On Packed Suitcases
Jewish Life in Szczecin after 1945
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In 1946, the Polish authorities settled tens of thousands of Jewish “repatriots” from the Soviet Union in west Pomeranian Szczecin. For most, Szczecin was only a transit station. In contrast to the official version of events, these Jews were not returning to their homeland. They had originally lived in eastern Poland and had escaped to the Soviet Union during the war or had been deported there. Now they were being forced to settle in the west. As a result, this government attempt to keep Jews in Szczecin failed. Anti-Semitism, Stalinism, and the struggle against Jewish autonomy encouraged many Szczecin Jews to emigrate.
(Osteuropa 10/2012, pp. 109–151)