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Kazimierz
[Yiddish, Kuzmir] - A city founded in the
fourteenth century by Kazimierz III the Great; by the early nineteenth
century, it had became one of Krakow's constituent neighborhoods.
According to the historical records, Jews had been living in Kazimierz
since 1389. The Community's population began to grow in the late
fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, when Jews who had been forced
to leave Krak�w settled there, as did those who had originally come from
Bohemia and Moravia. In 1485, there were Jewish baths in Kazimierz;
three years later, Kazimierz had its own Jewish market square. It was
during that period that its first synagogue was probably built--the one
that is known today as the "Old Synagogue".
The local Jews did not look favorably on the influx of newcomers
from other countries. In the early sixteenth century, Kazimierz had two
Communities--Polish and Czech, which merged over time. As its population
grew, the Kazimierz Community expanded territorially as well. The Jews
bought many buildings and parcels of land from Christians. The Jewish
quarter was delineated by the following present-day streets: sw. Jozefa,
Bozego Ciala, Miodowa and Dajwor. It was surrounded by a wall, with
three gates that were locked at night. In 1564, it was granted the
privilege de non tolerandis christianis. In 1578, over 2,000 people were
living here, and by the first half of the seventeenth century, it
already had approximately 4,500 residents. Overcrowding meant the Jewish
quarter expanded yet again in 1608. An incomplete list from the year
1635 includes 67 buildings erected in new areas.
The Kazimierz Community had a well-developed system of local
government, whose activities were based on the oldest of the Community
statutes, dating back to 1595, which still survive today. It ran a broad
range of charitable activities, and had a hospital, Community and court
buildings, as well as a shelter for the homeless and others in need of
care. The Community, as one of the largest and wealthiest in the Polish
lands, played an important role in the Jewish Sejm (Diet).
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In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,
more synagogues were built: the High (approx. 1556), Remuh (approx.
1572), that of Wolf Popper (Stork) (1620), Kupa (1643), and the
Synagogue of Isaac (approx. 1644). During this period, the city became a
center of Talmudic studies of international significance. Jakub Polak
was its first leading scholar and rabbi. He founded the yeshiva, which
very quickly began attracting students from faraway cities. His pupils
and successors were: Shalom Shachna, Moshe Fishel, and Moshe Isserles.
Natan Spira, Meir Gedalia, Joel Sirkes, and Yom Tov Lippman were also
active here.
The expansion of the Kazimierz Community was made possible by its
residents' prosperity, as one of the wealthiest Jewish centers from the
sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. This wealth was based on trade
and credit-related activities. Jews engaged in various kinds of trade.
In the customs registers of the late sixteenth century, hides, wax,
honey and "eastern goods" (textiles and carpets) were mentioned most
frequently. In the mid-seventeenth century, larger quantities of lead,
salted fish, wool, and eastern spices (cinnamon, ginger and sugar) were
being traded, as well as Ruthenian spirits. The trade in Hebrew books
was growing. In addition, traditional trade in oxen, Silesian
broadcloth, and wine also continued. In addition, the great merchants
ran credit operations; these included this group's wealthiest members,
such as Level Markovich, Levek Landau, Wolf Bocian, Shlomo Melles,
Shlomo Jakubovich.
Crafts occupied an important place in the economic life of
Kazimierz's Jewish community. From 1613, there was a Jewish furriers'
guild, and soon there appeared others-butchers', torbiarzy (notions
peddlers), barbers', goldsmiths', tanners', and brewers'. Several dozen
other trades did not form guilds: these included tailors, cobblers,
bakers, weavers, bookbinders and many others. The economic activities of
the Jews in Kazimierz prompted protests from Christian merchants and
artisans. This led to the issuing of numerous restrictions, and was
reflected in anti-Jewish literature (particularly [in the writings] of
S. Miczynski).
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In the seventeenth century, Kazimierz was
damaged several times by fires, but the most extensive destruction came
as the result of the Swedish invasions from 1655 to 1660. Shortly
thereafter, the residents were decimated by the plague. These events did
not affect the status of the Kazimierz Community, whose position grew
stronger thanks to several of its wealthiest, influential families;
gradually, however, the group of medium- and small-scale merchants and
artisans grew poorer. This process was caused by an economic collapse in
the Polish cities, shrinking markets, and competition with the
Christian producers who strove to limit Jews' rights. In 1761, the
Polish Sejm (Parliament) passed legislation forbidding Jews from trading
within Krakow's city limits. Like other Communities in Poland,
Kazimierz was in debt (Jewish debts). The creditors were the
monasteries, the wealthy szlachta and Christian merchants.
Because the city was becoming poorer, its population shrank. In
1775, 3,500 Jews lived there, occupying 220 buildings. During this
period, many of Kazimierz's Jews moved to Warsaw. In the late eighteenth
century, Chasidic influences were growing stronger, particularly among
Kazimierz's poor. In 1785, a curse (cherem) was laid on the supporters
of Chasidism. From 1795, the city was under Austrian ruler; in 1802, it
was annexed to Krakow. In most of the sources from the sixteenth to the
eighteenth centuries, the Jews living in Kazimierz were called "Krakow
Jews" or were described as living "near Krakow", which harked back to
the long history of ties between the Jews of Kazimierz and Krak�w.
(H.W./CM)
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