|
Press
The origins of the Jewish press are linked to
the Haskalah movement in the eighteenth century. In a short period, from
1800 to 1825, the first Jewish periodicals appeared in the Polish
lands: Tsir neeman (Hebrew, Loyal Messenger, 1814), Olat shabat (Hebrew,
Sabbath Offering, 1817-24), Bikurey ha-itim (Hebrew, Contemporary
Review, 1820), Dostrzegacz Nadwislanski - Der Beobachter an der Weichsel
(Polish and German, The Vistula Observer) (1823-24), and Izraelita
Polski (Polish, The Polish Israelite) (1831). The development of the
Jewish press began in earnest during the second half of the nineteenth
century, along with the assimilationist movement. Weeklies began to be
published in Warsaw, which became the largest publishing center. These
included Jutrzenka (Polish The Morning Star) (1861-63), the
Hebrew-language Ha-tsfira (Hebrew, The Morning Star, 1862; 1874-1931),
the Polish-language Izraelita (The Israelite) (1866-1915) and the
Yiddish weekly Varshoyer Yidishe Tsaytung (Warsaw Jewish Newspaper,
1867-68). In Krakow in 1870, another Polish-language periodical called
Izraelita (Polish, Israelite) began publication, along with Ojczyzna
(Polish, Fatherland) (1881-1892) in Lwow. Polish Jews also read
Ha-melits (Hebrew, Speaker, 1860-1904), which was published in Odessa,
and Ha-shachar (Hebrew, Dawn, 1868-1886), published in Vienna.
During the interwar period, Jewish culture flourished in Poland in
all three languages-Yiddish, Polish and Hebrew. The largest Yiddish
dailies were Hajnt (Today, 1908-39) and Der Moment (The Moment,
1910-1939), as well as the popular, sensationalistic and apolitical
Unzer Ekspress (Our Express, 1926-39). Zionists published elite
periodicals in Polish: Nasz Przeglad (Our Review, Warsaw, 1923-1939),
Chwila (The Moment, Lwow, 1919-39) and Opinia (Warsaw, 1933-1936). The
Bund's party organ from 1922 was the daily Folkstsaytung (Yiddish,
People's Gazette), which was the target of constant harassment from the
censorship.
|
The daily Dos Yidishe Togblat (Yiddish, Jewish
Daily Gazette, Warszawa 1929-1939) expressed the views of the Agudas
Isroel party. There was also a scholarly press, such as the
Polish-language Miesiecznik Zydowski (Jewish Monthly) (Lodz, 1930-1935),
and the Yiddish-language JIWO Bleter (YIVO Journal, Wilno 1931-39),
Historishe shriftn (Journal of History, Warsaw, 1929-1933); and also
specialist and professional publications (including economic and
vocational), entertainment and artistic (Chaliastre, Yung Idysh). The
Jewish press was even published in small towns. In Baranowicze, for
example, several periodicals in Yiddish existed, and the local newspaper
in Otwock featured a weekly Yiddish-language supplement. In all, there
were over 300 press titles published by various Jewish groups in three
languages, which comprised 7% of all press publications in Poland. A
Jewish Telegraphic Agency was also active in Poland (1920-1939), which
operated internationally as well.
After the Second World War broke out, both Polish and Jewish
periodicals ceased publication, though in Soviet-occupied territories
some kept publishing until 1940, and a few even continued until the
German invasion of the Soviet Union. The Judenrats published two legal
Jewish newspapers, with the occupiers' permission: the Polish-language
Gazeta Zydowska (Krakow, 1940-1942) and Yiddish-language Geto-Tsaytung
(Lodz, 1941). In the Warsaw ghetto, there were 50 titles of the
underground press, including 19 in Polish, such as the assimilationist
Zagiew (Ember), and 28 in Yiddish, such as the Bundist Biuletin, the
Zionist Dror (Hebrew, Generation], communist Morgn Frayhayt (Yiddish,
Tomorrow Freedom, 1942).
|
After the war, in 1944-1949, about 70 press
titles were being published in Polish and Yiddish, though most of them
were liquidated during the Stalinist period. At that time, only one
paper was being published: Folks-Shtyme (Yiddish, Voice of the People],
which from 1945 was an organ of the Jewish Faction of the Polish
Workers' Party with the Central Committee of Jews in Poland, which in
1950 was subordinated to the Polish United Workers' Party. In 1968, the
paper was suspended, and then reopened as a bilingual weekly. At that
time, the literary monthly Literarishe Bleter (Yiddish, Literary
Journal) ceased publication. In 1995, the Jewish Historical Institute
suspended publication of the scholarly quarterly Bleter far Geshichte
(Yiddish, Journal of History); since 1950, the Biuletyn Zydowskiego
Instytutu Historycznego (Polish, Bulletin of the Jewish Historical
Institute) has been published without interruption.
Currently, several Jewish publications are published in Poland: the
bilingual Dos Yidishe Vort - Slowo Zydowskie (Yiddish and Polish, The
Yiddish Word), and the Polish-language Jidele (Yiddish, Little Jew),
Midrasz, Glos Gminy Zydowskiej (Voice of the Jewish Community) (all in
Warsaw) and Jestesmy (Polish, We Are), in Gdansk.
(A.C./CM)
|
MAIN PAGE