Kielce pogrom of 1918 refers to the events that occurred on November 11, 1918, in the Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 town of Kielce

Kielce

Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...

, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship

Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship

Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, or Świętokrzyskie Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is presently divided. It is situated in central Poland, in the historical province of Lesser Poland, and takes its name from the Świętokrzyskie mountain range...

. According to 1919 Report by Henry Morgenthau, Sr.

Henry Morgenthau, Sr.

Henry Morgenthau was a lawyer, businessman and United States ambassador, most famous as the American ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. He was father of the politician Henry Morgenthau, Jr. and the grandfather of Robert M. Morgenthau, who was the District Attorney of...

 who led the Mission of The United States to Poland; shortly after the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n troops were evacuated from Kielce, towards the end of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 during Poland's fight for independence, the city authorities allowed local Jews

History of the Jews in Poland

The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in the world. Poland was the centre of Jewish culture thanks to a long period of statutory religious tolerance and social autonomy. This ended with the...

 to hold a rally at the Polish Theatre, in order to demand Jewish political and cultural autonomy

Autonomy

Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...

. According to one U.S. source, during the rally, anti-Polish speeches were also being delivered. As the meeting went on, a crowd of Polish onlookers gathered outside the theatre.

At 6:30 P.M. the meeting began to break up, wrote Morgenthau. Only about 300 people remained in the auditorium. Soon, a group of soldiers entered the theatre and began to search for arms, driving the Jews towards the stairs, where a double line of extremists, some armed with clubs and bayonets beat the Jews as they were leaving the building. Outside the theatre, Jews were assaulted by the right-wing mob again. Jewish homes and shops were damaged. During the pogrom

Pogrom

A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...

four Jews were killed and a large number wounded, according to Morgenthau. "A number of civilians have been indicted for participation in this excess", but have not been brought to trial by the time, his report was delivered.