Jan Tomasz Gross's Neighbors Summary

The book, Neighbors: the Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland, is written by Jan Tomasz Gross. The book takes place in a small town in Poland called Jedwabne where the Jews were humiliated, tortured, and murdered. On July 10th, 1941, 1,600 of the remaining Jews were burned alive, including women and children. Jan’s compelling book explores the atrocities on how such ordinary men, Polish neighbors, terrorized the Jewish community. He reconstructs the events that led up to the Polish citizens being more than willing to kill their Jewish neighbors without being forced to by the German Units. Jan’s describes the Jewish-Polish relations during the time and he investigates to what extent people will kill under occupation and totalitarianism. Although as seen as controversial to some, Gross’s book truly reveals the true nature of the perpetrators that massacred Jews in Jedwabne. Through questioning and investigating Gross tries to get his reader to become aware of the barbarity. Gross’s purpose to writing the book is to tell the truth about the murder …show more content…
It illustrates the horrors that took place in Jedwabne and reveals the brutality of wartime. Although the book also relies on testimonies of the perpetrators, it still makes the book strong because even though the accused may not have told the whole truth, the truth of the Polish neighbors murdering the Jews is still publicized. The tragic event that was once hidden became a controversial topic to the public.. Szmul’s testimony proves that such a horrific crime did happen and it shows how insanely cruel these Polish neighbors really were to live generation after generation without saying a word of the crimes committed in Jedwabne. This book is powerful and it presents a wider perspective on the Polish perpetrators who were ordinary people that turned into inhuman monsters that could kill without any remorse and be a part of such an