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In 1967, Jerzy passed the entrance exams and was admitted to Cracow Polytechnic [now Cracow University of Technology], and then, two years later, he emigrated. To Sweden. He emigrated because of March [1968] [see Gomulka Campaign] [33]. He had encountered no problems, but I simply realized that he could expect nothing here. Oh yes. There were very many of those youths, but those who there were, left. In fact, almost all of them. But I must say that I experienced no harassment whatsoever from the Jagiellonian University.
My initial reaction to March was one of incredulity. I couldn’t believe it even when I was seeing it with my very eyes… How did it go? ‘Zionists to Zion’? [One of the most popular propaganda slogans of the 1967-1968 anti-Semitic campaign in Poland.] I saw such banners. Yes, there were TV reports from various workers’ meetings, where those poor workers knew neither what the Zionists were nor what Siam was [the ignorance of the banners’ authors was such that the banners often read ‘Zionists to Siam’ – the words ‘Zion’ and ‘Siam’ are pronounced similarly in Polish]. Yes. So first there was incredulity, then anger, and finally indifference to everything that was happening here [in Poland].
My initial reaction to March was one of incredulity. I couldn’t believe it even when I was seeing it with my very eyes… How did it go? ‘Zionists to Zion’? [One of the most popular propaganda slogans of the 1967-1968 anti-Semitic campaign in Poland.] I saw such banners. Yes, there were TV reports from various workers’ meetings, where those poor workers knew neither what the Zionists were nor what Siam was [the ignorance of the banners’ authors was such that the banners often read ‘Zionists to Siam’ – the words ‘Zion’ and ‘Siam’ are pronounced similarly in Polish]. Yes. So first there was incredulity, then anger, and finally indifference to everything that was happening here [in Poland].
Interview
Janina Wiener
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