Polish Jewry is called upon to unite its creative and ethical powers to combat the “extermination policy and to fight against the taxes imposed upon the Jewish population, which are far above their possibilities and do not correspondingly satisfy the social needs of the Jewish population,” in a resolution adopted by the Economic Conference convened on the initiative of the United Committee of the Zionist Organization in Poland.
The conference was called to consider the economic position of Polish Jews.
The conference declared that the economic position of the Jews has grown steadily worse and ascribed it to the political and economic transformations of the war and post war years but “chiefly to the destructive economic and extermination policy of the government.”
Social factors, moreover, the conference stated, have weakened the resistance powers of the Jews, exhausted their strength and ruined to a great extent their work-shops and economic possibilities so that the present crisis is driving the entire Polish Jewry into direct poverty.
This view was embodied in the form of a resolution which declared further:
“The large Jewish masses in Poland have been robbed of the possibility of working and earning their bread. The youth of all classes is confronted with ever growing restrictions in the way of their education and means of earning a livelihood. Bitterness and despair is taking hold of large circles of Polish Jewry. This state of affairs presents a fertile field for political and social demoralization among the Jews.
“The professional unions, chiefly those of merchants and small traders, which were created for the purpose of protecting the economic interests of their members, have on the whole disillusioned their members by proclaiming the principle that economic problems can be more easily and satisfactorily settled if they are kept separate from the political fight of the Jewish people for its rights, thus becoming to a great extent a weapon for the policy of a group of merchants and artisans who do not serve the interests of the Jewish people but work for their own personal gain.
“Polish Jewry must unite its creative and ethical powers to combat the extermination policy and to fight against the taxes imposed upon the Jewish population, which are far above their possibilities and which do not correspondingly satisfy the social needs of the Jewish population. It is necessary further to fight against burdening the impoverished and exhausted Polish Jewry with the shortcomings of other groups which enjoy special privileges under the new credit law, as well as against all experiments which aim at putting the economic rights of the country on such a basis as to undermine the structure of Jewish economic life. At the same time all Jewish forces must be concentrated to secure greater consideration in economic legislature in respect to Jewish economic requirements, and that in the field of social mutual assistance corresponding relief from Government and municipalities should be available for the Jews. While directing their efforts on the lines mentioned above, the duty of Polish Jewry is also to conduct constructive work, in accordance with the recommendations outlined.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
