Diapositive.pl Jewish Identity and Culture

Until the middle of the 16th century, Jewish communities existed only in Lublin and Kazimierz and maybe also in Chelm. The migration of Jews to the Lublin region began with the founding of new private towns, to which they were brought to develop trade and services. New towns were in economic competition with existing ones and so Lublin, Krasnystaw and Urzedow tried to limit the influx of people of the Jewish faith. As aresult of high demographic growth in the second half of the 18th century, Jews began to dominate in many places (such as Krasnik, Lubartow and Leczna). At the beginning of the 20th century, in eleven towns more than 70% of the population was Jewish, while in Laszczow and Izbica it was close to 100%. Jewish settlement in rural areas was sparse and mostly limited to single families engaged in trade, craftsmanship or tavern keeping. At the outbreak of the Second World War there were about 300,000 Jews living in the Lublin region.

Being acentre of Jewish culture and tradition for over three hundred years, the Lublin lands (excluding the city itself) produced many tzaddikim, such as Mordechai Josef Leiner of Izbica, Chaim Israel Morgenstern of Pulawy or Motele Rokeach of Bilgoraj, as well as the family of the famous Jewish writers, Israel Joshua and Isaac Bashevis Singer.