Forty-thousand Polish Jews–about half of those remaining in the country–went to the polls today in the first post-war elections to be held in Poland. There is little doubt that virtually everyone of them voted for the government slate.
Wherever possible, Jews stayed off the streets today and made no intor-city journeys, a practice which they have been following for several weeks now, since the election campaign grew more violent. Guards have been placed around Jewish institutions such as children’s homes, hospitals and cultural centers.
The precautions were made necessary by the increased tempo of terrorist activity, stimulated by anti-government forces which intensified their activities on the eve of the elections. Yesterday, for example, there were three attacks on trains, in the vicinity of Lublin, Bialystok and Zheshov. Underground bandits halted the trains and went through the coaches searching for Jews and “democrats.” It is not yet known how many casualties they inflicted.
Unfortunately, the ranks of the government supporters are not entirely free of anti-Semitism. During a pro-government election demonstration in Wroclaw (Breslau) the participants shouted: “Long live democracy–but without the Jews.”
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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.
