Eastern European Jewry

Joseph Sonnenblick
All Rights Reserved
 Early Settlement
Economic Opportunity and Anti-
Semitism Cause Jewish Immigoratin
Evidence of Jews in Poland as
early as the 11th century
1264 - First charter
Establishes Jewish autonomy
Jews immigrate seeking better
conditions
Charters granted in 14th & 15th
centuries Jews Invited by
Local Rulers in 13th Century
Pogroms & Expulsions
cause more Jewish immigration
 Jewish Settlement in Poland
Language & Culture
linked to German roots
German rabbis maintain
halachic authority in Poland
Common Elements:
- Language Yiddish &
German
- Religious practice
Minhag Ashkenaz
- Communal Organization
 A Home for Jews ?
By 16th century 50,000 Jews
call Poland home
In Poland exile is less bitter
than anywhere else Pinchas
of Korets
Sevurim hem deyabashta hava
ve leika galuta(forgot they
were in Galut) Maharsha
Poh lin Dwell Here
Master of the Universe if the
hour of our redemption has not
yet arrived, dwell here Agnon
Jewish legend
Jewish Poland mid 17th Century
Between 1500-1648
Jewish population soars
from 30,000
500,000
Becomes the largest
Jewish community in the
world

Jewish Community in Poland

Newsmakers
 Communal Structure
Resembled German
community
Religious ethnic corporation
protected by the monarchy in
royal privilegium
Oligarchy structure
Small group of families
(Kahal) head community:
depends on property, lineage,
religious status
Kahal collected Taxes,
provided services,
supervised religious, social
and economic activity
 Council of the Four Lands
Established in 1580
Governing body ruled
over secular and religious
affairs
Based in Lublin
Made up of reps from
local communities
Served the Polish
Government by
overseeing tax collection
and administration of
courts, schools
Dissolved in 1764
 Council of 4 Lands
Vaad defended Jews
against Blood Libel
accusations
Took action against false
messiahs like Shabbetai Tzvi
and Jacob Frank
Supervised Jewish book
printing
Contacts between
community and government
done by Kahal appointee
(Shtadlan)
 Economic Life
Jews engage in wide variety
of commerce
Form alliances with Polish
landowning nobility who
invite Jews to settle lands
Jew lease & manage
businesses especially
agricultural products;lumber
Jews engage in production
of alcoholic beverages
 Economic Life
A symbiotic relationship
was established between the
Polish nobility & the Jews
Jews served as skilled
agents, manage nobles
estates, provide cash
Jews posed no political risks
Jews also had international
connections, contacts
 The Shtetl
Started as a company
town built on property
of Polish nobleman
Communities built on
land of nobles to attract
Jews
Shtetl entire town with
Jewish majority
Jews and peasants would
meet at market town
 The Shtetl
In Germany, France,
Spain language did not
divide Jews & neighbors
In Polish Shtetlach
cultural, religious,
linguistic divide
Little interest in
assimilating
Shtetl life reflected
occupational diversity
 Decline of the Shtetl
Shtetls declined to:
- the impact of
railroads & big cities
- rise of new ideologies
- economic decline of
Polish nobility after
revolts Russia in 1831
and 1863
An Independent Religious Center
Mid 16th Century
Poland becomes
Spiritually and
Religiously Independent
No longer rely on German
rabbis for guidance
By end of 16th century
15 Talmudic academies in
Poland
By 17th century Jews in
Germany send sons to
study in Poland
 Spiritual Origins
Culture Ashkenazic Language Yiddish
Halachic traditions
Spiritual Values
Modeled after Hasidei
Ashkenaz
 Spiritual Leaders
Shlomo Luria
Maharshal (1510-74)
Moses Isserles
Rema (1525-72)
Ehpraim Lunshits
KlayYakar(1550-1619)
Meir Lublin(1559-1616)
Joel Sirkes-Bach(1561-
1640)
 Religious Center
Religious life begins
to develop in Cracow,
Lublin, Warsaw
Famous academies
established in Lublin,
Krakow, Brisk, Lwow

Jewish Life in Cracow

 Communities and Synagogues
Hundreds of Ramah Shul
communities and
synagogues dot the
Polish landscape
 The Autonomous Jewish
Community
Communities managed by
the Kahal
The Kahal collected
taxes, provided services,
supervised religious and
social activity
Jewish leaders & Polish
nobility share mutual
interest in Jewish autonomy
 Yiddish - Mama Loshn
Absorbed Hebrew,
Aramaic, Slavic
Yiddish words of German
origin acquired
totally new meanings
esn teg. (eating days)
Language served as a
reminder of divide
between Jewish and non
Jewish world reinforced
feeling Jews belonged to
different spiritual world
 Anti Semitism & the Nobility
Jews were opposed by
guilds (economics) &
the Church (religious)
Jews were accused of
desecration of the host
and blood libels
First Kings, then nobles
protected the Jews,
allowing them to live on
their properties
 Polands Decline :
Chmielnicki Massacres
Cossacks led by
Chmielnicki revolted
against the Polish
crown and nobility
1648-1656
The Jews who served
as administrators of
the estates became
prime targets
Thousands of Jews
were slaughtered
 Polands Decline
Polish Jewry never
recovered
Population explosion
+ economic poverty
impaired Polish Jewry
Internal tension
increased between
wealthy oligarchies
and majority of poor
Jews
 Polands Decline
Sweden invaded
Poland in 1654-55
from the north
Russia invaded from
the east
Jews suffered losses
in both
 Polands Decline
Polish Government|
increased taxes on Jews
Pressure increased on the
Vaad to provide more $
Kehillos borrowed from
nobles to meet obligations
Led to indebtedness,
dependence on nobility
Nobles began to interfere in
inner affairs of community
1764 Vaad abolished
Direct taxation on commty
 The Partition of Poland - 1772
Between 1772 1795
Poland was divided up
by Russia, Austria and
Prussia
Poland ceased to exist as a
political entity
Russia annexed regions in
Northeast
Austria annexed regions in the
Southeast
Prussia took regions in the
Northwest
All unprepared to deal with
large Jewish population
 Results of Partition: Russia
Russian empire took
largest portion of Poland
By 1795 hundreds of
thousands of Jews lived
under Russia
Russian authorities now deal
with questions of:
1) Integrating Jewish
population
2) Directing Jewish
economic activity to
benefit the state
 Russian Rule
Issue transfer Jewish
minority from Polish
republic of nobles to
Russian absolutist state
Two conflicting Trends
1) Enlightened
Absolutism:
- use utilitarian criteria
- favorable to Jews
2) Christian-Orthodoxy:
- attitude religious
hostility
 Russian Rule
While Prussia & Austria
moved towards slow
emancipation of the Jews
Russia pursued a confused policy
Russia feared Jews for 2 reasons:
- arch enemy of the Church
- danger to the peasantry
Russian system did not include
Jews (just serfs and nobles)
Policy of ambivalence: deep
rooted anti Semitism and demands
of modern state
 Catherine II and the Jews
Catherines policy:
Enlightened absolutism
Aim to Integrate Jews
Jews still face opposition:
- Clergy: religious
opposition
- Russian merchants:
economic competition
Pale of Settlement
established in 1791
 Pale of Settlement
Established in 1791
Created areas where Jews
permitted & forbidden to
reside
Confined Jews to provinces
that had been part of Poland
More than 90% of Jews
forced to live in Pale
Jews limited- not allowed to
hold leases on taverns,
or sell liquor
Granted freedom of religion
Jews in Poland Before WWI