«Bund» of Poland - The case of Henryk Erlich and Victor Alter

From 1he year 1937-from the time when ali Fascist coun1ries look a hand in the fight in Spain-Erlich bclonged lo lhe group of men who saw elearly 1he cataslrophc which was bound IO follow failure to inlervene ,!: on the pari of the united forces of frcedom. He was an ardent adhercnt of the defence of the free nations agains11heaggression of the totalitarian Fascist forccs. In spite of his vcry criticai auitude towards Russia's internal policy, hc defendcd, in the Press, on the speakers· pla1form,at meetings ofpolitical institutions in 1hecountry and abroad, the view that the democratic countries musi resolve on a llne of action jointly with thc U.S.S.R. against Fascist countries who were preparing for assault. VJCTOR ALTER During 1he hard months immediatcly bcfore the Gcrman auack on Poland was launched, Erlich led an in1ensifiedcampaign to prepare the Jewish working masscs fora full part in the approaching struggie, a struggle which would affect the Jewish masscs even more than anyone else. On the first day of war Erlich worked ali day on a manifesto to the Jewish workers, signed by the Centrai Committee of the Party and Youth Organisation, in which he called on everyone, and in panicular the young people, to saerifice everything. if need be their lives, IO stop the Nazis from passing into theircountry. Three weeks later a prison celi and a Soviet wardcn separated Erlieh from the people he had servcd so wcll all his life. The ]ife of Vic1or Alter parallels in many respects that of Henryk Erlich. Born in Mlawa, Poland, in 1890, hc too joincd al an early ageBiblioteca Gino Bianco

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