“we Want No Delegation,” Says Jewish Deputy of Polish Parliament

“We Want No Delegation,” is the heading over an article by Deputy Dr. Rothenstreich, one of the members of the Club of Jewish Deputies in the Polish Parliament, which appears in the Yiddish daily “Najer Hajnt”, objecting to the resolution adopted in London by the Jewish Board of Deputies at its last meeting, that the Joint Foreign Committee should take into consideration the desirability of appointing in conjunction with representative Jewish organizations a small commission of observers to proceed to Poland to ascertain and report on the position of the Jews of the country.

Deputy Rothenstreich begins by describing the impoverishment and distress among the Jewish population in Poland. That is the truth, he proceeds, a deplorable, a bitter truth, but the truth.

“We are fighting for recognition as equal citizens,” he continues, “but so far without success. But that does not mean that we need any commissions and delegations to be sent here by the British, who want to ascertain and report, as Major Nathan proposed, on our position. We are surprised that the Jewish Board of Deputies adopted such a proposal. We know that English people are very experienced people, with a good knowledge of economic and political affairs, and they ought to know that we are living in a time of nationalism and state capitalism, or as we call it, ‘Etatism,’ and state capitalism must primarily hit the minorities who are not recognized as fully equal citizens.

“If the British Jews are interested in helping us, they can do it without a delegation. A delegation will see less and know less than we who see the calamity growing day by day. The delegation would only see one millionth part of what we see. If the British Jews think we are exaggerating, it will be enough to tell them that we are receiving for all our credit institutions hardly more thon one per cent of all the credits granted by the State credit institutions. While when it comes to taxes, we certainly pay much more than we can bear. We state that; we put it in writing. The Government does not deny it. And the silence of the Government is an admission. Since that is so, what need is there of a delegation? A delegation will not find out anything more than what we say, so that it will only waste its time if it comes.

“There is something else. The Polish Government is very sensitive about a delegation from abroad. We don’t want the Government to think that the delegation is directed against it. For that reason, too, we are against sending a delegation to Poland.”