Panic has been mounting among Polish Jews since the Prague trial and was heightened by the Soviet Union’s rupture of diplomatic relations with Israel, a group of immigrants arriving here from Poland said today.
The party included 23 persons, most of whom are old people. Two of the group are children. One immigrant reported that he had burned all his Hebrew books, fearing that they might be used to “prove” that he was a “cosmopolitan.” He reported that other Jews had done likewise, and that even active Jewish Communists now regretted that they had not registered for immigration to Israel.
Several of the immigrants expressed the opinion that Poland would continue to permit small numbers of Jews to leave for Israel, and that it would use that opportunity to rid itself of non-productive elements. The immigrants said that they had been allowed to take with them only small objects and that such items as gold rings, watches and fountain pens had to be left behind.
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.
