History of the Jewish community of Bialystok (), the capital of Podlaskie Voivodeship in northeastern Poland, dates back to the mid-17th century. The local Jewish community grew rapidly, and from the beginning of the 19th century made up more than half of the entire population of Bialystok: until the First World War, Jews made up 66–75% of the city's population, but between the two world wars the proportion of Jews dropped to 50–60% of the residents.
The great development of the city and the Jewish community in it, is related to the development of the textile industry in Bialystok in the 19th century. In 1850, the first Jewish factory was established, and as early as 1867, about half of the 89 weaving factories in Bialystok were Jewish-owned. The city developed a system of Hebrew, elementary and high schools, many youth movements, diverse from Jewish society, and also published a press in Yiddish.
With the German occupation in World War II, a Nazi ghetto was established for the Jews of Bialystok. During the last stages of the ghetto's existence, between 16 and 20 August 1943, a major revolt took place in the Białystok ghetto, led by members of the youth movements. Those that were not massacred escaped to the forests and continued to fight as partisans. The remaining Jews of Bialystok, about 50,000, were mostly sent to Auschwitz extermination camp, where few survived. Following the war, the Jewish population of the city continued to decline, and today the city no longer has an active Jewish community.
History Early years Jewish settlement in Podlaskie Voivodeship dates back to the 15th century, when small groups of the Mosaic faith appeared in Bielsk Podlaski. In 1522, the Trakai voivode, Olbracht Gasztołd, brought nine Jewish families to Tykocin.
The village, founded in the first half of the 15th century, which later became the city of Białystok, fell into the hands of the Branicki family in 1685. Jews lived there as early as 1658, which is confirmed by the information in the chronicle of the board of the Jewish religious community in Tykocin. It is known that in 1661 the poll tax was paid by 75 Jews from Białystok. In 1663, the chronicle noted that 75 Jewish men and women of over 14 years lived in Bialystok. The Białystok Jews were initially subordinate to the community in Tykocin.
In 1691, a special district was separated for them in parts of the land obtained in 1691 from the Catholic Church, located near the southern frontage of the Central Market Square (the so-called "pastewnik" behind Suraska Street). On July 11, 1692, the legal situation of Jews in Bialystok was settled – they were allowed then to own a temple and cemetery. In the 1680s and 1690s a large group of Jewish settlers came from Brest-Litovsk. As a result, there were economic and religious tensions, and their accumulation was accusing Jews of ritual murder. According to Christian sources, six-year-old Gabriel, born on March 22, 1684, was abducted by the Jewish leaseholder from Zwierki – Szutka – to Białystok, where he was also killed. Regardless of the tensions, the Jewish population very quickly began to play an increasingly important role in the development of the city. heir economic position and demographic potential is evidenced by the construction in 1718 of a house of prayer (Beth midrash) in the city. A document issued by the Białystok jewish community (kehillah) dates back to 1711, in which it received PLN 1,000 from Teresa Wydrzycka for the construction of a synagogue, in exchange for which the community was to pay 10% of the sum transferred annually, and after the death of the borrower, interest was to be reduced by 25%.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Jews were separated from the Białystok municipal authorities and were subject directly to the superior castle authority. Within the kahal, the Białystok Jews had an extensive official structure, which was reformed by Izabela Branicka in 1777. The Jewish community was to choose for the whole year and for each month separately the "senior year" and "senior month" who managed the community. On the other hand, finance was entrusted to the "driller" who chose taxes, paid installments on the sums of money located in the kahal. As usual, all activities should take place in the bet midrash, under the general supervision of the court authority. In order to protect against embezzlement, the kahal cash register had three locks, one key for it was a drill, senior year and month senior. Jews had separate craft features, in 1777 it was a tailor, bakery, Cyrillic and furrier guild. The rabbi, according to the owners' will, was obliged to consent to the wedding. The court authorities ordered them to check the candidates in terms of their property. The future husband had to run or have money to set up his own business (e.g. trading by setting up a stall), or he should be professionally prepared for paid work (acquiring skills in a craft).
The Jewish community administration kept three books – the first financial concerned the kehilla's revenues and expenses; in the second, all kehilla officials were enrolled; the third court contained protests, demonstrations and documentation of civil and criminal proceedings. In internal disputes between Jews, a kahal court (presided over by a senior year and senior month) or a clergy court (headed by a rabbi) was used, during which Talmudic law was used. If the subject of the claim exceeded 500 Zloty, she was entitled to "Apellacya from the clergyman, Jewish and kehilla court of Tuteyes, according to the dawney of the act, she would always be free to the Tykockiey synagogue." This remnant of the tykocin kahal's sovereignty is interesting because formally the Białystok kahal gained independence as early as 1745, and in 1771 the commune gained authority over the Jewish People in 59 centers, including Choroszcz and Gródek.The History of Branicki Palace Until 1809. The Influence of "Versailles of Podlasie" on the Development of Bialystok. Karol Lopatecki, 2018
By the 19th century the Jewish population lived mainly in the city center, by the Kościuszko market square, and also in the quarter between Lipowa Street and the Biała River, along Mikołajewska (currently Sienkiewicza street) and Suraska. The oldest part of the Jewish district, called Szulhof, inhabited mainly by Orthodox people, was concentrated around the main synagogue and was located in the southern part of Suraska street.
The second center of Jewish concentration and religious life was located near Kupiecka Street (now Malmeda Street), Żydowska Street (now Białówny street), Giełdowa street (now Spółdzielcza street) and Zielona street (now Zamenhofa street), and its center was a reformed Chorszul Synagogue. This area has developed chaotically with densely built wooden and stone buildings.
In the 19th century another two, poorer neighbourhoods of the city were developing Chanajki and Piaski (area of the Młynowa, Brukowa, Grunwaldzka, Kijowska, Krakowska, Marmurowa, Stoleczna, Sukienna, Mławska, Odeska, Cieszyńska, Angielska, Sosnowa, Czarna streets as well as Rynek Sienny).
Second Polish Republic In the interwar period, Jews ceased to be the city's most numerous ethnic group, although they remained a large, distinct and conspicuous community. The reason for the reduction in the numerical proportion was the enlargement of the city's borders to create the so called "Greater Białystok" in 1919, incorporating surrounding villages with non-Jewish majority, to the city's jurisdiction. The Jews were very active in the political, social and cultural life in Bialystok during the Second Polish Republic. The emergency medical service appeared in pre-war Białystok thanks to the Jewish association Linas Hacedek. This organization, established at the end of the 19th century to provide help to poor Jews, quickly expanded its activities and began running clinics and pharmacies. It also set up a basement where it stored ice delivered to all hospitals. In 1928, "Linas Hacedek" in Białystok, headquartered at 3 Różańska street, launched an emergency medical service providing help in emergencies to all residents of the city, regardless of nationality and religion. Throughout the interwar period, Jews dominated in Białystok in the liberal professions.
Politics
The strong position of Jews and their parties in interwar Białystok is evidenced by the fact that in the years 1919–1930 in the elections to the Sejm, two of the first three places belonged to Jewish groups. In the years 1919–1927, the orthodox Jewish party was in first place, only giving way in the subsequent elections to the Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government, which during the Sanation enjoyed the greatest support in Białystok in the elections of 1930. The political situation in Białystok was complicated by the strong position of Jewish parties, which fought for dominance with Polish groups. There was also considerable fragmentation among them, but the center-right wing enjoyed the greatest influence, initially represented by the Mizrachi party, and later by the Bloc of National Minorities. On the left, the Bund enjoyed the greatest support. Over the years, the influence of conservatives decreased in favour of the left.
Education The Torah education system in Białystok during the 1930s was unique in that the Cheder and the Mesivta Yeshiva were both in the same city and under the same educational system. Most other cities only had a cheder.
Jewish educational institutions that operated in Bialystok during the Second Polish Republic's existence:
Kindergarten Location Additional informationPrzedszkole im. Jaldut 41c PiłsudskiegoTarbut organization Przedszkole Anny Halpern Jurowiecka 17 Przedszkole im. "Mendełe" 6 KościelnaZjednoczonych Szkół Żydowskich organizationPrzedszkole Sory Kaleckiej 34a SienkiewiczaPrzedszkole S. Pomeranc 50 PiłsudskiegoPrzedszkole T. Głasztejnówny 28 Nowy Świat References:
Elementary school Location Additional informationSzkoła Lejzera Eksztejna 49 Kupiecka Cheder Henacha Szturmakiewicza 8 Mlynowa Cheder Hirsza Iliwickiego 1 Zabludowska Cheder "Mojryo" M. Halperina 1 Orlanska Elementarna Szkoła Hebrajska "Degel Isroel" A. Goldberga 36 Kupiecka Elementarna Szkoła Religijna "Jesodes Hatojra" 2 Fabryczna Hebrajska Szkoła Ludowa "Tarbut" 34 Kupiecka Hebrajska Szkoła Ludowa "Tarbut" 41 Piłsudskiego Hebrajska Szkoła Powszechna "Tachkemojny" 3 Szlachecka Meska Szkoła Hebrajska "Dwir" M. Bojarskiego27 Kupiecka Prywatna Szkoła Religijna "Tora Wadaas"42 Kupiecka Prywatna Szkoła Religijna "Ohel Mojsze" M. I. Bojarskiego4 Kijowska Prywatna Szkoła Religijna "Ohel-Tora" J. Fabelinskiego19 Kupiecka Prywatna Szkoła Religijna "Talmud Tora"11 Piekna Prywatna Szkoła Religijna "Tora Tmima" I. M. Gutmana29 Piłsudskiego Prywatna Szkoła Żenska Sz. Fajnzylbera14 Zamenhofa Szkoła Dziewczat Stowarzyzenie Zydow Ortodoksow47 Kupiecka Street Szkoła Hebrajska "Chinuch" Arona Guza39 Piłsudskiego Szkoła Hebrajska "Cijon" D. Zakhejma i Ch. Cytrina23 Sucha Szkoła Ludowa im. "Mendele"6 Koscielna Szkoła Powszechna Meska Morducha Sacylera 17 Polna Żydowska Szkoła Ludowa im. B. Groser18 Rabinska Żydowska Szkoła Ludowa im. Gan Jeladim13 Zolta Żydowska Szkoła Ludowa "Zjednoczone Szkoł Zydowskie"3 Branickiego References:
Gimnasyums and Liceums were often attached in one compound: Gimnasyum Location Additional informationGimnazjum Hebrajskie 79 SienkiewiczaGimnazjum Koedukacjyne D. Druskina 4 SzlacheckaGimnazjum Koedukacyjne Doktora Gutmana 2 Zwirki i WiguryGimnazjum Koedukacyjne J. Zeligman i J. Lebenhafta 4 Sienkiewicza References:
Liceum Location Additional informationLiceum przy Gimnazjum Zeligmana 4 SienkiewiczaLiceum przy Gimnazjum D. Druskina 4 SzlacheckaLiceum przy Gimnazjum Doktora Gutmana 2 Zwirki i Wigury References: