Jews in the Interwar Poland

Poland 1918 Multinationalism: 21 mio – 1/3 non Poles Democracy: Sejm 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 Assimilationism x nationalism Congress Poland Extreme assimilationism x extreme orthodoxy Kresy Multinational region Orthodoxy x haskala Political activity Bund Strong Zionism

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

Bund, 1936

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

Success of Jabotinski and Betar (Jew 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

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)