Jews, Invited to Banquet, Seated in Separate Hall (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
A striking case of social ostracism in the medical profession has called forth wide comment in Poland, in connection with the annual convention of Polish physicians held in Ciechocinek.
Of the 300 physicians attending the convention, 150 were Jews. A banquet was arranged in honor of the delegates. The invitation cards were of two colors, red and blue. When the guests arrived, it developed that the banquet was being held in two halls in the same restaurant and that those holding blue invitation cards were directed to one hall and those with red cards to the other. When all the guests were seated it became clear that all the Jewish physicians had been given blue invitation cards, while the rest held red cards. There was thus a complete segregation of the Jews from the Christians. When the discovery was made, the Jewish physicians left the banquet hall in a body, abandoning both food and addresses.
The president of the Physicians’ Association later offered an apology, declaring that the incident was the result of a misunderstanding.
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.
