Books, quilts and sheepskin coats : possessions of the March emigrants

The antisemitic campaign carried out in Communist Poland in the years 1967-1968 resulted in approximately 13,000 Jews leaving the country. Departure from Poland was preceded by complicated bureaucratic procedures, including the renunciation of Polish citizenship. After receiving permission to leave, a period of hectic preparation ensued, as the "travel document" issued to the emigrants granted them just one month to leave the country. The memoirs of those who left-as well as those who chose to remain-speak of "people trapped in time, running around with all of their possessions." Some of these things were given away or sold for next to nothing, others were lost during the meticulous customs inspections, and still others were taken to the countries where their owners eventually settled. The aim of this article is to present the March Emigration through the lens of possessions, both those that the people forced to leave left behind and those they took with them on their journeys to new lives.