Reports of large-scale organized anti-Jewish rioting by Polish soldiers in Palestine were described as “greatly exaggerated” today by Rabbi Meir Berlin, World President of the Mizrachi Organization, who arrived here from Palestine by plane two weeks ago.
Rabbi Berlin confirmed the report that a brother-in-law of Berl Katznelson, Jewish labor leader, was killed during a brawl with Polish soldiers in Rehoboth several months ago, but denied that there have been outbreaks of violence in Tel Aviv. Polish soldiers were barred from the city for four days some months ago, he stated, as a warning to them to cease provoking petty quarrels, and not because of any wide-spread anti-Jewish activity on their part. Rabbi Berlin stressed that the anti-Semitic remarks and agitation by some of the individual soldiers definitely did not represent the attitude of the Polish military authorities in Palestine.
He branded an “absolute lie” the report that several Poles had been caught attempting to set fire to the Beth Am, in Tel Aviv, the largest community center in the city. Lastly, he described the reported stabbing of a Jewish school boy by a Polish youth as a children’s quarrel which was not an indication of a wave of anti-Jewish terror.
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