oh. my god. I had no idea! they were Polish for hundreds of years before Ashkenazi Jews immigrated into the area...
www.harryanddavid.com/articles/foo...
I cannot access the website, but we had Jewish population since almost the beginning of statehood - so I'm doubtful of those "hundreds of years". Especially as I don't think one can trace back bagels this far in the past.
I don't think it's wrong to dispute the claims of a country with a dubious history & tendency to obscure the truth. just because they are there doesn't mean they *invented* bagels.
I wouldn't paint them in such a broad stroke but I do think it's wrong to culturally claim something that doesn't even have a solid historical record. how many non-Jewish Polish immigrants also brought bagels to the US? it's a legitimate question to ponder.