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I remember the fall of communism. To tell the truth I was afraid that something unpleasant might happen to me because I was supposedly a communist. Here's Solidarity, and this and that. And those anti-communist slogans and so on. And I was afraid, that who knew whether they might not take my army pension off me? I was worried about that. Really, that they were going to root out that I'd been a political officer. After all, they wrote in the papers about how political officers were fervent enemies and so on. I was afraid of the beginnings of Solidarity, although there were a few Jews in Solidarity too. And the reaction of the church to Jews, and then all that anti-Jewish stuff and the clergy's speeches. How many times has Jankowski [54] come out against the Jews? Several times.
I was convinced that I would have problems because I have a military pension and I am a Jew not a Pole. But afterwards I came to terms with it all. My fears were unfounded. But they were well founded in relation to some of my friends. Yes, that they had their combatants' privileges withdrawn, and for that reason all sorts of benefits were taken off them too.
I know this guy, who lives in Wroclaw now, but before that worked in Luban in the structures of the so-called Zwiad. And he hasn't got combatant's rights any more because he was connected with the secret security. He worked to protect the border, in the WOP, and was involved in intelligence among the civil population in order to gather information about possible border crossings or intentions to cross the border for spying or even smuggling. They had these informers of theirs among the civilian population, just like in every intelligence or counter-intelligence organization. They could sometimes be criminals persuaded to co-operate, who get their crimes 'forgotten' in return. So they worked to the detriment of the Polish state, as they now put it - they worked to protect the border. I knew those people, who were totally loyal to everyone. And that they acted to the detriment - of who? Hard to say of who, but apparently of the Polish state. And that's what's happened to them. It didn't happen to us, fortunately, and it won't happen to me now before I go to my grave. Even now there are so many trials in relation to people who aren't even here any more.
I was convinced that I would have problems because I have a military pension and I am a Jew not a Pole. But afterwards I came to terms with it all. My fears were unfounded. But they were well founded in relation to some of my friends. Yes, that they had their combatants' privileges withdrawn, and for that reason all sorts of benefits were taken off them too.
I know this guy, who lives in Wroclaw now, but before that worked in Luban in the structures of the so-called Zwiad. And he hasn't got combatant's rights any more because he was connected with the secret security. He worked to protect the border, in the WOP, and was involved in intelligence among the civil population in order to gather information about possible border crossings or intentions to cross the border for spying or even smuggling. They had these informers of theirs among the civilian population, just like in every intelligence or counter-intelligence organization. They could sometimes be criminals persuaded to co-operate, who get their crimes 'forgotten' in return. So they worked to the detriment of the Polish state, as they now put it - they worked to protect the border. I knew those people, who were totally loyal to everyone. And that they acted to the detriment - of who? Hard to say of who, but apparently of the Polish state. And that's what's happened to them. It didn't happen to us, fortunately, and it won't happen to me now before I go to my grave. Even now there are so many trials in relation to people who aren't even here any more.
Period
Interview
Leon Glazer