Abstract
This article presents the emigration of Polish Jewish community to the individual regions in Africa in the years 1918-1939 . It is stated in it that Africa was not really popular among Polish immigrants . Before 1939 only about 4200 people who had Polish citizenship lived on this large continent. Polish Jews occupied an important place among the population .
Relatively the largest colonies of Polish Jews were then in North Africa (Egypt and the Maghreb) and in South Africa. Smaller ones were created in West, Central and East Africa. The wealthiest group of Polish Jews lived in Egypt and South Africa, where they were engaged in trade. In other regions, that group dealt with craft, had small shops or livied on hired labor. Polish Jews were involved in the development of Polish and of Polish origin association life in Africa. They contributed also to establishing business contacts between Poland and African lands. Individuals received satisfactory material status and a good professional position or were engaged in political activities.
In the interwar period, in the Polish historiography for the years 1918-1939,
an important issue was the migrations, which took on the form of the mass.
They were, on theone hand, the aftermath of the economic emigration undertaken from the Polish lands even in the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. World War I interrupted the process. On the other hand, the reasons must be sought among the political and military, economic and financial and cultural-religious situation of the country, which was reborn after years of annexation in 1981. Apart from the unrestrained and spontaneous nature the migrations of people from
the Polish lands at that time took on the regulated and planned form due to the policy
of the state and institutions created especially for this purpose . They also exerted a certain influence on the form of exodus and its directions and strengthening the policy of
emigration, as the overall activities of the state in terms of population migration . Due
to the fact that Poland of the interwar period was a multi-ethnic country and national
minorities accounted for a relatively large proportion of citizens, not only Poles emigrated
. In the structures of state administration, they began to wonder over the possibility
of discharging tensions between national groups with the immigration policy .
One of the ethnic groups, which they devoted particular attention were the Jews who
did not have their own country at the time, but many lived not only on Polish lands,
but other European countries as well. It is true that the Black Continent in the interwar period was the continent, where the least number of inhabitants from the Polish lands went, but anyway migration from Polish territory to the areas in Africa took place . Polish citizens of Jewish faith occupied a special role among the migration movement. So far this subject has not enjoyed more interest in the literature, and hence the need for deeper analysis appeared. The main aim of this article is to show the numerical states of representatives of the Jewish community who moved from the Polish lands to Africa, further indication of the directions of migration, and to determine the role that Polish Jews acted in local environments . The main sources that were used to write this study were archival documents deposited in the Archives of New Files in Warsaw supported by the necessary bibliographic query .
Until the early twentieth century, the presence of the inhabitants of the Polish lands
in Africa was indeed visible, but never took the form of mass migration . In the past,
there were different groups of people who made their way to the Black Continent: the
knights taking part in expeditions to the Holy Land, pilgrims travelling to the holy places,
travelers, researchers and academics, missionaries, soldiers serving in the German
colonial forces and the French Foreign Legion and the Navy of Western European
countries, as well as economic migrants trying to gain a satisfactory financial situation. Among the above-mentioned professions, there was a group comprised of representatives
of the Jewish Diaspora, who came to the African continent from the Vistula area or through other European countries. Nevertheless, one can distinguish among
them some more characteristic people. The most significant was a representative of
the Jewish community originating from Poznan, who was called Gaspar da Gama or
Gaspar da India on the Iberian Peninsula. In the second half of the nineteenth century
and especially at the beginning of the twentieth century Jews made their way to Africa
from the Russian Empire, which was the result of persecution and pogroms against
the Jewish population, which at that time occurred successively there . Due to the fact
that in Palestine it was not safe either, some Jewish families stopped in North Africa,
especially in Egypt, waiting for the opportunity to continue their way to Jerusalem
and other places known from the Bible . During World War I, when there were approx.
100-150 people with Polish roots on the Nile, meetings of representatives of the
Jewish community with Polish immigrants were held, and even an association having
the character of a national-Polish committee was created. Another region, where the
Jews from the Russian occupation followed, was South Africa, where rich deposits of
gold and diamonds were discovered, which began to attract not only trappers, but also
artisans, merchants and traders who settled on the spot to support the local economic
development. Individuals and families of Jewish origin went also to other regions
of the Black Continent settling in urban centers, serving mostly the role of the capital
or the main administrative facilities . They were involved in petty trade and crafts, but
educated people could be found in this group, such as doctors or engineers .
The end of World War I did not cause greater interest in the Black Land among the
Polish citizens, including the Jewish community. The reason for this was sometimes
reluctance to admitting Jewish people . This situation particularly concerned the socalled
Arab Africa, in which social religious conflicts were still alive. One of the entities
in the area where the Jewish population was not welcome was – having greater
political autonomy – Egypt. Nevertheless, with the end of the war several Jewish families
came to Alexandria, joining the existing large Jewish community there. In the 20s of the twentieth century, at least a dozen more families from the Vistula area arrived there, but some of them did not participate in the life of Polish or of Polish origin communities,
participating at the same time only in the religious structures of the Jewish faith. In the mid-30s of the century, the Polish Legation in Cairo estimated the number of Polish citizens in this country maintaining irregular contacts with the local diplomatic post for approx . 150 people, half of them were the representatives of the Jewish faith . The second group of at least several hundred were Polish Jews who did not keep any contacts with the legation, and if they knew the Polish language, according to the diplomats, did not use it every day . The figures relating to the latter were only estimates, because the Legation knew of such people, however, due to the fact of merging their representatives in the local Jewish communities did not have reliable informants who could write down their personal data. Despite this situation in 1933, the Polish Association of Charity was appointed on the initiative of the Polish. Legation in Cairo that was supposed to continue the previous activities of associations of the First World War period . Among the several dozen members of the initiative group of this project, Polish citizens of the Jewish faith were mainly the leaders. However, they were educated people from the Vistula areas and of better material status, who not having a regulated status of the state, did not want to break contacts with the Polish diplomats . Unfortunately, due to conflicts occurring within a small number of the Polish community in that country, the Association did not manifest greater activity and they decided to suspend it three years later. The Jewish community also led the way in the Egyptian-Polish Chamber of Commerce, set-up in the second half of the 20s of the twentieth century, which since 1928 issued its own quarterly newsletter where announcements and advertisements of the local Polish community running their own business were placed.
Representatives of the Jewish community who were born in Poland were also in
other regions of the so-called Arab Africa . In the interwar period, a small number of
people of economic emigration appeared in the areas of the Maghreb, dominated by
French colonial policy then . Throughout the period the Polish and of Polish origin
civil groups – in relation to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia – were estimated to be tens
or hundreds of people. For this reason, it was decided to launch their administrative
centers, honorary consulates that could activate Polish foreign policy in this direction
and at the same time take care of Polish citizens living there . These posts informed in
their reports that at least half of the Polish and of Polish origin communities had been
dominated by representatives of the Jewish faith, who most often treated ambivalently
both Poland and promoted by the state patriotic values . More often representatives of
these groups came to claim the aid or welfare payments, and far less likely to participate
in the promotion of independence and patriotic actions . They reluctantly came
to the consulates for registration; at most, they wanted to extend the validity of their
passports or other identity documents. The situation in the Maghreb was similar,
therefore, to that of Egypt . The unclear state status of the community meant that they
wanted to keep the base of the legalization of their stay, although they were aware of
the fact that the leading institutions in this field were the French authorities . Hence,
the Jewish community cared more about the correct establishing of contacts with representatives of the colonial administration, rather than Polish diplomats. In the situation of Polish Jews in the area, the former could give much more than Polish consuls
could offer, especially that the latter had the honorary status. Another region of the Black Continent, in which Polish Jews indicated their presence, was South Africa . The first group reached this part of the world at the beginning of the 20s of the twentieth century, which was related to the rebirth of the Polish state. The second populous colony found there a place in the next decade and had a close relationship with the fact that Nazis came to power in Germany . Before World War II, the size of the Polish and of Polish origin communities in the Union of South Africa was estimated at 1,900 people, and this was by far the largest community in the Black Continent. Apollonius Zarychta, by far the best versed in the subject of emigration of that period, also estimated that this group was dominated in 95% by people of the Jewish faith. Long-term studies conducted by Arkadiusz Żukowski question the estimates of the first one, because both in the consular reports, as well as memoirs and newspaper articles, there are fairly numerous names not only Polish-like but also of the people of the Catholic faith.
Nevertheless, a relatively large group of people of Jewish origin settled in the Union
of South Africa . They maintained good and solid contacts with Polish diplomatic missions, called to life in the interwar period . It is no wonder that those Jews lived and ran business activity not only in the economic centers of South Africa, but cities, which
where the honorary consulates were established . In Johannesburg, a Polish-Hebrew
Association of Charity was set up in the first half of the 30s of the twentieth century.
Its primary task was to provide assistance to Polish citizens coming to the South African lands. Polish Jews and British Jews descending from Polish lands were the main
initiators and activists of this form of activity . A bunch of approx. 200 members of this
socio-cultural initiative formed additionally a literary circle and a library with Polish
books . They organized evening meetings related to Polish poetry or national holidays
on 3 May and 11 November. In Cape Town, in turn, outside the consulate, Polish Jews
showed the activity in the established Federation of Polish Jews in the Cape Province.
One must also recognize that positively developed in the interwar period Polish-South
African economic relations were based mainly on economic and financial connections
of representatives of the Jewish faith, who often performed the functions of commercial
agents promoting local goods imported from the Vistula areas .
Few groups of Polish Jews arrived at other regions of the Black Continent as well .
A few or a few dozen families represented them . In West Africa, their presence fell
on the main centers of the French administration, as Dakar and Abidjan . Only single
families were present there . They did a small craftsman business or worked in the management of colonial areas. In Central Africa, the presence of Polish Jews was linked
to the Belgian Congo . E .g . in 1938 colonial administration hired 11 Polish citizens of
Jewish faith to work in the area . However, the presence of this national group referred
in the area to at least several dozen families who had arrived there earlier. Despite
being a small group, they left a lasting impression even in the contemporary political
activity. The problem of settlement in East Africa was similar . Polish Jews made
their way there through the UK . According to Henryk Zins, who worked in this area
as a university teacher after World War II, only a Jewish family of the Blocks reached
a satisfactory social status in Kenya . In Nairobi and other cities, they launched a hotel network,
distinguishing by appearance and the level of services from the competition.
Although a specific ideological witch-hunt realized in Poland by the national democracy,
there were no major settlements of Polish Jews in Madagascar and other African
islands located in the Pacific Ocean. Only a family or single persons were present there .
Slightly more families ran small businesses in Madagascar, supporting the local French
administration and contacting with the Polish honor consulate.
Characterizing the migration of Polish Jews to the African continent in the interwar
period, you can have the impression that Polish and of Polish origin communities
could exist there thanks to the presence of representatives of the Jewish faith. Such
a specified thesis, of course, is not accurate, because on the Black Continent there were
also planters, missionaries, sailors and soldiers serving in foreign-armed formations,
among which the Jewish diaspora did not appear . However, it should be noted that the
Polish Jews were a strong group of civilian economic immigration, dealing with crafts,
engaged in the trade or the international trade brokering. The strongest and most enduring colony of Polish Jews proved to be that of southern Africa. In other regions,
the communities were characterized by instability, changing location, or their situation
resulted in further migration. Part of Polish Jews residing in North Africa intended to
settle permanently in Palestine. Therefore, from the beginning of their stay in the area
they seemed to be aware of the temporary nature of the settlement among the Arab
population . In the remaining regions of the Black Continent, the Jewish population
was dependent mainly on European colonial authorities. With the latter, they undertook
therefore cooperation, seeing it as a chance to survive or to build adequate social
and economic status.