Between ‘Here’ and ‘There’: The Dual Identity of Dr. Izrael Milejkowski

Abstract

Dr. Izrael Milejkowski (1887–1943), a member of the Jewish-Polish inteligencja, visited the Land of Israel in April 1936 for the First World Congress of Jewish Physicians. At that point, he closely examined his position on Zionism and, at the same time, being a Polish patriot. He struggled to be a citizen of equal rights in Poland while maintaining his Jewish-national pride and working for his own people in several areas. The article discusses mainly Milejkowski’s worldview and ideas. He maintained a split identity—Polish and Jewish—a duality that represented a new direction for his people. The article focuses on the relations between the Diaspora and the Land of Israel in Dr. Milejkowski’s worldview.