On Anniversary of Uprising
32—Friday, April 4, 1969
Young Polish Jew Scoffs at 'Zionist' Bogey
Carol Traurig to Wed
Donald Trefrey July 5
Jews leave, for a price: 5,000
By CHARLOTTE DUBIN
zloty ($220). The average an-
It's a long, lonely journey from
nual income in Poland is between
Warsaw to Detroit—especially so
1,500 and 2,000 zloty. For Jews
if parents, brother. sweetheart are
who have been without jobs in
left behind. But for Marek Bay-
the
Warsaw purge, it is a partic-
ner, 21, there is no turning back.
His homeland is home no longer ular hardship.
Marek does not come from a
because he is a Jew.
Marek, who asked that his real wealthy family. Although univer-
sity
tuition is free in Poland, he
name be withheld for fear of re-
prisals against his family, has had to tutor in order to meet ex-
been in this country for three penses. His father, a retired work-
weeks and is staying at the home ing man, served in the army dur-
of a second cousin in Huntington ing World War II; his mother is
the sole survivor of her family
Woods.
The words come haltingly, not after being interned in Maidenek
concentration camp.
because Marek is afraid to speak
Their story is a familiar one.
out. but because his English is five
months old, learned in bits and "They were Communists, you
pieces from other students in see," Marek said. "My father
Vienna and Rome. was very active in the party. But
Marek was studying engineering in 1956, there was a political—
at the Polytechnic in Szczecin how do you say—upturn? And
(Stettin) when his world trembled then he was on the bottom.
in March of last year. A breeze of
"My father realized that com-
freedom had wafted over the uni- munism is bad, and he wanted to
versities, and the students rose up go to Israel, but the government
to protest the Communist Party's wouldn't let them go at the time."
control over cultural affairs—par-
When Marek left Poland, he
ticularly the press. To cover up didn't know where he would go.
its own internal problems and to His mother had corresponded for
crush an incipient student revolt some time with her cousin here,
the government blamed the "in-
but he wasn't aware until he
citement" on Polish "Zionists."
reached Vienna — the stopover
To this day, Marek is not
point between Poland and Israel—
quite sure what a Zionist is. He
that HIAS would help him come
believes in the Jewish State and,
to the United States.
should he decide to settle in this
country rather than in Israel,
would always support it. But a Jason Honigman Confers
"Zionist"? Marek is sure the With Minister Almogi
Polish government was drawing
no distinctions. "They said the
protests were made by the Jews.
But there were only a few Jews
at the university.
"It wasn't so bad in Szczecin.
We protested for three days, and
the police told us to go home. In
Warsaw, 2,000 students were put
in prison. When I left Poland
five months ago, some were still
in prison."
Marek claims that he was not a
leader in the Szczecin demonstra-
tion. but a few weeks later, a
plainclothesman came after him.
At police headquarters, "They
asked if I had a part in the dem-
onstration. I said no. He said a
few people saw me. I said I want-
ed to see these people. He said
While in Israel, Jason Honig-
maybe I would remember after a
man attorney, business leader
few hours of prison."
and active communal worker
After some 12 hours of
(right), conferred with Israel
prisonment and questioning, "(He; Minister of Labor Josef Almogi
asked did I hear Radio Free I on the necessity for record re-
Europe. I said no."), Marek was I sults from the Allied Jewish
asked to turn informer on his fel-
Campaign.
low students. "They knew I hadn't
much money, and they promised
to help me. I would not help.
them." Marek was released.
On a school vacation two months
later, Marek hoped to visit with
Rivka Raz, star of the Hebrew
his friends in Warsaw. "There
weren't any left. They had all gone version of "My Fair Lady," in Is-
srael, and Col. Amos Benin, coin-
to Israel or were in prison."
Although religion is anathema mander of an armored division in
to Marek and his friends, Jew- Israel's defense forces, will head
ish "feeling" is strong, he said. the program at the Labor Zionist
They speak no Yiddish, but they Movement-Landsmanshaften Israel
often attended Ida Kaminska's 21st anniversary celebration May
Yiddish Theater—with an assist 13 at the Labor Zionist Institute.
from earphone translators. Guest of honor will be Mrs.
During the Six-Day War, "all Adele Mondry, a leader in all
the young people wanted to go to phases of the Labor Zionist move-
Israel. Everyone was happy that ment for nearly four decades,
Israel won—the Polish people too, active in cultural and educational
but for a different reason: they movements and an authoress. She
are against Russia." is the first woman to be so honor-
"Ninety-five per cent of the ed.
Jews still in Poland want to leave,
The celebration will be the cli-
but many are old and ill or have max of the 1969 Detroit Labor
children. My brother wanted to Zionist-Landsmanshaften Isr a el
come with me, but we were afraid Bond Campaign, which has set a
for my parents." I goal of $350,000 in Israel Bond
There's a girl Marek wants to i sales. Every landsmanshaften
marry. But she, too, had to remain; group and every unit of the Labor
with her elderly parents. Zionist Organization, Farband and
As soon as Marek's brother : Pioneer Women will participate in
finishes secondary school this the campaign.
spring, his parents hope to emi- Harry L. Schumer is campaign
grate. The U.S. will not admit chairman; Morris Lieberman,
them because his mother is suf- : testimonial chairman; and Mrs.
fering from tuberculosis. Israel, I Morris L. Schaver, honorary
however, will loan them the money I chairman. •
to come there.
They will need the funds. Since 1 As peace is the end of war, so to
March 1968, the government has I be idle is the ultimate purpose of
t
.:10111r11:. e -, 7 ,
Rivka Raz to Sing
at Mondry Dinner
"There were 1,500 Jews in Vien-
na—in November 1968. But my
visa number for Israel was over
10,000." Before March of that
year, "There were 30,000 Jews
in Poland. Maybe 15,000 re-
main," he said.
HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant
Aid Society, sent Marek to Italy
and from there to America. (Aus-
tria is unwilling to grant return
visas to the refugees, he said, but
Italy is more lenient in its po-
licy). Here, the Resettlement Ser-
vice is enabling Marek to obtain
English instruction so he may con-
tinue his studies on a university
level.
With some longing, Marek re-
calls the free university system
in Poland as "the best," for ad-
mission was based on ability and
not wealth. But he acknowledges
that things have changed.
"Since March last year, Jews
find it harder to get in. I know
someone who passed the exam
with very high grades, but he was
not admitted. Many Jewish educa-
tors are gone. A friend of my
parents who was teaching law was
expelled. He is in Israel now."
According to Marek, there are
four schools in Poland which
teach Jewish history and litera-
ture — in the Polish language.
There is no yeshiva in a land that
once boasted the finest yeshivot in
the world.
Because his parents had once
been "good Communists," there
was no religious practice in his
home. And the schools reinforc-
ed the Communist line. "In our
textbooks, they said the Poles
helped the Jews during the war
(World War H). They said all
Poles suffered." But Marek-
born after the Second World
War — was sure it was propa-
ganda. The memories of Maid-
enek were too fresh in his
mother's memory. -
It was a situation a young man
could learn to live with, surround-
ed by family and friends, antici-
pating a good education and a
good job.
But the world has changed
since June 1967. In Czechoslova-
kia, the people stood alongside
their Jewish compatriots, protest-
ing together the Communist "anti-
Zionist" policy.
But Poland is not Czechoslova-
kia, and too much has happened
in a year. "I cannot complete my
studies, and I cannot find work,"
said Marek. "The young have to
leave. They have no future in Po-
land."
* * *
French Leftist Scholars
Hit Polish Anti-Semitism
PARIS (JTA) — A group of
France's most prominent pro-Corn-
munist and left-wing intellectuals
called on the Polish government to
abandon its "systematic anti-
Semitic campaign" in order to
cleanse Poland's "honor and good
name."
The signatories to the letter to
the Polish government and Com-
munist Party leadership in War-
saw included Jean-Paul Sartre,
Louis Aragon, Simon de Beauvoir,
Elsa Triolte and Nobel Laureate
Alfred Kastler. Several of the sign-
ers have been or still are mem-
bers of the Communist Party.
Their letter noted that "under
no circumstances can we be
charged with being anti-Commu-
nist or enemies of Poland." It
caled for an end to the "systematic
defamation and suspicion" sur-
rounding Jews and to the "unjusti-
fied sanctions against many of
them" so that Polish Jews can
"live a normal life."
* * *
Polish Bigotry Attacked
by Dutch Liberal Party
AMSTERDAM (JTA) — The
Dutch Liberal Party, holding its
annual convention in Groningen,
unanimously approved a resolu-
tion condemning anti-Semitism in
-F-4:07 .Lat•r:-
•
-
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
MISS CAROL TRAURIG
Mr. and Mrs. Simon D. Traurig
of White Birch Dr., Orchard Lake,
announce the engagement of their
daughter Carol J. to Donald Tre-
f fret', son of Mr. and Mrs. William
Trefrey of Cunningham Ave.. War-
! ren.
Miss Traurig is a senior at
I Michigan State University, of
I which her fiance is an alumnus.
The couple plans to wed July 5.
Front Row Center to Do
Shaw's 'Don Juan in Hell'
Front Row Center, Center Thea-
ter's monthly program series, will
present "Don Juan in Hell" by
George Bernard Shaw, 6:30 p.m.
April 16 at the Center, Directed
by Hal Youngblood, who also is
playing the Devil, others in the
cast, all associated with station
WJR, are Jack Kessler, Nancy
Linehan and Jimmy Launce.
Tickets will be available the eve-
ning of the performance at the
Aaron DeRoy Theater. The gen-
eral public is invited. Coffee and
cake will be served after. the per-
formance.
For information, call the Cen-
ter, DI 1-4200, Ext. 240.
Perhaps the only true dignity of
man is his capacity to despise him-
self.—George Santayana.
J. J. CLARKE STUDIO
Portraiture of Distinction
For Your Weddings
Formols
Nr. Muirland
Call 341-4141
I
Political Scientist, Head
of Rights Commission
to Discuss Liberalism
Prof. Max Mark of the Wayne
State University department of
political science and Burton Gor-
din, executive director of the Mich-
igan Civil Rights Commission, will
speak on "Liberalism and Social
Change: Coalition or Collision" 8
p.m. April 14 at the Jewish Center.
The program is sponsored by the
American Jewish Committee, Jew-
ish Center and the Jewish Parents
Institute. It is open to the public.
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