The Expulsion of Jews from Communist Poland

"In the first comprehensive English-language study of the crucial March 1968 events in Poland, Anat Plocker deftly analyzes the sources of the upheaval that ended in the forced emigration of 13,500-15,000 Jews from the country. Using a wide array of archival and memoir sources, Plocker convincingly demonstrates that the communist party's anti-Zionist campaign was the product of Polish nationalist thinking in the party as it intersected with Polish anti-Semitism and the politicized memory of the war and Holocaust. This is a personal and deeply scholarly account that makes for riveting reading."—Norman Naimark, Stanford University

"This is the first comprehensive English monograph of the infamous "anti-Zionist campaign" of 1968, which forced in exile thousands of Polish Jews and almost ended the organized Jewish life in Poland. Analyzing a broad source base, including previously top secret documents of the communist party and Security Service, it expands our knowledge and challenges some of the key theses of Polish historiography on the topic."—Dariusz Stola, Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN

"Plocker challenges our understanding of recent Polish history by exploring a seemingly episodic event: the antisemitic campaign conducted by the communist government in 1967-68 against the remnants of the Jewish community in Poland. This powerful book shows us how the forced emigration of alleged "Zionists" was a defining moment for the consolidation of Polish ethnonationalism and a distinct memory of World War Two that continues to shape Polish politics today. Extensively researched and lucidly argued, this book masterfully combines intellectual rigor with a deeply humanistic narrative."—Malgorzata Fidelis, University of Illinois at Chicago.

"In this clear-sighted and compelling book, Anat Plocker skillfully mines the archives to trace the origins, course, and legacies of the anti-Zionist campaign in 1960s Poland, when communist leaders and lower-level officials alike mobilized antisemitism to advance their political agendas. By focusing on the language and processes of exclusion, she also offers timely context for understanding the revival of both Polish nationalist narratives of the Holocaust and fear-based campaigns against vulnerable populations across the world."—Kathryn Ciancia, University of Wisconsin-Madison