Criticize Polish President for His Reducing Jewish Problem to Minor Religious Matter

In a general debate in the Sejm yesterday over Premier Bartel’s speech of a few days ago, Deputy Hartglass, on behalf of the Jewish Parliament Club, read a statement which criticized the Premier’s attitude in reducing the Jewish question in Poland today to a purely religious matter of minor importance.

The statement calls attention to the economic situation of the Polish Jews today, which it declares to be a desperate one. The general crisis in the country affects the Jews much more than the non-Jews, since the Jews are being pushed out of commerce and industry through the organization of government cooperatives as well as private trusts. Nothing is being done to find means of livelihood for the pauperized Jewish population. Jews are not being given the opportunity to enter agriculture or other physical work,

nor are they given employment in the government cooperative undertakings. The efforts of Jewish organizations to find work for Jews are not supported.

The unequal tax burden which Jews must carry can only be intended to ruin the Jews. The Jews are still discriminated against, in spite of all promises about equal rights and in spite of all efforts of the Jewish deputies to have them treated fairly.

With regard to the school question, the declaration shows, the burden of keeping up private elementary and professional schools falls heavily on the Jewish population, since government budgets usually provide no subsidies for Jewish schools. The fact that Sabbath-observing Jews are forced to keep their stores closed on Sunday is another great burden on the Jewish population.

In their memorandum the Jewish deputies declare that the government must do something to put an end to the very critical situation of the Polish Jewish population, since such a situation cannot long endure without harming the entire population of Poland.