Contrary to reports, not all the Jews left in Poland now are planning to leave. But even those few who are planning to remain admit that they may have to change their minds in a hurry.
It is not a question of economic security and certainly not a question of an unfriendly government. It is simply the fear that tonight or tomorrow the innate anti-Semitism of so many of the Polish people may break out in a violent form.
In Warsaw there is a capable Jewish woman lawyer who had decided to remain in Poland and who had an excellent position as office manager of a large organization. Her position offered both economic security and opportunity for advancement. Two months ago, her husband’s best friend, a Jewish doctor, was wantonly murdered in his house by members of one of the forest bands. Now her only thought is to get away.
Although fully aware of the persistence of anti-Semitism in postwar Europe, these two young, well-educated Jews had hoped that they could somehow fit into the new picture. They are still hopeful and for that reason they have not yet decided where to go. They know only that they want to get out of Poland.
In a few weeks or a few months, they will join the mass movement of Jews who are leaving Poland independently and illegally without any definite plans for the future. This is the larger of the two groups. The other is the well-organized illegal exodus of Zionists whose only goal is Palestine.
MOST JEWS LEAVE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY BECAUSE UNABLE TO SECURE VISAS
The number of Jews who leave Poland legally is so small in comparison that it is hardly worth mentioning except as an illustration of the difficulties that Jews who want to leave Poland must face.
To get out of Poland, there is only one direction for Jews – south through Czechoslovakia. The Czechoslovak Legation in Warsaw will only issue visas to those Jews having a United States military permit which will enable them to enter the American zones of Austria and Germany. The office of the American military attache in the American Embassy in Warsaw will issue military permits only to those Jews who want to go through the American zones and can furnish proof that they are in transit and have a visa from some country in South America or from South Africa, France, Belgium or Holland.
Visas of this type are, of course, very rare. The passport willingly granted to Jews by the Polish Government is an “emigration passport” as a result of which foreign legations in Warsaw are reluctant to grant visas for fear that the Jews will settle down in their countries.
Belgium, France and Italy have each allocated 500 visas for Polish Jews but they are restricted to orphans under 16 years of age. Still the American military attache’s office here, despite extremely limited facilities, is interviewing about 50 persons a day and granting permits to half that number of whom two or three are Jews.
These fortunate few then leave for Czechoslovakia – but not by train – for they are afraid of bandit raids. They, too, though they have the precious passport, travel south through Poland just the same as the less fortunate – by night, slowly and cautiously, from town to town, keeping off the main roads and always ready to hide the children, just as they did when the Germans attacked them.
(This is the first of a series of articles by a special JTA correspondent sent to Poland to survey the current situation of the Jews there.)
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
