The gulf between the two sections of the Jewish academic youth in Poland, the nationalists and the so-called assimilationists, came to light when the Jewish Students Association of Warsaw submitted a petition to the Joint-Ica Foundation for support.
A delegation representing the Students Association, now composed of a membership recruited wholly from the nationalist groups, called on Mr. Golde, representing the Joint-Ica Foundation, and asked for an allotment for the cooperative kassa of the Association. The kassa, loan institution, is an important factor in student life in Poland as it enables many of them to continue their studies through granting them loans.
It was reported in the local press that Mr. Golde stated to the delegation that unless the Students Association Changes its articles of incorporation, it cannot receive the support of the Joint-Ica Foundation. Under the present articles only those students who declare themselves to be members of the Jewish nationality are admissible. Jewish students who do not adhere to the nationalist doctrine or, as they are known in Poland, “Poles of Mosaic faith,” cannot be members of the Association. Mr. Golde is reported to have advised the delegation to change is statutes to read that its members are to be “of the Mosaic faith.” The delegation indignantly rejected this suggestion arguing that even the Polish authorities recognize the distinction between the nationalist Jewish students and the “Poles of Mosaic faith.”
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.
