Can Fascism Be Good for the Jews? The Response of the Yiddish Press in Poland to Italian Fascism (1922–39): A Research Reconnaissance

The article sets out to profile the results of preliminary research into the stances taken by two Warsaw Yiddish daily newspapers, Haynt and Der Moment, on the phenomenon of Italian fascism. These ranged from guarded and benevolent interest, and even a certain fascination, to categorical rejection, depending on the official stance of the fascist movement towards the Jews. The article discusses the initial ad hoc judgments on fascism made in the 1920s, opinions on Polish and Jewish emulators of Mussolini, with particular attention to Vladimir Jabotinsky and the Revisionist movement, and the opinions of Jewish political journalists on Mussolini’s volte-face regarding the Jews in the 1930s. A separate section is devoted to a series of 1938 reportage features showcasing the life of the Italian Jews in Fascist Italy.