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Community
[Polish, gmina; Yiddish, kahal; Hebrew, kehila]
A form of organization in Jewish communities. The term has
two
meanings: it refers to a group of Jews having their own
internal
organization, including self-government and authorities; it
also means
the body of authorities governing this group.
Jewish law and tradition, along with government
legislation, were
the two main factors that determined the form of these
Jewish
Communities. The model of Community organization developed
in Western
Europe and was then transferred to Poland, where it
underwent further
change. All aspects of Jewish life in these groups were
regulated by
Judaic religious laws, formulated in the Torah and Talmud,
and by
privileges issued by the Polish authorities. By the
sixteenth century,
they were also governed by voivodship regulations and
legislation passed
by the Jewish Sejm. The privileges issued by the mayor or
owner of the
town determined the Jews' degree of autonomy, while the
Jewish Community
statutes outlined the structure of the Community's own
government and
operation.
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Communities had varying degrees of freedom.
There were large differences between Communities in private
cities,
where owners determined the extent of Jewish
autonomy--something that
depended on how much they intervened in the Jewish
Community's internal
affairs. Wealthier Communities had a separate building
serving as the
Community's equivalent of "town hall". In Polish sources
this was
actually called just that, the "Jewish town hall" (zydowski
ratusz).
The Community government's overall structure was
hierarchical,
having several levels. The highest was comprised of the
seniors, who had
administrative, judicial and ceremonial functions. The
"jurors"
[Hebrew, tovim - "the good [people]"] had similar functions.
The rabbi,
hired by the Community's government, played an important
role that was
not limited exclusively to religious matters. Members of the
Community
government also headed committees dealing with particular
administrative
tasks. These included supervisory, charity, tax, guild, and
many other
committees.
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Each Community hired many paid officials, such
as the chazan, shames, bath attendant, and cheder teacher.
The doctor,
midwive, guards, representatives to [the Jewish] diets, and
others were
all paid from Community funds. Only the large Communities
had such
well-developed self-government institutions. Smaller
communities' needs
were much more modest. Administrative and legal changes
introduced by
the partitioning powers limited the Communities' functions
and role
(synagogue caretaker, toleration patent), and religious
Communities were
created. The institution of the religious Community
persisted in
interwar Poland, which the Jews informally continued to call
the kahal.
(H.W./CM)
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