Nine Jews, Eight Zionists Win Seats in Polish Elections

Nine Jews were elected to the lower house of the Polish Parliament in yesterday’s national elections called to replace the Sejm dissolved by Premier Pilsudski last August. Of the nine elected, eight ran on the Zionist ticket, while the ninth, representing the Agudath Israel, ran on the government ticket.

Those elected were Rabbi Levin of Warsaw on the government ticket; Isaac Gruenbaum of Warsaw, Zionist; and the following seven Zionists: Joshua Thon from Cracow, Dr. I. Rosenblatt from Lodz, Dr. S. Wigodsky from Wilna, M. Wolenstein from Lemberg, Dr. H. Rosmarin from Stanislaw, and Herschel Farbstein from Warsaw.

The Jewish voters had their choice of candidates on five Jewish tickets in addition to those on the government list. These five tickets were the united Zionist bloc; the united list of the Agudath Israel, merchants, small traders and artisans; the Jewish socialists and independent socialists; the left Poale Zion, and the East Galician Zionists.

The election was marked by sporadic disorders throughout the country. In Warsaw, the Yiddish daily, the Haint, announced at three o’clock Sunday morning that an armed band of hooligans had entered its office just before the Sunday edition was going to press, smashed stereotypes, broke telephone lines and scattered type. The rowdies terrorized the editors, Messrs. Finklestein, Zytniski, Lieserovitch, and Gruenfender, as well as a number of compositors. The issue appeared only by herculean efforts. In Lemberg Adolph Rotfeld, a member of the Zionist Executive in East Galicia was arrested because he was a candidate on the Zionist ticket.

Reports received from various provinces stated that the Jewish population was being terrorized and intimidated and that many candidates of the united Zionist bloc had been arrested. The Haint, which is the organ of the united Zionist bloc, headed by Deputy Gruenbaum, announced today that it would not publish any articles on the elections “for obvious reasons.”