June 19, 1968

Dear Mommy:

As you know, during my January trip to Europe I visited Poland for two weeks, and travelled extensively throughout the country. I found the conditions appallingly tense and repressive as far as the Jews were concerned.  Most of my friends and family were worried about their jobs and about the general climate because of the violent press, and tv campaigns against the so-called “Zionistic Jews”, Since then, most of my family who were in high government positions have been fired.

Last week when I was in Berlin I spent some time with a Polish woman who was visiting there. She is not Jewish. She told me that conditions are getting worse from day to day, especially since the struggle for political power is directed against the intellectuals. In her opinion oven people with a slight strain of Jewish blood are being persecuted – somewhat in the same direction as the Nuremburg Laws. 

This is also very evident in cases of arrests of Jewish students where the facts are often fabricated. It is unfortunate, but some Jewish organizations have to sign anti-Zionist declarations, I imagine, in order to survive. 

She also told me that ray brother-in-law who is not Jewish, has been undergoing a public vilification campaign, and will probably lose his job which is a non-political, but top administrative position, He has well as most intellectuals in similar positions are being harassed in every possible way. These profiles are now making contingency plans in case of arrest, so that they don’t implicate each other, and that they won’t influenced by fabricated evidence.

For obvious reasons I am not signing my name to this letter.

(Source: JDC Archives)