Another Illusion Shattered: Jewish Opinion on Polish-jewish Goodwill Meeting in Vilna: I Am No Antis

Another illusion shattered, is the way the Jewish press comments on the much-heralded Conference between Polish and Jewish social workers which has been held in Vilna at the Palace of the Vilna District Governor. The Jews were represented by about a score of Jewish social workers. The Polish representatives included the District Governor himself, several Governorate officials, the Director of Education of the City of Vilna, the Rector of Vilna University, the President of the Vilna Chamber of Commerce, and the Director of the Chamber of Commerce. Of the Parliamentary representatives of the Vilna district only Senator Kumanov was present.

The Jewish representatives, who spoke first, after the Governor had opened the Conference, emphasised that they were there not as representatives of the Jewish population but as Jewish social workers in their private capacity, so that whatever they said pledged no one but themselves.

The District Governor, speaking after Advocate Tcherniakov, Dr. Wygodski and other Jewish representatives had dwelt on the difficult position of the Jewish population in the economic and the cultural field, and had outlined the Jewish postulates, began by saying that he was not an antisemite.

He, too, emphasised that the Conference had been called not by the Central Government, but by the local authorities who wished to acquaint themselves with the needs of the Jewish population on the spot. It was a question, he said, in which his party, the Party which stood with Marshal Pilsudski, was greatly interested.

One of the chief difficulties in clearing up the position between Poles and Jews, he went on, dealing with the Jewish postulates, was that the Poles had fought and bled for Polish Independence, while the Jews could not prove that in respect to themselves.

On the point of the licences which were being taken away from Jews, they must take into consideration the fact, he said, that these licences were being given to exsoldiers and veterans to whom the Father land owed a debt of honour.

Coming to the Jewish complaint of over-taxation, he thought that the Jews were looking at it one-sidedly. The economic position in Poland was generally difficult. The Jews were not alone in suffering from the economic distress. Things were bad also in the villages, and the agnicultural population, too, were in great poverty and distress.

Turning to the Jewish cultural demands and the demands made with regard to the Jewish school system, the District Governor said that the closing down of several Jewish schools should not be interpreted as repressions against the Jewish school system. It was due to the fact that unfortunately the Jewish schools were Communistic. The number of Jewish schools infected with Communism was much larger than the number of Jewish schools which had been closed down, and the intention was rather to direct the attention of the Jewish public to the state of affairs in these schools so that they should themselves take things in hand and protect the children against Communism.

Referring to the demand for subsidies to the Jewish schools, for which Dr. Wygodski had said about a million zlotys were needed, he wanted them to remember that the Government has no money. Even after the disastrous floods that had occurred in the Vilna districts recently, the Government, though no one could doubt its sympathy for the victims, had not been able to find the money to make adequate grants for their relief.

The Director of Education then dealt with the Jewish demand for State rights for the Yiddish and Hebrew High Schools. These High Schools are not recognised by the State at present, he said, because they burden their pupils with an additional language, with the result that their general education suffers.