My Bubbe, their mother, was a Polish Jew who emigrated to America before the First World War. Two of her siblings, my Uncle Moshe and my Aunt Rachel, also emigrated later, but her parents, her 8 remaining siblings, her aunts, uncles and cousins all remained behind in Poland-- over 130 people in all. All but three perished at the hands of the Nazis: my Uncle Noam and his two children, who were hidden by a Catholic neighbor-- a farmer-- in his root cellar, at great peril to himself and his family.

To a man, my uncles enlisted in the Army, and all eventually fought in Europe. Like your grandfather, they would occasionally talk about shooting Nazi soldiers, but never with regret.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, some of my cousins emigrated to Poland and Ukraine. While there is anti-Semitism in both countries, they say the extent is greatly exaggerated in the American press. In particular, they report, the vast majority of Poles are DEEPLY ashamed of their role in the Holocaust. My cousins in Ukraine also say that the neo-Nazi 'movement' or political 'elements' do exist, but their numbers are greatly exaggerated in the Western press. Like our own 'wing nuts', most Ukranians not only do not share their views, but view them with great distaste.