REVEALS POSITION OF JEWS IN POLAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600270102-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 15, 2011
• Sequence Number: 102
• Publication Date: November 30, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600270102-8
STAT
CLASSIFICATION 1.U11R1 rC!IZD -)'q
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGECY !si:PORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS UR RADIO BROADA.ASTS CD NO.
SUBJECT
HJW
WHERE
DATE
LANGUAGE
Po_itical; A\'?o ct4c; sociological
Daily newepaper
Philadelphia
1, 6 Nov 1949
Isis OON0s1" 000T1110s 11 OUOTllO AM90" "a VIM"
00 Ise ON a OIslts 01111.1 TO 1W10 01 "0100M. AV "
0. s. C.. s I s00 s,. Y alms", M T01"s"011 O0Is0 ISU*.A1100
O0 1M esm111 IO M11 0101115 TO s15 6.10010001100 000000 Is 000?
1101100 01 110. 000000OC1100 Of "IS OOtl 19 000I110IRII.
DATE DIST.3b Nov 1949
NO. OF PAGES 3
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
The information in this report we received from a Polish Jewish COMMist
who recently emigrated to Israel. In Poland be ba4 been actin both amoeg Jew-
sh Comsemists and in the Poole Zion Aural /ore radical ring of the Zionist
bor movement, now a component of MapasJ. For this latter activity he was de-
ported to the USSR and returned to Poland in 1946 where be re s, eld his pasty
activities. Nonetheless, he stl11 believes in Comuniss and cannot be suspicted
of opposition to the people's democracy of Poland, so that his repo-. t.sar be
considered absolutely objective. His new cannot be made public, as he still
has relatives in Poland.
The Central Committee of the Jew in Poland, which is completely controlled
by Jewish Cammlmists, intentioaaaly publishes lscorrreot statistics on the msibsr
of Jews in Poland. This has bass done in order to receive more away from the
Joint Distribution Committee, The Central Committee claims there are appsoxi-
nately 80,000-90,000 Jews in Poland, but in reality there are onli 45,000. This
figure, however, does not include the so-called "Aryan Jews" who have loot all
contact with the rest of the Jews and are living as Christians. It is difficult
to determine their number, but it certainly does not exceed 10,000.
The largest Jewish communities are located is the following cities: Loris,
approzimatelyi7,000; Warsaw, awaximately 3,004; Wroclaw, apDaoxi tely 5,000;
Szczecin, approximately 5,000; Dalerzoniov, approximately 14,000; iblbrsyeh, ap-
proximately 4,000; Legnica, approximately 3,000.
A great number of ssell,er communities in Stasis have completely liqui-
dated and moved to bigger cities. Approximately 14,000 Jews are 0spersed as
small eammoutt1e0 to .."to. tonne and vt1lo .
- 1 - CLASSIFICATION 1~a~TED
wlvv Msas . olsrmisunom -7 -1
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600270102-8
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600270102-8
STAT
Jewish cultural life in Poland is constantly on the decline. Though both.
Camnun13t and Zionist publications in Yiddish and Polish are still being Issued,
their circulation is steadily decreasing.
There are five Jewish schools in Poland which teach in the Hebrew language,
but there are no schools which use Yiddish as a medium of instruction. The
special schools for Jewish children teacji in the Polish language, but classes
in Yiddish, Jewish literature, and Jewish history are given. These schools are
supported by the government.
Jewish Cultural Life
The Jewish religion is tolerated along with the other religions. There
are places of worship, but no yeshivoth (Jewish theological jaminaris$).
Poland also has its "Red rabbi." He is Shalom Treietasen, Rabbi of Wroclaw,
the son of the former rabbi of Lodz. He had studied at the Rabbinical Seminary
of Berlin under the eminent rabbi, Pr Dfessor Chaim Heller. For a sort time he
officiated in Helsinki, Finland, after which he took office in Warsaw.
At the beginning of the war Rabbi Treistman fled to the USSR where he was
interned. After the liberation he became a Gerson and English instructor in a
Soviet institute.
Soaa after his return to Poland, th*s rabbi, who had once been active in
the Polish Mizrachi, became a fervent fgllower of the people's democracy and
Moscow. The Jewish Cosanmists of Poland often uge him for propaganda pairyosee,
and have confirmed him as actual 'lead of the Board of Rabbis.
Jewish Political Life
The Jewish Communidts are in complete control of Jewish political life.
The activities of the Zionist parties are very limited and there are no public
displays.
Anti-Semitic feeling still runs strongly among the Poles. P'iysical violence
against Jews, however, does not occur, just as attempts on the limes of CoeEm-
ists and government officials are not perpetrated. The government has the sit-
uation completely in hand.
Jewish Cooperatives
To date, there have been hundreds of Jewish cooperative workshops sad
factories which have been greatly propagandized by the Communists and which re-
ceived great scans of money from the Joint Distribution Committee. Jews are now
losing control of the larrst cooperatives and even the small ones are gradually
being taken over by non-Jews. The Consaumist- have succeeded in changing the
purely Jewish cooperatives into mixed ones, Several large mimed cooperatives
already have 80 percent non-Jewish members.
When the Joint Distribution Committee declared that it would no longer aid
these couperdtives, the Jewish Communists held protest meetings and resolved to
do without say JDC aid whatsoever. The JDC clothing and food warehouses are
being liquidated. They are, however, no longer necessary, as the economic sit-
uation of both the Jewish and Christian population is such improved.
Jewish Emigration from Poland to Israel
The informant is pessimistic concerning emigration from Poland to Israel.
He estimates that not more than 5,000 Jews will leave, even though more than
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/19: CIA-RDP80-00869A000600270102-8
LM I
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600270102-8
20,000 have registered for immigration to Israel. This is due to the fact that
some of the immigrants, among them special Communist agents, have returned to
Poland from Israel and are spreading greatly eara5gerated horror stories abort
the terrible conditions there. Of course, letters from unsettled i.aigrants,
warning others not to come to Israel, do arrive. Furthermore Comsnmist propa-
ganda is constantly warning them not to go to that "Marsba'I country," Israel.
Each emigrant unit obtain cpnfirmatios from the strictly Communist Jewish Cast-
mittee which discourages him to such an extent that be loses all derire to
leave.
The informant implied boat discouragement of epigration is also due to
the fact that many Jewish Coeimunist leaders would themselves very much like to
so to "imperialistic reactionary" Israel but since they are afraid to admit
this and must ramnin in Poland, they do not want to become generals without
an army and therefore fear Jewish emigration to Israel.
Jews in the USSR
There is no normal contact between the Jews in the USSR and the Jews in
Poland. The little news i..lch reaches the Jews in Poland comas indirectly from
Moscow. More news, however, is smuggled via Lvov.
From this latter source there has been news of deportations of Ukrainian
Jews. It-is not known whether masses or individuals are involved, but the fact
is that a consideraule number of Jews have been deported.
Recently, the news was heard in Warsaw that Moshe Broderson, the Jewish
poet who had been arrested in Moscow, is again free. Other arrested Jewish
Soviet authors, however, continue to be deported to labor camps. -- Yosef
Shimeon Goldstein
IBRAZLI HUMORIST ARRIVES IN MW YORK -- Jewish Journal, No 14,610, 1 Nov 49
beef Shimson Goldstein, renowned author and humorist, will arrive in
Nev York today from Tel Aviv.
Goldstein, "the jolly pessimist," who is a contributor to the J ish
Journal, had figured greatly in the Jewish press of prewar Poland. H. wrote
and ed+.ted the feuilleton of the $aiut, the largest Yiddish daily, and was
editor of the humorous satirical magazines Takbshit and Mwihochith. Be also
wrote many successful plays.
After spending the war years in Nazi Poland an4 the USSR, Goldstein, who
had been active in the Zionist movement, ted to Israel. There, be became
a columnist for Hador, the Hebrew daily poi organ,], and also broadcast once
a week over Sol Yierael, the Israeli radio.
TED
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/19: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600270102-8