He lived through the invasion in 1939. the insurrection in the ghetto in 1943. and the 63 days of the Warsaw uprising the following year. The other day. he told me he cannot believe now that it all really happened." These Jews could probably leave Poland if they wanted to. and many Jews have left. Poland is the only Communist country that permits largescale emigration. Every week. people set out for Israel. Canada. Australia. .or the United States. Last year. Americas quota for Polish immigrants. which. at 6.488. is the fourth largestafter Great Britains. Germanys. and Irelandswas completely filled. and at the start of this year there was a long waiting list. The Polish authorities create no major difficulties for emigrants. There is some overpopulation on the farms and some underemployment in the towns. and the only Poles who are refused passports are men who have recently finished their military service and are subject to recall. technicians and highly skilled workers. and a small category of people whose applications are turned down "for reasons of state." Many emigrants leave to join members of their families who emigrated in the old days or escaped during the war. Some are young couples with children. and quite a few of these come into Warsaw from the farm and get straight on a plane for America. Each emigrant is permitted to take along only his personal effects and the equivalent of $5 in cash. A few of those who go to America come back after a year or two. usually complaining that they could not stand the climate. the real reason is probably that they had trouble with the American branch of the family or that they expected too much. Many Poles. especially in the rural regions. think of America as a land of easy. unlimited opportunity.
Identified stereotypes
Many Poles, especially in the rural regions, think of America as a land of easy, unlimited opportunity.