Violence as the Cause of Jewish Flight from Poland, 1945–1946

Abstract

This article discusses the violence against the Jews as a factor affecting the postwar emigration of Jewish survivors from Poland. The author assumes that violence was related to the exclusion of Jews from the Polish national community. However, this exclusion was of a complex nature and took place primarily not on the political or institutional level, but on the level of social ties. In some part of Polish society Jews were perceived as “others”, “redundant people” or even enemies. Postwar emancipation proclaimed by the communists resulted in the policy of inclusion and made Jews equal, although in practice, even during the so-called Jewish autonomy (1945–1949), there were no equal rights in all areas (e.g. restitution of property). In times of social, economic and political crisis, the emigration of Jews was a favorable phenomenon for the authorities. Thus, the communist government did not encourage emigration, but rather turned a blind eye to it.