Part I. Introduction and Context our second day [in Poland]. On the first day, a lorry with bread came from Poznan, that was on Sunday. And then I wrote a letter to France… to my son: ‘Don’t write any more letters to Germany. We are now in Zbaszyn.’”271 When Herschel Grynszpan learned of the expulsion and suffering of his family, he revenged them by shooting Vom Rath. Behind these events lies a story relating to statelessness. The expulsion of the Polish Jews by the German authorities was caused by the Polish government announcing in March 1938 that the passports of Polish citizens residing abroad for more than five years would need to be revalidated, which had the “avowed aim of withdrawing such documents from Jews living abroad”.272 The German government felt that these passport regulations were directed towards Polish Jews living in Germany (and annexed Austria), who would then remain stateless in the country.273 In the beginning of October 1938, the Polish authorities communicated “that the decree would take effect on 30th October, the deadline for passport revalidation”.274 In light thereof, the German Foreign Office decided that the Polish Jews should be deported just before the new measures entered into force. This, however, did not prevent a situation of chaos and statelessness between the German and Polish border. Indeed, the Polish Jews were not considered to be citizens of Poland, and were (largely) not admitted, but at the same time, the German authorities did not consider them their problem and wanted them out of the country. They were without the protection of a state – the sad results thereof were described above. ~ 2.1. INTRODUCTION Today, states are a self-evident part of our everyday lives and the order of the world around us. In chapter 1, we saw that, even though often unnoticed, an individual depends on states – and usually one state in particular – for undertaking straightforward activities such as travelling for instance, that are often taken for granted. However, the modern system of states of today remains imperfect, evidenced by the hundred thousands of people who are stateless in Europe. The situation described above, dating back to 1938, is therefore not exclusive for that time – many stateless people today are also stuck in limbo. There is a significant gap in time between the beginning of the 20th century and today of course, and this chapter provides a bridge between the two, 271 272 273 274 52 Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem. A Report on the Banality of Evil (revised and enlarged edn, The Viking Press 1964) 227–230. Here, he is referred to as Zindel. Joseph Marcus, Social and Political History of the Jews in Poland 1919–1939 (De Gruyter Mouton 1983) 380. Sybil Milton, ‘The Expulsion of the Polish Jews from Germany October 1938 to July 1939 (1984) 29 Leo Baeck Institute Yearbook 169. Ibid. Intersentia