1968_4_arabisraelwar

COMMUNIST BLOC / 193
in the communal magazine Uj £let (August 1, 1967) accused the "ruling circles
of Israel," as well as the United States, Great Britain, and West Germany,
of inciting the Middle East conflict, it called for a peaceful solution of
Arab-Israeli differences.
Poland
Not only did Poland break off diplomatic relations with Israel, but it used
the occasion to denounce that country as an aggressor which had violated the
human rights of the Arab population. Speaking on June 19 before the Sixth
Congress of Trade Unions in Warsaw, Gomulka harshly criticized Jewish
policy before and during the conflict. He also used the occasion to warn
Polish Jews who, he said, had organized "drinking bouts" to celebrate the
victory of "the Israeli imperialists," to change their attitude toward Israel.
". . every citizen of Poland," he said, "must have only one fatherland—
Poland. With this the great majority of Polish citizens of Jewish nationality
agree and they have served their land devotedly." However, he
continued, "we cannot remain calm with respect to those . who . . speak
in favor of the aggressor." He made it clear that those who felt his words
were addressed to them, no matter what their nationality, should heed his
appeal and draw the necessary conclusions.
This speech, with its clearly anti-Jewish overtones, came as a shock not
only to the Jewish population, but to many Poles, who were disturbed by
Gomulka's singling out of Jewish citizens and openly accusing them of constituting
a kind of fifth column, dangerous to Polish security. Many Poles,
who otherwise were not too sympathetic toward their Jewish fellow citizens,
also resented Gomulka's total submission to the uncompromising Soviet
policy. It was reported that the rigid line on the Middle East crisis was seized
upon as a pretext by some factions within the Communist leadership for
purging individuals of "liberal" leanings, and particularly people of Jewish
descent, from the party, the state machinery, and the press.
Many Jews were demoted to inferior positions. Among those purged were
Leon Kasman and Viktor Borowski, editor and deputy editor of Trybuna
Ludu, and J^eopold Unger, administrative editor of Zycie Warszawy. Poles
reportedly considered these steps as a "showdown with the Jews," an attitude
that had been dormant for many years. The spread of anti-Jewish feelings
was confirmed by Polish writer-actor Henryk Grynberg, who came to New
York in December as a member of the Yiddish State Theater group and
chose not to return to Poland where "it is against my dignity to live . and
to be treated as a second-class citizen." (New York Times, Dec. 30, 1967).
Others also among those recently dismissed were high military officials, including
chief of the Polish air defense command, Major General Czeslaw
Mankiewicz, and two of his deputies who may have been opposed to the
government's Middle East policy.
No information was available on the initial reaction of the official Jewish