The specter of Anti-Semitism Holds Eastern Europe Hostage, or at least that is what a number of prominent newspapers in Zion run after a series of statements from prominent Communist leaders, some Jewish and some not, in Eastern Europe are released from the government of Zion. During the period of the State of Palestine, in particular after peace was established with its neighbors, assisting Jews in doing Aliyah to the lands of Eretz Yisrael took upon a central role under Golda Meir’s leadership. The establishment of Zion and the official sidelining of the UN mandate did not change this as the government continued to emphasize the role of Zion in both creating a worthy land and getting the road blocks in the way of Jews around the globe removed. Both Zion and it’s ally in the Jewish Agency for Zion would find these road blocks especially difficult to penetrate in Eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain, where Josef Stalin’s anti-Semitic policies had dominated its sphere.

Most notably this would be seen in terms of extremely harsh and repressive policies established in the Soviet Union and its satellites refusing Jews the ability to leave its borders and travel to Zion. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Jews remained behind the Iron Curtain who had little reprieve regarding going to Zion. After multiple falling outs of communications between both Jewish Agency and Zionite leaders and leaders within Eastern Europe, policy has seemed to shift towards public communiques and pressure rather than direct negotiations and closed doors talks. Zionite leaders would speak on their countrymen being stuck in “open air prisons” within Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, and many other places while they’re forced to co-exist with those who mere years ago cooperated in the conduct of the Shoah. The leaders of the Jewish Agency reached out to the United Nations and the United States in particular where their connections were strongest to plead for assistance in allowing the Jews of Communist Europe to travel to Zion should they so choose.

Radio broadcasts would be developed to disseminate these stories and statements both in the West and in the East, both publicly and clandestinely respectively, to strengthen this cause. Zionist and other non-anti-Zionist Jewish organizations would be contacted throughout Europe to multiply the reach of these as well, and important religious leaders would be contacted to do the same.

These calls for action would be supported by statements shared by the State of Zionby prominent Jewish leaders in the Eastern bloc regarding what Zion and the Jewish Agency was calling the “mass incarceration of Jews against their will.” These would target the governments of Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Czecho-slovakia. Stories and comments collected from what immigrants were able to illegally escape the Iron Currain would be emphasized heavily, and particularly horrific stories would be cherry picked.