"Small Numbers, Big Presence": Poland, the U.S., and the Power of Jewishness After 1968

• Main Author: Rothstein, Rachel L
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2015
• Subjects: American history; European history; Modern history
• ISBN: 0438166930; 9780438166936

In March 1968, the Polish government unleashed an antisemitic campaign designed to remove Jews from prominent positions in Polish society. The campaign resulted in a massive wave of emigration from Poland. Since then, the narrative has focused on the absence of Jewishness in the post-1968 period. This dissertation challenges that narrative by demonstrating that Polish Jewishness remained symbolically influential even as Jews packed their bags and left the country. While some Polish government leaders believed that Poland would be better off without any Jewish presence, others believed that the Jews and Jewish material culture could serve a pragmatic purpose. Some Polish leaders believed they could harness perceived Jewish power in the West. They believed Jews in America would speak out on behalf of the Polish government and help them obtain much-desired financial aid and legitimacy. These Polish authorities invited leaders from prominent Western, especially American, Jewish organizations to meet with them in Poland. In the context of the Cold War, the two sides negotiated with each other in hopes that they would achieve their goals: for the Poles the securing of foreign funds and for the Jews the guarantee that the Jews remaining in Poland would have their spiritual and physical needs taken care of, and that Jewish material culture would be preserved. This is, above all, a story about the interrelated nature of the modern Jewish experience. Polish Jewry – and Jewish material culture – were highly dependent upon outside Jewish communities. The ability to help their fellow Jews in Poland helped foreign Jews fulfill the Talmudic ideal of Kol Aravim Ze Ba Ze, “all of Israel is responsible for one another”. Whether it was ensuring that they had access to kosher food, helping the next generation learn what it meant to be Jewish in the 1970s and 80s, or speaking out in Congress during periods of antisemitism, world Jewry was determined to help preserve Polish Jewishness. While the remaining Jews in Poland were few in number, the post-1968 period demonstrates that they held a strong presence in the minds of governments, organizations, and individuals in Poland and abroad.