that the scale of threats
here is insignificant?"
Professor Moshe Zimmermann, head of German History Institute at Hebrew
University in Jerusalem thinks however, that the problem is not only
in the security agents' behaviour. He thinks Israelis basically think
that Poles aren't equal partners for them. And it's not only that they
think Poles can't ensure their children's safety.
- "They are not equal partners to any kind of discussion. It applies
also to our common history, contemporary history and politics. In
result Israeli youth see Poles as second category people, as potential
enemies" - he explains bluntly.
An instruction on conduct with the local inhabitants given away to
Israeli teenagers coming to Poland couple years ago may confirm
professor's opinion. It contained such a paragraph: "Everywhere we
will be surrounded by Poles. We will hate them because of their
participation in Holocaust".
- "Agendas of our teenagers' trips to Poland are set in advance by the
Israeli government, and are not flexible" - says Ilona Dworak-Cousin,
the chairwoman of the Polish-Israeli Friendship Association in Israel.
- "Those trips basically come down to visiting, one by one, the places
of extermination of Jews. From that perspective Poland is just a huge
Jewish graveyard. And nothing more. Meeting living people, for those
who organise these trips, is meaningless."
A resident of Krakow's Kazimierz district, who is of Jewish descent,
says that there is nothing wrong with that: - "Israelis don't come to
Poland for holiday. Their aim is to see the sites of Shoah and listen
to the terrifying history of their families, history that often is not
told to them by their grandparents, because of its emotional weight.
Often young people who are leaving, cry, phone their parents and say
"why didn't you tell me it was that horrible?" To be frank, I am not
surprised they have no interest in talking about Lajkonik".
However according to Ilona Dworak-Cousin the lack of contact with
Poles, causes Israeli youth to confuse victims with the perpetrators.
- "They start to think it were the Poles who created concentration
camps for Jews, that it is the Polish who were and still are the
biggest anti-Semites in the world" - adds Dworak-Cousin, who is Jewish
herself.
The above mentioned Kraków resident has a different opinion. - "I
don't believe anyone was telling them that the Poles had been doing
this. That's why there is no need for discussing anything with the Poles".
Teenagers behaving badly
However, many Israelis say that although the instruction was
eventually changed, the attitude to Poles has not changed at all.
- "Someone in Israel some day decided, that our children going to
Poland have to be hermetically surrounded by security" - says Lili
Haber president of Cracovians Association in Israel. - "Someone
decided that young Israelis cannot meet young Poles, and cannot walk
the streets. Basically these visits aren't anything else but a
several-day-long voluntary prison."
Voluntary, but also very expensive: 1400 USD per person. Not every
Israeli parent can afford such a trip.
- "Moreover, as it turns out, the children are too young, to visit
sites of mass murders" - adds dr Ilona Dworak-Cousin. Traumatic
experiences that accompany visits in death camps have its
consequences. Kids become aggressive. And instead of getting to know
the country of their ancestors, in which Jews and Poles lived in
symbiosis for over 1000 years, Israeli teenagers cause one scandal
after another.
It happens sometimes, that somewhere between Majdanek and Treblinka,
young Israelis spend their time on striptease ordered via the hotel
telephone. It happens sometimes, that the hotel service has to collect
human excrement from hotel beds and washbasins. It happens sometimes,
that hotels have to give money back to other tourists, who cannot
sleep because Israeli kids decided to play football in hotel corridor.
In the middle of the night.
6-year-old Krzys from Kazimierz played football too. On Sunday night
on 15th April, after shooting two goals, he wanted to go home, as
usual. He lives near a synagogue, in front of which hundreds of young
Israelis have gathered on celebrations preceding March of Living. Just
before Szeroka street he was stopped by some not-so-nice men. - "This
is a semi-private area today. There is no entry" - he was told. It
didn't help, when he told them, his mum will get upset if he won't be
home on time.
Security officers, which is interesting, were Polish this time and
accompanied by the Polish police. They also denied access to the area
to a Dutch couple, who had reserved a table at one of the restaurants
on Szeroka street six months ago. - "Is this a free country?" - One of
the tourists tried to make sure.
On a normal day you can access Szeroka street from several sides. That
evening from none. I tried to get through myself, without any success.
Only eventually, the police helped me to pass the security line.
- "There are no official restrictions here" - they were convincing me
a moment later, although the practice was otherwise.
- "We have only set certain restrictions in movement" - Sylvia
Bober-Jasnoch, a spokeswoman for Malopolska Region Police press
service, explained to me later.
The police cannot say anything else. Polish law does not allow
residents to be denied access to the streets they live at. Even during
the so called mass events (however the celebrations on Szeroka did not
have that status) residents have the right to go back to their homes
and tourists have the right to dine in a restaurant. Also Israeli
security agents have no right to stop or search passers-by.
I tried to find out more on the rights of Israeli security agents in
Poland. First at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from where my
question was sent to the Ministry of Education. I have also sent
questions to the Home Office. Although I was promised, I received no
answer. Only person eager to talk on that matter was Maciej Kozowski,
former ambassador in Israel, currently the Plenipotentiary of the
Minister of Foreign Affairs for Polish-Israeli relations.
- "Regulations are imprecise" - admits Kozowski. "Basically bodyguards
from a foreign country should not move around Poland armed. However
for the government of Israel security matters are a priority. Any
convincing that their citizens should use the services of Polish
security turned unsuccessful".
Airplane like battle field
The Polish-Italian couple, Robert Lucchesini, his wife Anna, and their
two-year-old daughter, cannot understand Polish government's attitude.
Which contrary to the Israeli government, is not able to ensure the
safety of its citizens. Safety is not the only thing among the pair's
priorities, but also peace and quietness. They are however being woken
up every morning by the loud noises of engines, of the Polish
coach-buses with groups of Israeli youth. Their Polish drivers brake
driving regulations all the time. They're allowed to park at the
square near the synagogue (in front of Robert's house) only for up to
10 minutes. They stay there much longer, even hours. With their
engines turned on. Reason? Youth's safety - they would be able to
leave quicker in case of a threat. And because Israeli kids need to be
served coffee. Because even though Kazimierz is full of cafes, Israeli
teenagers don't go there. They are being told: no contacts with
environment, no talking to passers-by, no smiles nor gestures.
This has been going for years. Israeli groups contact with Poles only
there where they have to. First in airplanes.
- "A plane after such group has landed, looks like a battle field" -
admits a worker of LOT Polish Airlines asking for his name not to be
published. - "The worst thing is these kids' attitude to Polish staff.
Recently a stewardess was slapped by a teenager in her face. Because
he had been waiting for his coca-cola too long".
Leszek Chorzewski, LOT spokesman, admits that Israeli youth is a
difficult customer. - "They demand not only more attention then other
passengers, but also more security precautions" - he adds. These
precautions are long aircraft and airport controls conducted by
Israeli services. These are also the high demands of the teenagers'
security agents.
Katarzyna Åazuga, student from Pozna, could see that first hand. She
participated in a tourist guides' training on one of Polish airports.
"Young people from Israel entered the room we were in", she recalls. -
"Our group was then made to stop classes and rushed out of the room.
Israeli security officers told us to go out, right now and without any
talking. Because we were "staring" at their clients. Yes, we were
looking at them. They were catching attention, they were good looking."
Young Israelis see Poles also there, where they board - in Polish
hotels. If any of them still wants to have them. Most of those in
Krakow don't want to any more.
"We have resigned from admitting Israeli youth once and for all" -
admits Agnieszka Tomczyk, assistant manageress in a chain of hotels
called System. "We could not afford to refund the loses after their
stays any more".
These loses being: demolished rooms, broken chairs and tables, human
excrements in washbasins or trash bins, or like in Astoria, other
hotel in Krakow, burned carpet. Astoria also backs out from having
Israeli groups. One of the reasons is that the teenagers' security
agents were ordering other guests, whom they didn't like, to leave.
- "I understand that Israeli security agents are over-sensitive to any
disturbing signals. They are coming from a country where bombs explode
almost daily, and young people die in terrorist attacks" - ensures
Mike Urbaniak. - "But Poland is one of the safest countries in Europe.
Here, excluding tiny number of incidents, Jews are not being attacked,
and Jewish institutions don't need security, which is very unusual on
a world scale".
Huge business
Chasidim, travelling in great numbers from Israel, also (surprisingly)
don't need security agents. Including for example many Orthodox Jews,
who came to visit our country recently, as they wanted to pray at
Tzadik of Lelow's grave. They came to the market square in Kazimierz
without any security assistance and without any fear.
- "They chatted eagerly with tourists interested in their outfits,
with passers-by who don't see Jews with side curls every day" - adds
Urbaniak.
In Kazimierz chasidim are nothing unusual. Like groups of Israeli
teenagers. This year 30,000 Israeli teenagers are coming to Poland,
and they will have 800 security agents to protect them.
Roberto Lucchesini reported to the Polish police that he got beaten by
Israeli security. Krakow Prosecution Office is investigating the case,
and so is its counterpart in Israel.
- "Results of this investigation are of medium importance" - thinks
Ilona Dworak-Cousin. - "What matters is if the youth that visits
Poland, will still treat it as hostile and completely alien country".
Polish-Israeli Friendship Association in Israel and Cracovians
Association in Israel both try to convince the government of their
country, not to send any more teenagers to see only the death camps in
Poland. Chances are slim.
- "These trips are mostly a huge business for people who organise
them" - says Lili Haber - "including Israeli bodyguards".
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