A pogrom ( the causes of which are still very controversial ) , erupted in Kielce on July 4 , 1946 . The rumour that a Polish boy had been kidnapped by Jews but had managed to escape , and that other Polish children had been ritually murdered by Jews – according to Pynsent – ignited a violent public reaction directed at the Jewish Center . Attacks on Jewish residents of Kielce were provoked by units of the communist militia and the Soviet-controlled Polish Army who confirmed the rumors of the kidnapping . Police and soldiers were also the first to fire shots at Jews – according to Szaynok
pogrom
Kielce pogrom
Anti-Jewish violence in Poland, 1944–1946