Kielce Pogrom

The Kielce pogrom was an outbreak of violence against the Jewish community centre in the city of Kielce, Poland on July 4, 1946, perpetrated by a mob of local townsfolk and members of the official government forces of the People's Republic of Poland. Following a false tale of child kidnapping, including allegations of blood libel which led to a police investigation, violence broke out which resulted in the killing of around 40 Jews. Polish Communist courts later tried and condemned nine people to death in connection with the incident.

There is general academic agreement that the massacre was instigated by Soviet-backed Communist security forces, possibly for propaganda purposes to discredit Poland's anti-Communism and maintain totalitarian control over the country. Because the top-secret case files were destroyed, there is an ongoing academic inquiry and debate about whether the violence resulted from antisemitism or secret coordination with the NKVD by the Polish authorities.

As the deadliest pogrom against Polish Jews after World War II, the incident was a significant point in the post-war history of Jews in Poland. It took place only a year after the end of World War II and the Holocaust, shocking Jews in Poland, many Poles, and the international community. It has been considered a catalyst for the flight of most remaining Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust away from Poland.