Initially, State institutions and enterprises employed Jews in large numbers. In Kovel, which was an important railway junction, Jews were employed on the railways in very large numbers to replace Poles who had been dismissed. Jews were then in a large majority. Later, a balance was restored [9a] between the two groups. Many Jews were employed in factories, as well as in public offices, from which Poles had been dismissed as suspect or had fled of their own accord. Some Polish clerical workers deliberately avoided public offices.
The legal status of the refugees varied, depending on whether they wished to remain in the larger towns near the border (Lvov, Białystok) or to move to smaller, more distant towns, and whether they were members of the Communist Party or outside its ranks. The situation became particularly difficult when passports were introduced. It was then that residents were divided into “kosher” or “blemished”.813 The blemish was the notorious clause 11, which prohibited residence in a large town less than 100 kilometres from the border.
When passports were issued, all local people received “kosher” passports. Capitalists received passports stamped with clause 11 (former non-proletarians), but with no restriction on right of residence. The remainder – the refugees – were given “kosher” passports if they had received semicha814 from the local Communist Party. If not, they were given a passport with restricted right of residence. [10] Members of the MOPR could lodge an appeal for a normal passport. Their efforts were crowned with success after two or three months. In Lvov the passport procedure was very stringent. In the early days, Stanisławów was liberal – everyone was given a normal passport – but subsequently passports were issued bearing clause 11. Above all, clause 11 made it impossible to live in a given place and then obtain employment. However, it was possible to obtain temporary employment if the person could prove he had lodged an appeal for a normal passport. Such was the case of St. Aau. who had worked as a planovik815 in Stanisławów. When he lost his right of
