Opening the Gates

The news that the Soviet government is about to permit the entrance of Polish Jews into Soviet Russia on condition that they settle in Biro-Bidjan will be received with great interest in America, where the situation of the Polish Jews is watched very keenly.

There are over a million Jews in Poland today facing actual starvation. The desperate situation of Polish Jewry is especally noticeable among the youth. Cut off from all roads to employment, Jewish youth in Poland is depressed and forlorn.

With the immigration restrictions in Palestine, and with no other country permitting the entrance of Jewish immigrants, Soviet Russia remains the only hope for thousands of Polish Jews. There is no unemployment in Russia, so Polish Jews believe they can easily find employment there.

Informal negotiations with the Soviet government to permit Polish Jews to enter Russia have been going on for qute a time. The Soviet authorities were, however, not so keen on relieving Poland of its obligations toward its Jewish citizens.

Now the news comes that the Soviet government may permit the first 300 Jewish families from Poland to settle in Biro-Bidjan and that a special Jewish delegation from Warsaw has arrived in Moscow to negotiate this project.

Should a Jewish migration begin from Poland to Biro-Bidjan on a larger scale, it will no doubt eventually be supported by Jewish relief organizations abroad. The fact that the Polish government is driving the Jews to Biro-Bidjan by depriving them of economic existence in Poland will stimulate many organizations abroad to assist the migration from Poland, despite the fact that very few Jewish leaders would like to see foreign Jews seeking refuge in Russia.

The Polish government may not be aware of the fact that it is creating a situation whereby the Jews of the world must become more sympathetic towards the Soviet regime. With the unbearable anti-Jewish discriminations in Poland, Polish Jews would migrate anywhere, Biro-Bidjan included.