Z Kresów do Ziemi Obiecanej. Wychodźstwo z województwa poleskiego do Palestyny w latach 30. XX wieku

Abstract

Changes in consciousness and economic factors triggered the emigration decisions of the Jewish population living in interwar Polesie. More specifically, the movement abroad was the consequence of the political and economic realities in the country, the emigration policy of the state, especially toward minorities, and information received from relatives and acquaintances living outside Poland. From the first years of its existence, the Polesie province was among those regions in the eastern part of the Second Republic from where Jewish emigration was most visible. Jews were over-represented in the emigration movement from Polesie. According to the second national census, the Jewish people, constituting about 10% of the region’s population, accounted for more than 50% of the out-migration from Polesie. As the consequences of the economic crisis intensified, the living conditions of the population of the Jewish people in Polesie further deteriorated. This contributed to an increase in legal and illegal out-migration of Jews from Polesie to Palestine. In connection with the further activation of Zionist organizations in Polesie and the pro-emigration stance of the Polish authorities, the number of outmigrants from the Polesie province to Palestine was one of the largest among the eastern provinces.