Home / Archives / Vol. 8 (2018) / Articles and Studies Image of Poland among Polish Jews in Israel. Narratives of representatives of the Gomułka Aliyah and the post-March emigration

The experiences of Jewish emigrants from Poland after World War II can be categorised according to the appropriate migratory waves occurring following significant historical events. An example of this is the Gomułka Aliyah of the years 1956 to 1960 and emigration after the events of March 1968. This text concerns the narration of witnesses to history – Polish Jews – who left the country during one of these two waves and who settled permanently in Israel. Based on their oral history narratives, I describe their biographical trajectories, including points touching upon the narrative and the relationship of the interlocutors to Poland, as expressed in their memory of “their first homeland”, their cultural roots and their current activities connected with Poland. The declarations resulting from the narratives highlight the duality of the identity of witnesses to history: their identification with Jewishness and Polishness. However, the image of Poland, often sentimental and nostalgic, is firmly rooted in their experiences of their time in the country, both positive (personal relationships, places) and negative (antisemitism). This image is also influenced by contemporary events and visits to Poland.

Abstract licence: CC BY-SA

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