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13,000 Jews were driven out of Poland in 1968. Now, some are returning to tell their story.

JL;DR SUMMARY In 1968, a government-led antisemitic campaign in Poland forced 13,000 Jews to leave the country, stripping them of jobs and citizenship. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryJewish IdentityZionismPolandJewish Exile1968Cultural HealingCommunist PolandEngaged Memory Consortium

Places mentioned

Szczecin, West Pomerania, Poland
"In March 1968, Rachelle Halpern walked into her university in Szczecin, Poland, and found a group of her classmates gathered around a newspaper."
Warsaw, Mazovia, Poland
"Over eight days, they visited Jewish sites and community groups in Warsaw, Wrocaw and d."
Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Poland
"Over eight days, they visited Jewish sites and community groups in Warsaw, Wrocaw and d."
Łódź, Poland
"Over eight days, they visited Jewish sites and community groups in Warsaw, Wrocaw and d."
Sweden
"The nine participants came from Sweden, Denmark and the United States."
Denmark
"The nine participants came from Sweden, Denmark and the United States."
United States
"The nine participants came from Sweden, Denmark and the United States."
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
"Halpern was 22 when her family left in December 1968 to join a relative in Boston."
California, United States
"Halpern went to medical school in Boston and made her career as a doctor in California, then Colorado."
Colorado, United States
"Halpern went to medical school in Boston and made her career as a doctor in California, then Colorado."
Copenhagen, Capital Region, Denmark
"Szpirt recently retired from his long career as a doctor in Copenhagen."
Vienna, Austria
"She caught up with her parents just before their next train departed from Warsaw to Vienna."
New York City, New York, United States
"Eliza Fishenfeld grew up in New York City with parents who fled in 1969 and 1974."
Kraków, Lesser Poland, Poland
"In 2007, Halpern learned about the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakw and went to Poland for the first time since leaving home."

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Cairo Item ID 84715
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2026-06-12 18:00:28 UTC
Curated 2026-06-12 19:00:33 UTC