Ghetto benches

Widespread attacks on Warsaw’s Jews raged for two weeks in 1937. They were followed by a government commitment to institute ghetto benches throughout the Polish system of higher education. A numerus clausus on Jewish students had already sharply restricted Jewish admissions to institutions of higher education. In Warsaw, Jews constituted just 5 or 6% of admissions in the current academic year. At the Warsaw University of Technology’s faculty of engineering, Jewish admissions were less than 3% and Jewish admissions in the mechanics faculty were just over 1%. The situation was worse outside the capital. Separate benches for Jewish children are also being introduced in the public elementary schools. Many teachers were delighted when eight- or nine-year-old children assisted by dragging their Jewish classmates to separate seating. Meanwhile, the Jewish community has failed to form a united front of opposition to these developments. The leftist camp (Jewish and non-Jewish) is trying to form a united front of all opposition parties and groups, but nobody believes they will succeed in holding back the antisemitic tide. 26 October 1937.