I’m standing in front of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Memorial, which is right next to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. I found the history of Jews in Poland truly fascinating because this country was much more tolerant than the rest of Europe. Their history here is rich and complicated and spans an entire millennium.
Let’s take a look at some important findings:
The first Jews arrived on Polish territory in the Middle Ages. In search of protection from the Crusaders, the Jewish exiles found relative tolerance in Poland.
The 1264 Statute of Kalisz provided legal rights for Jews, which were later expanded by King Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir the Great) in the early fourteenth century.
Polish rulers did not regard Jews as inferior, and they even had relationships with Jewish women. Let’s take a look at two prominent stories:
First, Esterka and Casimir the Great:
Esterka, also known as Estera, is a legendary figure associated with Poland’s King Casimir the Great, who reigned from 1333-1370.
According to medieval Polish and Jewish chroniclers, Esterka was a beautiful Jewess who became Casimir’s mistress.
The legend implies that their love story was outstanding. Esterka’s influence extended beyond their relationship; she served as the King’s counsel, advocating for free commerce, religious tolerance, and cultural development.
Although they were never legally married, Esterka and Casimir produced two sons, Pelko and Nemir, who became legendary ancestors of various Polish noble families.
Esterka’s tragic destiny occurred following Casimir’s death, when rioters allegedly broke into her palace and murdered her and her children.
The second prominent case is that of Jadwiga and Jogaila (or Władysław Jagiełło). Jadwiga of Poland, also known as Hedwig, was a remarkable queen. She ruled from 1384 until her death in 1399.
Jadwiga’s marriage to Jogaila, who later adopted the Catholic baptismal name Władysław Jagiełło, was significant. Jogaila was the Grand Duke of Lithuania.
According to legend, Jadwiga agreed to marry Jogaila only after a lengthy prayer for divine guidance.
In 1386, Jogaila was baptized, married Jadwiga, and crowned King of Poland. They reigned together, with Jadwiga remaining the dominant figure in the kingdom.
Their union also aided the Christianization of the predominantly pagan Lithuanians.
While these anecdotes combine reality and legend, they show the intriguing relationships between Polish nobility and Jewish women. These gripping stories weave together love, politics, and destiny!
The way Jewish self-government and councils operated in Poland is an excellent illustration of how the governing aristocracy valued the Jewish minority.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, Jews in Poland had a kind of self-government under the Council of Four Lands. The Council of Four Lands operated as the primary governing body for Jewish communities in Poland and Lithuania.
It served a wide range of functions, including establishing administrative, economic, religious, and social legislation, as well as dealing with tax issues.
The Council functioned as a Jewish Parliament, allowing local groups to participate in larger decisions.
By 1551, Jews in Poland were also given the right to pick their own Chief Rabbi.
The Chief Rabbinate wielded great power in law and money, appointing judges and officials. Some authority was also delegated to municipal councils, allowing for some local autonomy. The Polish government recognized the Rabbinate’s growing importance and even used it to collect taxes. The Polish Council, also known as the Jewish Sejm, expanded to represent Jews in all regions of the Polish Kingdom. While not a fully independent government, it did provide a forum for Jewish representation and advocacy. The Polish Council addressed communal issues, engaged with authorities, and had a significant impact on Jewish life.
In summary, Jews in Poland organized local councils and exercised some degree of self-government, particularly through organizations such as the Council of Four Lands and the Chief Rabbinate. These entities enabled Jewish communities to address their specific needs and concerns within the larger Polish environment.
By the sixteenth century, Poland was home to nearly 80% of the world’s Jews.
Poland became home to the world’s largest and most prominent Ashkenazi Jewish community.
Jews enjoyed relative autonomy, religious tolerance, and a vibrant social and cultural life.
Significant Jewish religious movements, such as the Hasidim, formed during this time. However, this relative tolerance, which was significantly higher than elsewhere in Europe, did not imply the lack of prejudice or discrimination. Antisemitism has existed throughout Polish history, typically motivated by traditional Christian anti-Jewish attitudes.
What distinguishes it from other parts of Europe, however, is that it was far less virulent and severe.
Tragically, Nazi Germany and collaborators of various nationalities, including Poles, virtually annihilated Poland’s Jewish community during the Second World War. The Holocaust was a catastrophic tragedy that claimed the lives of around 3.3 million Jews in Poland.
Even after the Nazi regime’s demise in 1945, Poles continued to slaughter Jews.
This book, issued by Germany’s history museum, recalls a pogrom against Polish Jews that took place more than a year after Hitler’s dictatorship was over.
And as far as the murder of the Jews is concerned, the Polish ambassador to Germany at the time, Jozef Lipski, who came from the Polish nobility of all people, said in a conversation with Hitler on 20 September 1938: “For the solution of the Jewish question, we [i.e. Poland] will erect a beautiful monument to him in Warsaw.”
Let that sink in for a moment: The representative of the Polish government in Nazi Germany suggested that a memorial be erected in Poland in honour of Hitler for crimes against the Jews. It is therefore not surprising that Poland collaborated with Nazi Germany in the division of Czechoslovakia. It was jointly decided in advance who would get which parts of the Czech Republic.
One day after Nazi Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, Poland occupied the Olsa region (or Cieszyn Land).
As a visitor, I observe that the aristocratic elites were quite tolerant and appreciative of Jews,
but today’s Polish elites are vehemently opposed to anything Russian.
Russophobia seems to be more extreme today than anti-Semitism ever was in Poland. While relations between Poland and Russia have been marked by a mix of cooperation, conflict, and historical twists and turns in the past, Poland’s current government has made conflict with Russia the centerpiece of its entire foreign policy. Russian-speaking immigrants face harassment and discrimination.
A notable and rather crazy example was the selection of Poland as the winner of the European Tree of the Year 2022 competition after Russia’s application was rejected.
This meant that a Russian tree that was hundreds of years old was penalised.
The greatest disgrace, however, is that Poland no longer allows the Russians to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz, even though they were the ones who saved the camp’s surviving prisoners from certain death.
It is fitting that Poland now supports the Ukrainian neo-fascist Azov Brigade, as do other NATO countries.
One of their soldiers recently visited the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland and mocked the victims and Russian liberators with a Hitler quote on his T-shirt. I’ll hold off on commenting, but feel free to share this article on social media and add your thoughts.