Correspondence and Journalism of David Lazer of Palestine/Israel (1941-1974)

David Lazer was one of Israels leading journalists (born 1902 in Kraków, died., 1974 in Tel Aviv)). In 1960 he was awarded the highest honour in Israel – the Sokolow Prize. What is more, his correspondence included some of the greatest  figures of Polish and worlds  literature (Alexander Wat, Stanislaw Vincenz and his wife Irene, Wladyslaw Broniewski, Shmuel Agnon). David Lazer is widely known figure in Israel. In contrast, not much attention has been paid to him in Polish literature, although he was very well recognised in the circles connected with “Kultura” and London’s “Wiadomosci” which awarded him for his prose in 1973. “Correspondence and Journalism of David Lazer of Palestine / Israel, (1941-1974) consists of two parts. The first, preceding the publication of his documents, is indeed going to be a biography of David Lazer, in which I am going to present his roots, family home, his work in Poland, political activities, his academic and journalistic career, his journey to Palestine through Soviet Union and his life and work in Palestine and Israel. The next part of the project is going to be a published correspondence of David Lazer with various cultural circles around the world, including prominent Polish emigrants in Paris and London, as well as leaders of the Jewish community. In parallel to this research, I am going to carry an analysis of articles published by David Lazer in the Polish-language press in Palestine during World War II, and in the Hebrew and Polish- language press in Israel.This analysis will provide a parallel narrative to the letters written by Lazer. Given a very limited knowledge of his life and work, the work plan presented above seems to be justified.Thus, the final work will present both intellectual and journalistic activities of Lazer and his friends, but also, and above all, the course of debates conducted by the intellectuals of the twentieth century. Lazers correspondence and his journalistic pieces show the thoughts of known and respected writers on the events that affected all generations who personally experienced the horrors of the Second World War. His correspondence introduces a discourse on ideology that seduced the great minds of the twentieth century (including communism). What makes the letters even more valuable is
the fact that they shed light on a private and public lives of the authors, introducing the reader to their very personal literary lives. The time range the project is focused on covers the years 1941-1974, the first turning point marking Lazer's arrival to Palestine and the latter – his death.

Polish expatriates in Palestine (1939-1948)

1. Aim of research/ Research thesis
The aim of the project of to present Polish expatriates in Palestine in the years 1939-1948 against local and global political events and global migration movements during the World War 2 and after. During the war Palestine was one of the largest and most important centers
for Polish military and civilian expatriates in the Middle East. In Palestine Polish refugees and Jews who had emigrated from Poland before the war created a unique community. The worlds of incumbent and new inhabitants of Palestine, especially those from Poland and of
Polish-Jewish roots, mutually penetrated in the cultural, social and political sphere, creating a common history but with many variations determined by individual choices and fates. The problem of the state was ever-present in the lives of Polish expatriates; therefore, my project
will try to find answers to the following question: What is the impact of the state (or lack of it) on the formation of identity of refugees and the fate of ethnic communities and their values?

2. Methodology
In my study, I will apply the historical method and an inquisitive type of narrative that investigates the motives of human actions, surpassing the results and entering into the sphere of anthropology. This shift from history to anthropology will provide an opportunity to expand the areas explored by historians and to show the functioning of groups and individuals by directing attention to their emotions and experiences (fears, hopes and motivations). Combining the historical and anthropological methods is essential to show refugees’ customs and expectations, which largely determined their functioning in a multiethnic environment. I will also use historical statistics, extracting, standardizing and categorizing data. I will analyze the research material and build cause-effect chains, which in turn will lead me to formulating a thesis. Through combining research materials with theory I will be able to explore the subject to the maximum. On the one hand, I will provide information and facts, on the other, I will construct mechanisms which determine human actions, at the same time presenting the laws and mechanisms governing societies and individuals.

3. The influence of expected results on the development of science, society and civilization
The project fills a gap in research on one of the important centers of Polish expatriation during and after the World War 2. It also initiates important discussion on social issues of building a community and the state. A place such as Palestine imposes a strong element of
religious affairs and offers an interesting panorama of ethnicities and religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam). The approach to the subject as presented in my project will help raise important questions of identity, transformation and tensions caused by national issues.
These questions are also relevant to the development of modern societies. The project is particularly valuable due to its interdisciplinary character, as its results can be used in various fields of humanities, especially since the issue of refugees is an important social
topic in the current national and international politics.