Jews in the Interwar Poland

Poland

• 1918– German part: strong Polish nationalism – anti-semitism– Austrian part: Poles had strong autonomy– Russian part: part industiralized, Galicia backwards

• Multinationalism: 21 mio – 1/3 non Poles• Democracy: Sejm

– L – PPS – Jozef Pilsudski – 1926-35 authoritarian regime– R – Endek – Roman Dmowski

• 1935 – influence of Nazism

The Jewries of Interwar Period

• Galicia– Assimila

tionism x nationalism

• Kresy– Multinational

region– Orthodoxy x

haskala– Political

activity• Bund• Strong

Zionism

• Congress Poland– Extreme assimilationism

x extreme orthodoxy

Demography

• Jews: 1/3 of urban population• Lower middle class, proletariat

The Jewish Question in the New Poland

• Zionists negotiate to obtain Jewish national autonomy– Proportional representation at the Sejm– Polish leaders not interested

• Treaty on Minorities – deep ressentment among Poles • No Jewish autonomy despite the Treaty• 1918-20 pogroms tolerated by the army• Limited civil rights for Jews of Congress Poland untill

1931

1920´s

• Zionism (strong in Galicia & Kresy) • Bund (strong in Congress Poland) & Poalei

Zion - Marxist• Agudat Israel (leading in Congress Poland)– Antizionist, orthodox– active cooperation with the government after

1926

Zionists-unprecedented mass Zionist movement

- divided

• „The main thing is to take Jews to Palestine, not to spend valuable time and money on election campaigns.“

• Palestine : new Jewish workers society

• General Zionists: National Minorities Bloc – Grünbaum

4th aliyah

• 1924-26• Over 30 thousand Jews – for the 1st time

more Polish Jews to Palestine than to America• 1926 – economy crisis in Palestine

Culture

• Yiddish : schools, press, theatre, litterature• Tarbut – Hebrew schools• 60% of Jews – free Polish state schools

Violent anti-semitism in the 1930´s

• 1934 – German-Polish non agression pact increase of Nazi influence

• 1935 – antidemocratic constitution– Death of Pilsudski

• 1936 – economic discrimination– Government supports Jewish emigration• Madagascar• Supported by Jabotinski – welcome by the Polish

government

Violent anti-semitism in the 1930´s

• 1935-36– Interdiction of the Jewish ritual slaughter– „ghetto benches“, student murders

• 1937 „Aryan paragraph“ – Jews can´t make part of doctors or journalists associations

• Economic boycott• Regular pogroms• Greater poverty

1930´s

• Success of Jabotinski and Betar (Jew. youth promoting military discipline)

• Bund – success in Warsaw city council 1938• Disunity among Jews• Aliyah as a solution of the Jewish question =

failure

Conclusion

• New nation-state = dangerous for Jews• No autonomy granted to Jews – not

recognized as a nation• No anti-Jewish legislation in the 1930´s ( x

Rumania & Hungary)