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Anti-jewish Ferment in Poland Continues: Although Warsaw University Reopened and Lectures Held Witho

November 23, 1931
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All the schools of Warsaw University were reopened to-day (Saturday), the Rectors taking the view at their conference held on Wednesday that the situation warranted such a step being taken, in order to prevent the students forfeiting a whole year’s study, which would be the case if the University continued to be closed until the adjournment for the Christmas vacation.

A notice signed by all the Rectors of the Warsaw University schools makes this point clear, reading:

To the student youth of the Warsaw educational establishments -Anxious that the student youth should not forfeit a whole year’s study, the Conference of Rectors of the Academic institutions in Warsaw decided on November 18th. to resume the lectures and other educational activities on Saturday, November 21st. The Rectors of the Academic institutions look with confidence to the student youth to behave themselves in accordance with the laws and proscriptions of academic life.

Complete order was maintained in all the University schools to-day, although Democratic students ostentatiously segregated themselves from the Jewish students, taking possession of the seats on the right of the lecture rooms and leaving the left side to the Jewish students.

The police authorities, too, do not appear to anticipate any renewal of actual violence, since they withdrew to-day, for the first time since the outbreak of the excesses, the police guards who have been on continuous duty outside the Jewish Students’ Home.

At the same time, however, the National Democratic students are busy distributing inflammatory proclamations calling for a complete economic and social boycott of the Jews, to de-Judaise all spheres of Polish life.

The Legion of the Young Polish Democratic Student Federation, which supports the pro-Government Party, and the Socialist Students’ Federation are both engaged in a similar proclamation-distributing activity, only their proclamations call to war against the National Democratic Party and its policy

The anti-Jewish boycott agitation is at its height in Vilna, where forty student organisations have published boycott proclamations. Two Vilna papers, the “Express Wylenski” and the “Glos Wylenski”, have been confiscated by the authorities for publishing boycott proclamations.

Memorial services for Stanislaw Waclawski, the National Democratic student who was killed in the attack on Jewish students at Vilna University about a fortnight ago, are still being held in various towns, where they are being used for the purpose of inciting the people against the Jews, by alleging that the Jews are killing Polish students.

The fear of anti-Jewish disturbances on this account is so acute in Radom (where there was a serious anti-Jewish outbreak a few months ago) that the Executive of the local Jewish Community, hearing that memorial services for Waclawski have been arranged there for Saturday and Sunday, issued an order yesterday that there should be no Jewish services held in the town this Friday evening and Saturday, and that the synagogue, and all Beth Midrashim and Hassidic prayer-houses should be closed, so that there should be no Jews out in the streets on the Saturday, nor on the Sunday, when the memorial services are held in the churches.

The District Chief has assured the Executive of the Radom Jewish Community that he will do everything to preserve order, and that he will under no circumstances permit any anti-Jewish excesses. But at the same time he advised Jews to avoid being out in the streets as far as possible this Saturday and Sunday.

Never within living memory, it is pointed out in the town, has the Radom Synagogue ever before been closed on a Saturday.

The Disciplinary Commissions at the various Universities are meanwhile proceeding with their work, and to-day the Disciplinary Commission at Cracow University expelled three students who were found guilty of having taken part in the excesses, sharply reprimanded eight others, and in the case of three more declared their last examinations invalid, so that they will have to take the examinations again, with consequent delay in their graduation.

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