Contested Terrain

Anti-Zionist Campaign in Poland, 1967-68

In the ongoing debate about the relationship of antisemitism to anti-zionism, historical case-studies can serve as useful material. The anti-zionist campaign in Poland, of 1967-1968, offers the ability to examine the relationship in detail. Below are links to some recent contributions on the topic.

“Anti-Zionism as a Multipurpose Policy Instrument: The Anti-Zionist Campaign in Poland, 1967-1968.” Dariusz Stola. March 2006. Journal of Israeli History
Politics, Society, Culture. Volume 25, No 1.

This article outlines the anti-Zionist campaign in Poland between 1967 and 1968, in particular its evolution from a Cold War anti-Israel policy in reaction to the Six Day War into a domestic anti-Jewish campaign. It focuses on the factors that influenced the top decision makers in launching the campaign, and its images of the enemy. The campaign was a peculiar combination of two patterns of symbolic aggression that belong to historically hostile camps: communist hate campaigns and anti-Semitism of the nationalist right. Notwithstanding its irrational components (i.e. anti-Jewish resentments and prejudices which fed much of its dynamics), the campaign appears to have been an effective policy instrument that achieved desirable results for the decision makers and instigators.

“The Anti-Zionist Campaign in Poland, 1967-1968.” Dariusz Stola.

The term‘anti-Zionist campaign’ is misleading in two ways, since the campaign which this paper will analyse began as an anti-Israeli policy but quickly turned into an anti-Jewish campaign; this evident anti-Jewish character remained its distinctive feature. The words ‘Zionism’ and ‘Zionist’, repeated in Poland in 1968 in hundreds of propaganda publications and at thousands of meetings, were not used to refer to a particular variety of nationalism but were a substitute for ‘Jew’ and ‘Jewish’. Secondly, ‘Zionist’ meant ‘Jew’ even if the person called a ‘Zionist’ was not Jewish; the anti-Jewish campaign, called ‘anti-Zionist’, was directed against Poles as well.

“Forced Out: The Fate of Polish Jewry in Communist Poland.” Arthur J. Wolak. 2004.

In the late 1960s, after the Holocaust had brought about the almost total destruction of centuries of Jewish civilization in Poland, senior leaders of the ruling Communist Party initiated a domestic terror campaign that resulted in the unceremonious eviction of thousands of Polish Jews. Why did the leadership of a nation that professed equality among all peoples suddenly drive them into exile? In “Forced Out,” Arthur Wolak explores this turbulent era, revealing a period in modern European history that offers important cautionary lessons about the dangers of political opportunism and the inherent evils of totalitarianism.

“When ‘Zionist’ Meant ‘Jew’: Revisiting the 1968 Events in Poland.” Rafal Pankowski. February 2008. Z-Word.Com

The 1968 state sponsored anti-Zionist campaign in Poland demonstrates how easily anti-Zionist rhetoric slips into open antisemitism. It is also a striking example of how a supposedly internationalist anti-imperialist movement is prone to hateful manipulation that, in fact, has very little to do with the Middle East.

The language and imagery adopted at that time resurfaces regularly with that utilized by contemporary antisemites. The notion of “Zionism” loses almost all its original meaning, becoming a politically acceptable synonym for all things Jewish. According to this schema, which is strongly rooted in traditional antisemitism, the “Zionists” are accused of conspiring across borders for the benefit of Israel and its US imperial ally, to the detriment of the local population, most notably through their control of the international media. The actions of “Zionists” are frequently compared and equaled to those of the Nazis and, thus conceived, “Zionism” emerges as a purely evil phenomenon akin to historical Nazism.

Here is link to a chronology of events of the anti-Zionist campaign in Poland.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 11th, 2008 at 5:20 pm and is filed under populism, nationalism, communism, poland, anti-imperialism, anti-zionism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.