1. Jews in the Interwar Poland

4. 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 – authoritarian regime
R – Endek – Roman Dmowski
1935 – influence of Nazism

5. 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

6. 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
pogroms tolerated by the army
Limited civil rights for Jews of Congress Poland untill 1931

7. 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

8. Bund, 1936

9. 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

10. 4th aliyah
Over 30 thousand Jews – for the 1st time more Polish Jews to Palestine than to America
1926 – economy crisis in Palestine

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

12. 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

13. Violent anti-semitism in the 1930´s
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

14. 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

15. 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)