Warszawa wielu kultur

Żydzi
Kupcy żydowscy przybyli na
nasze ziemie już w wieku IX,
podążając szlakami handlowymi.
Początek ich osadnictwa
na ziemiach polskich przypada na wiek
XI, kiedy to Wyprawy Krzyżowe z roku
1096 i 1147 spowodowały falę imigracji
Żydów do Polski. Kolejna, największa fala
imigracji, miała miejsce w latach 1348-
1349, w czasach tzw. epidemii „czarnej
śmierci”, czyli prześladowań ludności żydowskiej
w Europie Zachodniej.
W roku 1356 kronikarz Jan Długosz
umieszcza w „Rocznikach, czyli
kronikach sławnego Królestwa Polskiego”
informację o romansie Kazimierza
Wielkiego z Żydówką o imieniu Esterka
(ponoć król miał z tego związku
dwóch synów).
Pierwsza wzmianka o warszawskich
Żydach pochodzi z roku 1414. Mieszkali
i pracowali na ruchliwej i gęsto zaludnionej,
nieistniejącej dziś ulicy Żydowskiej,
pomiędzy Wąskim Dunajem
i Piekarską. Pomimo, że przebywali na
terenie miejskim, zasilali skarbiec książęcy,
co z czasem doprowadziło do konfl
iktu z warszawskimi mieszczanami.
Ulica Franciszkańska – jedna z wielu przed wojną ulic Warszawy zamieszkanych przez Żydów.
Ze zbiorów R. Chwiszczuka.
Franciszkańska Street one of many streets inhabited by Jews in prewar period.
From R. Chwiszczuk’s collection.
51
Jews
Jews came to what was to be
Poland lands as early as the 9th
Century by way of Trade routes
that criss-crossed Europe. The
fi rst recorded Jewish settlement in Poland
dates back to the 11th Century, as
a consequence of persecution and forced
emigration, between 1096-1147, at
the hands of the Crusaders. However
the largest wave of Jewish emigration
in early times took place between 1348-
1349. The „Black Death”, which was
prevalent at the time, in western Europe,
was used as a pretext to blame
the Jews, and once more they sought
haven from persecution in Poland. It
is not very well known that in 1356,
chronicler Jan Długosz recorded in
his Yearbook („Roczniki, czyli kroniki
sławnego Królestwa Polskiego”) that the
King of Poland, Kaziemierz „The Great”
(Wielki) had a Jewish mistress, Esterka,
and that they had two sons.
The First mention of Jews in Warsaw
was in 1414. They worked and
lived on a busy and a densely populated
street, which doesn’t exist nowadays,
but roughly was situated between
present day Wąski Dunaj and Piekarska
Streets. However a confl ict occurred
between Jews who paid taxes to Mazowsze
Princes and Warsaw citizens
who paid local taxes and thus felt they
were not supporting the city.
Later, restrictions were relaxed
somewhat, with Jews allowed to enter
Warsaw, during the sitting of Parliament
(„Sejm”) or Warsaw fairs. They
could also obtain a special day pass
from the City Council, which allowed
them to stay in the city confi nes, but
only until sundown. From 1666, a special
Warsaw Commission („Waad Warsza”)
was formed which consisted of eight
members, and a Jewish Chairman, the
Jewish Ambassador to the Court of the
King. Their task was to over see the
Parliament („Sejm”) on Jewish matters.
In 1774 Jews formed an enclave in
the city suburb, known as „Little Jerusalem”
(where Zawisza square is today).
From where Jerozolimskie Avenue derives
its name. The shops in the enclave
proved too successful for the other city
shops. A year later the City Marshal,
Stanisław Lubomirski, confi scated Jewish
goods, and demolished their homes
throughout Warsaw including „Little
Jerusalem”. The Jews were forced to
relocate to Leszno, Pociejów (Theatre
Sqaure today) and Tłomackie, at the
time on the outskirts of Warsaw.
In 1780 Szmul Jakubowicz Zbytkower
(1727-1781 lub 82) – a wealthy and
unusually infl uential „progenitor” to
the Bergson family in Warsaw, as well
as the Royal banker to the last king of
Poland, trader, middleman, industrialist
and the owner of few excellently prosperous
concerns founded the fi rst Jewish
Cemetery at Bródno.
During the Kościuszko Uprising in
1794, the Jews were lead by Berk Joselewicz
(1764-1809) who commanded the
light cavalry regiment. In the ensuing
battles, most of the soldiers were killed,