13. Jews flee Poland

Leshchinsky denies that he earlier claimed that all Polish Jews must emigrate. He did claim, and here repeats, that at least 50,000 to 60,000 Polish Jews must emigrate annually. These numbers are equal to annual natural increase plus 10,000 to 12,000 additional Jews. Their departure would make more than enough room for the 40,000 to 50,000 Jewish men and women who enter the paid labour force annually. Over the last fifteen years, up to 50,000 Polish, Romanian, and Lithuanian Jews migrated to South America. None returned, and many of them arranged for their family members to join them. They did not wait for the revolution, and the political struggle in Eastern Europe was not weakened by their departure. Nor was the struggle for equality in Poland weakened by the departure of more than 200,000 Jews to Palestine and North America. Between 300,000 and 350,000 Jews left Poland in the last fifteen years, easing the economic hardship of those who remained behind without influencing the intensity of the political struggle. Recently, 30,000 to 40,000 non-Jewish émigrés have returned to Poland annually with a bit of capital. However, no Jews have returned because they recognize how dire the situation is here for their people. Millions of Jews must and will remain in Poland and fight for full equality, but emigration is a medicine that will ease the patient’s condition, perhaps preventing the patient’s death. 25 July 1936.