Translated by A.F.

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Eyle Toledot Haynt…

These are the Chronicles of Haynt…

A.

The work before you is a study of the Warsaw daily newspaper Haynt. It is a modest attempt, by a former contributor, to describe the role and achievements of this Jewish daily throughout its lifespan, nearly a third of a century in length – until it was silenced forever by the catastrophe that befell us.

Haynt’s slogan was to tell the truth, the whole truth, about the Jewish predicament. Haynt was constantly speaking up for Jewish interests, ceaselessly calling for rights for Jews. This work describes how Haynt understood its self-appointed mission, and recounts the difficulties and persecutions that resulted: first under the Tzar, then under German occupation in World War I, and lastly in independent Poland. While every one of these regimes was hostile to the Jews, the governments of independent Poland (1918 –1939) were far and away the worst: for anti-Semitic atrocities, and in the persecution of Haynt alike. This interwar period, and the part that Haynt played in it, are the principal subjects of this book.

A daily newspaper, and especially a Jewish one, does not operate in a vacuum – and certainly not one with the communal support and political outlook of Haynt. Its community is its lifeblood; culture, society, the political conditions of the times – these sustain it. Consequently it has not been sufficient to simply describe the achievements of Haynt, as a Jewish newspaper that shaped the outlook of the Jewish community in the period before World War II.

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For readers of today to appreciate Haynt’s central importance, as a press forum for Polish Jewry, it has been considered necessary to try to depict the context in which Haynt was active: in its political, economic and communal aspects, both Jewish and general. How else could the contemporary reader grasp a period so different from our own, so far removed from the way of life of Jews in the countries where we live and are active today? For this reason the author has sought to convey the thoughts and aspirations, the opinions, of the Jewish world of that era.

To this end the book has been written on two planes, as it were. One conveys the broad sweep of Jewish life during that period, with its temptations and its afflictions, its occasional joys and triumphs but, more frequently, its difficulties and defeats – which found clear reflection in the columns of Haynt. On another plane, the study describes the reactions of Haynt to the events, and the persecutions that the newspaper had to endure.

This work was never intended as history in the strict sense, even though the topic has close links to history. A historical sketch though – the essence, hardly more than a list of events - has been provided, cataloguing what Poland’s Jews had to face during those fateful interwar years. In vain will the reader seek analysis of the complex political issues of the time; of the period’s social struggles, of Jewish resistance, or of the course of Polish-Jewish relations. Such analysis, beyond the bounds of this work, is a task awaiting a professional historian. A comprehensive account of that final historical period of Polish Jewry is still awaited. What has appeared to date is unsatisfying – piecemeal, and often one-sided or beside the point. Here the author has taken for his role to bear witness to what he saw and participated in himself; together with his comments on this testimony. Merely an outline, no more than a catalogue of events is provided, as already stated – but sufficient to induct the reader into the world of Polish Jewry.

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Chapters 2,3,7,16 and certainly chapters 4 and 21, despite their many gaps (which are by no means due to oversights) will serve to remind the older generation of how life was, and to give younger readers an inkling of the last phase of Jewish life in Poland.

Now is a time when the younger generation is showing an interest in our recent past. Young scholars, students, writers, historians and sociologists are seeking informative primary material. It is hoped that this work will provide one such source. And that a professional journalist, or a historian of the modern Jewish press will find useful this account of the struggles fought by a democratic Jewish newspaper and its writers, against ill-intentioned governments and an anti-Semitic society.

*    *    *

Historian or eyewitness, a writer should stick to the facts – relating what happened and how, resisting speculations as to what might have been if people had acted differently. Nevertheless, this author found himself assailed by doubts, in the course of this work:

Was Haynt right, to demand civil rights so persistently for Jews? After all, our civil rights had been guaranteed, along with other national minorities, both in the post-World War One treaty and in the Polish Constitution. Was it a good tactic, Haynt’s general policy of fierce opposition to the government, stubbornly demanding equal rights for Jews together with the Jewish parliamentary leaders? Might it have been better, as some thought, to be less confronting and to resume instead the traditional Jewish approach of quiet lobbying? Would that perhaps have improved the Polish Jewish situation a little – and given Haynt some breathing space as well?

However, when we consider the available options, it is clear that the plight of Poland’s Jews was by no means determined by themselves alone, by one Jewish political stance or another. Anti-Semitism was always of central significance in the programs and functioning of Poland’s political parties and governments. To promote hatred of Jews, to use terror as well as economic annihilation – these provided means for the gaining of power, as well as for securing their rule, once power had been won.

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Neither did the Polish socialists stand out as supporters of the Jews. They were not at all eager to oppose the anti-Semitic attacks, or to come out for the Jewish workers now unemployed as a result of the economic boycott of Jewish business. Apart from a small number of sincere, well-intentioned individuals, who were without followers or political influence, the Polish community was moving steadily towards a day in, day out hatred of Jews, the governments introducing anti-Semitic programs and laws, the local authorities implementing these instructions for discrimination. The ostensible Polish attempts to reach an understanding with Jews never were genuine, as became quite clear during the 1925-27 Ugoda discussions, described below in chapter 7.

Once the leadership of Jewish politics in Poland had passed from Yitzhak Gruenbaum to supporters of a moderate approach, and Dr Emil Sommerstein (1883-1957) had become head of the Jewish Parliamentary Group; and later on, when the government attempted to divide the Jewish community by approving Dr. Yehoshua Gottlieb’s[1] candidature for Parliament on the OZON list – the fascist government party Oboz Zjednoczenia Narodowego[2];, known by its initials, which advocated in Poland for Hitler’s methods of racist extermination of Jews; and then, when former legionnaires and retired Jewish army officers and others of that ilk, who had never had anything to do with Jews and had no interest in Jewish issues – were forced upon our community as leaders and spokesmen – then the Jewish parliamentary struggle was muffled, and Jewish demands were stilled. Not only did our new “leaders” make no demands at all. They even joined in with the authorities in planning for compulsory Jewish emigration from Poland. Chapters 4 and 21 describe the tragic state of Poland’s Jews in those days.

It comes to this. Taking the long perspective, when we consider the series of discriminations against Jews in Poland, which culminated in the bloody unrest and expulsion agitation of the Thirties, inevitably the following objective conclusion is reached about our Jewish political approach in Poland: neither its principles nor its tactics in fact had much influence at all on the course of relations between Jews and Poles.

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Submission without question on one hand, backroom lobbying and pleading on the other – neither produced any better results for Jews than principled political struggle had done. The popularity of Haynt was a clear indication of Jewish sentiment. The Jews wanted to fight for their rights and for their endangered existence; Haynt strengthened them for this struggle.

*    *    *

Looking back now on those bitter years, especially the late Thirties, when Jews were under attack, we have to admire the energy with which Polish Jews defended themselves. Our people found the strength and the will to keep our heads above water regardless.

Examples abound in the news items and reports of the Haynt archives: significant new scientific organizations, new cooperatives and trade courses; Peoples Banks, which offered low interest rates; and all kinds of interest-free loan schemes, which aimed at new income creation for Jewish workers, tradesfolk and shopkeepers, while at the same time creating work settings for the severely marginalized Jewish intelligentsia.

Despite economic crisis, a colossal unemployment rate and the impoverishment of the Jewish masses, Polish Jewry’s cultural life remained incredibly rich and varied. Educational organizations counted tens of thousands of children and thousands of teachers and educators, in primary and secondary schools. For adults there were all kinds of courses, conducted in Yiddish, Hebrew and Polish. There were cultural institutes, theatres and libraries; choirs and musical societies and art galleries; sporting clubs and nature lovers’ clubs…all together hundreds of groups, with tens of thousands of members, which carried on their lively activities to the very end.

There were scores of Yiddish dailies – in Warsaw alone nine appeared regularly, and sometimes a tenth. There were hundred of weeklies, and various other periodicals, for politics and economics, social issues and health, literature, as well as professional journals. The readers were in their hundreds of thousands, and Jewish literature was flourishing: new books were being published, and sold well. A vibrant Jewish theatre was performing modern plays, both Jewish and general. Jewish artists were active and could find buyers for their works.

Needless to say, none of these activities got financial support from the government; all were maintained by Jewish self-help alone. The whole educational system, the medical and social work services, the entire economic and cultural program - all were sustained by donors from within Poland and by foreign funds as well - of which the American JOINT was the most significant.

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B.

In those days Warsaw was the largest Jewish community in Europe. It was the smithy of Jewish creative life, where culture in all its forms was hammered out. Warsaw was the capital of Jewish public life for over 3 million Polish Jews – the largest Jewish population in the world outside the USA.

And in many respects, both spiritually and culturally, the Jews of Poland influenced and invigorated Jewish life the whole world over. Warsaw was at the same time a place of active religious Judaism; a Zionist stronghold, working for the development of Erets-Yisroyel; and a centre of vibrant social activism.

All three of these important ideologies found their expression in the press - which sits so close to practical political, economic and cultural work: and close to the battles of the Jewish street; those fought within the Jewish camp itself as well as those waged against our foes.

Haynt was a newspaper for all Jews, the paper of the people. Its national and Zionist sympathies were upfront. Haynt urged its readers to join the battle for human worth and not to lose heart; to fight for our own position as well as for the welfare of all. Haynt was at the forefront of resistance. And not with their pens alone did its contributors join in the struggle: many were themselves deeply involved in active pursuit of the right to work, the right to be able to create their own cultural values, and to live in security as equal citizens.

Through its feature articles and its local news; through its spin on daily events – highlighting some issues, backgrounding others – Haynt shaped the opinions of the readership. It was Haynt’s view that not a single Jew, not one Yishuv could be emancipated, without the deliverance of the whole Jewish nation. As Zionism taught, so did Haynt as well – to a whole generation of readers.

Haynt had already begun promoting the idea of struggle for citizens’ rights for Jews, and for an independent Jewish cultural life, before such slogans had become familiar to the masses – and while our community’s leaders still opposed them. Political Zionism was still quite young when Haynt began to promote the Zionist idea. The columns of Haynt are woven through and through with these two themes of Jewish reawakening. They crop up repeatedly, like red strands, throughout the history of Haynt.

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Yitzhak Gruenbaum (in Noentn Over Vol 2, p232) [see biblio.] described Haynt as: “a newspaper which throughout its existence expounded fighting for rights and justice for Jews”. Haynt provided hope and consolation to Jews, at all times and under all conditions. It aroused them to resistance, and maintained their will to endure until a brighter day. In his memoir, the historian Ber (Bernard) Mark, writing about the Jewish role in the civilian defense of Warsaw at the start of World War II (see chapter 22), describes how Haynt kept up the spirit of Polish Jews.

Governments came and went. Some were conservative and some were reactionary; there were some that made high-sounding declarations about democracy – but these were mere phrases, without substance. Nothing changed for the Jews, not a single Polish government was friendly or even tolerant. And for Haynt there was no peace at all. No opposition newspaper, whether Jewish or not, suffered the persecution that Haynt did. No newspaper in the city was treated more harshly. Yet the might of the authorities failed to break Haynt, to stifle the outcry of the Jewish oppressed which rose from its columns. This is discussed in chapter 6.

Haynt’s existence was always hanging by a thread. The atmosphere was singular – its staff never knew what the morrow would bring. The cost of damages levied was enormous. The twenty years of Polish independence were years of persecution, by every means the State possessed – and of corresponding resistance. Seizures took place on a daily basis – they were a way of life. Several times Haynt was closed down and the paper had to be issued under a different name; once there were six name changes in one week! A number of times the print shop was closed down, and there was no lack of other persecutions as well.

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Yet however great the danger, however perilously uncertain the publication’s future, no matter how bitter were our hearts, these were still years of great achievement. For Haynt’s role and significance were recognized in Poland, and Haynt’s struggles with the authorities were well-known to Jews beyond our borders as well. This was our moral reward, and made up for all our woes.

Everyone who worked for Haynt – writers, typesetters, printers, accountants – did so with a sense of joy, in the knowledge they were serving something Jewish. Irrespective of our personal organizational or party allegiances, we regarded our participation in Haynt as something that distinguished us and raised us to a higher moral level, making us different from others who worked in newspapers. A common desire to continue the hardslogging campaign, which Haynt was leading for the benefit of Polish Jewry, was the deciding influence on everyone, in the period of the Alt-Nay (Old-New) cooperative as well – not withstanding the financial sacrifices, which this brought upon the company and everyone in it. (see chapter 19)

The attitude to the newspaper of Haynt’s readership was unique in the press. This found its expression on various occasions – see for example chapters 17, 18,19. In the gentile world newspapers were larger and wealthier, with countless readers and boundless profits. Haynt by comparison, was poor and small indeed. But what enriched Haynt was the trust and devotion of its readers, their faith in our honest intentions, in a word – the allegiance of the readers, the awareness of the writers of the influence they wielded. This was Haynt’s moral treasure – which outdid any material wealth.

Mordechai-Yozef Huberman, the “unknown” reader of Haynt, “the Grey One”, expressed this for the whole readership, in his heartfelt dedication (see above) to the Haynt Annual for 1937 that he donated to Tel Aviv Municipal Library.

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C.

Haynt promulgated the ideas of the General Zionists. Its sympathies, however, lay with the progressive group known as Al-haShomer. The newspaper kept careful track of the life of the Yishuv, maintaining a bureau of journalists there; and supported the National Funds. Chapter 5 deals with Haynt’s expressed attitudes to Zionist issues and general Jewish issues of significance, which occupied the Jewish community between the Wars.

Although a Zionist newspaper, Haynt received no financial support from the Zionist organization. It had no need for it; and in any case, the Zionist organization could not have afforded it. Haynt was an independent newspaper, and contributors were free to write according to their own conscience and understanding. Haynt promoted Zionism because the newspaper and its writers believed in its ideals. They campaigned for democracy in the movement itself, because of their own progressive views. They defended Jewish honour and fought for civil rights, because they saw themselves as free and equal citizens, proud of their Jewishness.

Zionist parties and groups regarded Haynt as their mutual platform. It was thanks to Haynt that every shade of the Zionist spectrum could come to light, setting out their premises and views – provided that criticism was not excessive or destructive. Chapter 20 describes the reaction of Haynt, after two prominent writers refused to accept these conditions.

D.

There were two different periods in Haynt’s organization. From 1908-1932 it was a private company. After that it was administered by *** the staff, who had formed a cooperative called Alt-Nay (old-new) for that purpose.

The first 18 chapters of this study deal with the first period and part of the second. Chapter 1 discusses the founders and first contributors to Haynt. (The whole “family” of Haynt’s writers are discussed in chapters 8 through 14) Chapters 2 and 3 carry the story as far as World War I, while chapters 4 and 21 describe the Jewish plight in Poland between the Wars. Yitzhak Gruenbaum’s influence on Haynt is discussed in chapter 7. Chapters 15 and 16 deal with Haynt’s popularity in Galicia and with the Steiger [Sztajger]*** trial in Lemberg [Lviv].        

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Chapters 17 and 18 deal with Haynt’s communal and cultural ventures, together with its two Jubilees, in 1928 and 1938. Chapters 19 through 21 cover the newspaper’s history including the Alt-Nay period; while chapter 22 depicts the last days of Haynt, in September 1939.

In these 22 chapters, which make up the first part of the work, an attempt has been made not only to set out Haynt’s story correctly, clearly and systematically, with all the material in its abundant detail factually accurate, in a true perspective and in adequate chronological order; but at the same time care has been taken to guide readers through the intricacies of the issues that Polish Jews, and Haynt with them, had to face during the nearly 32 years of Haynt’s existence. Special attention has been paid to Haynt’s role as spokesperson for Poland’s Jewish masses, and to Haynt’s struggle against the opposing forces.

Part 2 of the book is an anthology: of recollections and appraisals, by Haynt’s contributors and by others who were close to Haynt. Many of them were written at the author’s request (see footnotes for sources).

Part 3 gives a series of lists: of contributors; of Haynt’s publications; of book prizes for readers; of the committee members involved in each Jubilee. Much has been republished from the Jubilee books, because material such as the impressive statistical tables may prove useful to professional historians. Also listed are the titles of the Jubilee book articles with their authors, and the Jubilee book illustrations. Some of the photographs are reproduced here.

The work concludes with a bibliography of the books consulted for this work (part 4), and a cumulative index of names, issues, organizations, places and publications (part 5). 

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E.

Even though the events of this book are etched in the author’s brain, he would not have been able to rely on memory alone. Human memory is limited and is by no means an ideal instrument. So it was necessary to refresh the recollection of certain matters, and to establish the sequence of Jewish and general events. Not all the Haynt Annuals are available in America and other sources, given in the Bibliography, had to be consulted. (Incidentally, a reliable source for some information turned out to be the pre-War Warsaw telephone directory!) Then correspondence with some well-informed individuals, former readers of Haynt, in Israel, Australia, England, Poland and the USA, helped to complete the picture. Much of the material was gleaned by the author himself, from archives and libraries in New York, London, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem – either through personal research or from responses to written enquiries.

Whilst this work was in progress, the manuscript passed through a series of changes, in both structure and content. Meanwhile however, resumes of the whole, and sections of the work were being published, in various books on the Yiddish press and Yiddish literature, as well as in periodicals in Israel, America and Europe.

Sections of the first draft were used for the writer’s essay in Fun Noentn Oved[3], vol. 2 (New York 1956, pp69-237).

Portions of a later draft appeared in both editions of the Almanac of the Yiddish Press in Europe: first in the 1973 Hebrew edition (pp56-72) Itonut Yehudit she-hayetah[4]  (The Yiddish Press that once was) and with some minor alterations in the 1975 Yiddish edition (pp34-52) (Di Yidishe Prese vos iz geven[5]). A resume of the first chapter of this work appeared in Pinkes Far Der Forshung Fun Der Yidisher Literature Un Prese[6] (New York 1975, vol 3, pp345-366).

The Jewish Telegraphic Organization (JTO) gave an announcement about this book in its Bulletin 182, October 1973. London’s Jewish Chronicle wrote about it on 9/28/73 and Ha’aretz and other Israeli newspaper published announcements about it at different times.

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In 1973, in conjunction with Haynt’s 65^th birthday, the author published several magazine articles based on the work: in Undzer Vort (Our World) (Paris, 26.5.73) and, Letste Nayes (Tel Aviv); in English in Jewish Frontier (New York, May 1973); in Portuguese in Aonde Vamos? (Rio de Janeiro, 19.8.73). Extracts from a later version of the manuscript were published in Di Tzukunft (The Future) (New York, February and April 1974).

The reader should not take it amiss that in places in this work the writer’s name is mentioned. After all, it was his experience that underpins this study. For a score and more years, he was dealing with the Jewish community’s leaders, and writing about its political and communal life – as a reporter, Parliamentary correspondent, editor for local news, then Night Editor and finally as Director of the Alt-Nay Cooperative.

It was thanks to its contributors that Haynt had the place of honor it did, as the most influential Jewish publication of the inter-War period. As far as is humanly possible, the writer has tried to be scrupulously fair in describing the parts played by various contributors in Haynt’s success. Reverence for the work and its historico-cultural endeavors, not to mention the professional responsibility of an oldtime journalist educated in the uncompromising discipline of Haynt – have been his guides.

Certainly some contributors and some episodes have received more space than others. This has not been through any whim of the author – and by no means due to sympathy or dislike for a person. If the author has been critical of a newspaper matter or of  a contributor, this has been according to the position which Haynt took at the time: how Haynt reacted to the events, and what were the actions of people at the time which influenced that. Ma’aseh Shehiya Kakh Hayah – the story that was, was like this: as the editors saw and wrote it, so is it told here.

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It is confessed that strong feelings had to be overcome, carrying out this work. Difficult thoughts came up for the writer, as he looked through the Annuals and went over the Jubilee books, organizing lists of contributors with their photographs. Memories of experiences with friends, with whom he had shared the same room, the same table, for years, came swimming into the mind as if calling fortheir well-earned place in eternity. It has not been easy to write about old comrades, torn from the world by the Nazis. Many to died in the Soviet steppes or Taiga. As these lines are written, few of them still survive.

And it was with a heavy heart too, that the writer had to ponder the public for whom the book is intended. A single thought kept hammering: will anyone read this, apart from a small number of professional historians, and an even smaller number of specialists in the Jewish press? Where today is this study’s true audience – the former readership of Haynt?

You force yourself to be an optimist. Hopefully, a sufficient number of loyal old readers of Haynt will be found. After all, the newspaper was a part of their lives. They will be looking for some trace, which hopefully they will find, of their own past, from the time when they and Haynt were believers in a better future for Poland, and we were waiting expectantly for Erets‑Yisroyel to be restored to us. For other readers, the book will help elucidate the lost riches, the colorful, creative lives of Polish Jewry -  who lit up the whole Jewish world, enriching the spiritual lives of Jews everywhere.

These are the chronicles of Haynt. This work was written with boundless love and painstaking care as an expression of reverence for Haynt. It is intended as a tombstone to honor the memory of the Haynt Family, and to pay respect to Haynt’s readers.

The author would like to believe that he has brought the project to a successful conclusion.

*

A manuscript, before it goes to the printer, is usually passed for assessment to “the first reader”. In this regard, the author has been especially fortunate to have a number of “first readers”, all specialists expert in the Inter-War period of Polish Jewry: (***the names following, please!)

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the scholar Dr Jacob Robinson*** (1889-1977), author of seminal works on the Holocaust and Coordinator of the Yad vaShem – YIVO documentation project; two former Haynt contributors, Yozef-Shimon Goldstein*** of New York and Prof Samuel L. Sharp  of Washington. In New York two historians read parts of the manuscript, Prof L.T. Blushtchik [?] and Dr. Lucjan Dobroszycki, and so did the former Warsaw journalist, now living in B’nei Brak, Moshe Prager (Mark). The author is grateful to them all for their comments that helped bring the manuscript to its present stage.

Good friends lent their assistance in all phases of the work, firstly during the selection of material for the book and then with the manuscript. Special thanks are due to:

-         Dina Abramovich, YIVO’s librarian in New York

-         Dr Artur Eisenbach of the Historical Institute of the Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw [Instytut Historii Polskiej Akademii Nauk]

-         Pesach Albert of Melbourne, former President of the Jewish Newspapersellers’ Union in Warsaw

-         Zelig B’Rashi, contributor to the Groiser Verterbuch fun der Yidisher Shprakh[7].

-         Dr Raphael Mahler (1899-1977), Professor at Tel Aviv

-         Dr Yudel Mark (1897-1975), Editor, Groyser Verterbuch fun der Yidisher Shprakh.

Special honour must be warmly accorded Dr Aryeh Tartakower, Director of the Jewish World Congress in Jerusalem, for his patient assistance, helping to bring the publication of this work to completion. His counsel and commitment were unstinting of time and effort.

And last but not least – my wife Yokheved (Yadgiga) was a fountain of comfort and encouragement throughout. In times of doubt and of difficulty – which were in no short supply, at any stage of his work – she would create the right conditions, with understanding and commitment, to ensure that the sacred work could proceed, right up to its appearance in print.

C. F.

A grant from the Foundation for Yiddish Culture in New York, helped cover the expenses associated with selection of materials and with the typing of the manuscript’s early versions.