A decree of the pre-war Polish government which resulted in the denationalization of thousand of Polish-Jewish citizens abroad was rescinded last night at a meeting of the Polish Cabinet here.
The decree had provided that a Polish citizen abroad could be deprived of his nationality if his activities were detrimental to Poland or if he had lived abroad for more than five years and lost contact with Poland or if he refused to comply with an order to return to Poland.
Promulgated in 1938, the decree resulted in arbitrary denationalization of thousands of Polish Jews and others who had been forced to live abroad for economic reasons, although these persons had complied with established regulations respecting registration with Polish consulates and other requirements.
It was pointed out by Polish political circles that although the decree had not been applied since the war, abolition ends some confusion created among consular authorities. It was also stated that the government will treat applications for restoration of citizenship of Jews with the greatest liberality.
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.
