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)