Must Not Make Entire Polish People Responsible for Occurrences Says Shalom Ash: Should Be Just Even

Mr. Shalom Ash, the famous Yiddish novelist, who has always taken a prominent part in Jewish affairs in Poland, although he lives a great deal out of the country, arrived in Warsaw to-day, and in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, has expressed his disappointment and grief “at the occurrences which have swept like a storn over Polish Jewry”.

Nevertheless, he went on, we must not let these events weigh down the future of Polish Jewry. I understand how the Jewish population is filled with pain and indignation by these hooligan activities conducted by a political party, but we must be just even in our indignation. We must not make the entire Polish people responsible for the barbaric acts of any one section of the people. During the recent deplorable occurrences, we have heard voices raised in responsible quarters, condemning these outbreaks and speaking to us in a spirit of humanity. These voices rouse the hope in us that the efforts of the Opposition to destroy the friendly and human ties which have been woven in the last few years between Christians and Jews in this country, will not succeed, and that the two peoples whom history has placed together in one country and linked under the same fate, will not be sundered by artificially erected walls. We are building on the sound understanding and the humane feelings of the Polish people, and even if occurrences like these of the last few days make such a hope appear little justified, we still believe that life itself and the needs of life will lead the two people to join in that peaceful collaboration without which this country can never be happy.