190 2YDZI
government. In May 1919, the first Congress of Poles of the Jewish Confession,
widely reported in the Polish press, recorded their aims and aspirations:
The First Congress of the Founders
of the Association of Poles of the Jewish Faith
RESOLUTIONS
- The Poles of the Jewish Faith, penetrated with a sincere feeling of love for Poland will,
in spite of the difficult conditions of their existence, serve their country as devoted sons,
and will always be ready to sacrifice their lives and fortunes for its benefit and glory.
2.. The Congress condemns with indignation the spreading of hatred among fellow-citi-
zens and especially the 'pogroms' which are perfectly incompatible with the spirit of the
Polish Nation. These savage outbreaks injure not only Jewish citizens ... but cause detri-
ment to the good name of the Polish Nation, and are not in harmony with the ancient tra-
ditions of Poland. - The Congress protests against every separatist tendency aiming at the creation of a
distinct national organisation in Poland. - The Congress recognises that the Jewish Question in Poland is an internal question
and expresses the conviction that it will be solved by the Polish Commonwealth accord-
ing to the principles of justice. - The Congress addresses to the whole of Polish society '... the request to declare their
disapproval of the 'pogroms'... and to prevent in the future in the eyes of the demo-
cracies of the whole civilised world the staining of Poland's flag with the blood of Jewish
citizens... - The Congress asks the Government to use all the means in its power for the firm estab-
lishment of friendly and harmonious relations among all the citizens of Poland...^18
This trend faded in due course, leaving many of its advocates isolated from
Polish and Jewish society alike. Jewish assimilationists, resentful of the luke-
warm response to their demands, sometimes reacted in violent language. A
much quoted, and long-remembered article 'On the oversensitivity of the Jews',
which appeared in 1925 in the influential journal Wiadomosci Literackie
(Literary News), and which listed a number of pejorative Jewish characteristics,
was written by none other than Antoni Stonimski, the poet, one of the leading
Jewish advocates of Polish culture in his generation.^19
Regrettably, the condition of Polish Jewry in the inter-war period is often
described out of context. It has always lain in the interests of the Zionist move-
ment, which sought to persuade the Jews to leave their homes in Poland, to
paint Polish life in the most unfavourable colours. Yet the Zionist viewpoint,
which was hardly representative of the Jewish masses as a whole, has received
much greater publicity abroad than that of any other interested party. In view
of the Holocaust of the Second World War, it is all too easy to be wise after the
event, and to suggest that the tribulations of 1918-39 were a preamble to the
ensuing tragedy. Historians must tread with extreme caution in an area where
disinterested sources are very scarce. It is undeniable, of course, that the eco-
nomic and social standing of the Jews deteriorated. The growth of industry,
of a Polish middle class, of state enterprise, and of peasant co-operatives, all