Jewish Krakow

The article discusses selected forms of collaboration in the German Płaszów concentration camp. It consists of a theoretical and a research section. The first presents the current state of research and analyses the terminology and interpretations of concepts such as collaboration and betrayal, while taking into account their various categories and contexts. The article then examines the cases of individuals suspected of collaborating with the occupiers in the camp, not only by their fellow prisoners and members of the resistance, but also subsequently by the post-war justice system. Such accusations were directed primarily against prisoner functionaries (kapos, block leaders, and orderlies), as well as individuals commonly regarded—whether rightly or merely on the basis of suspicion—as informers or denouncers. The article examines the attitudes and conduct of selected prisoners, particularly those investigated after the war by the Krakow prosecutor’s office of the Special Criminal Court and the District Court. The proceedings resulted in a range of verdicts, from acquittals to death sentences.