Old Synagogue in Kazimierz
October 2005 Photo
of Old Synagogue in Kazimierz
October 1998 photo
of front wall of Old Synagogue in Kazimierz
The Old Synagogue (Synagoga Stara) in
the Kazimierz district of Krakow is the oldest surviving Jewish
place of worship in Poland. It is located at the southern end
of the main street in Kazimierz, at ul. Szeroka 24; the building
adjoins a reconstructed section of the old city wall of Kazimierz.
Most guidebooks say this synagogue was
established in the 15th century, but the author of Schindler's
List wrote that it dates back to the 14th century, during the
time that the Jews were first invited to settle in Poland.
The Old Synagogue was destroyed by fire
in 1557 but was rebuilt by Italian architect Mateo Gucci in the
1570ies.
There are seven historic Synagogues in
Kazimierz, including the Old Synagogue, but only one, the Remu'h
Synagogue, was still being used for worship when I visited in
1998. The photo below shows the entrance to the Old Synagogue
on the left and a portion of the reconstructed city wall on the
right.
Entrance to museum
in Old Synagogue in Kazimierz
Students of American history are familiar
with Tadeusz Kosciuszko, the Polish General who fought in the
American Revolution and later became a great friend of Thomas
Jefferson. There was a war in Poland, which resulted in the first
Partition of Poland between the Russians, Prussians and Austrians
in 1772. After another Partition of Poland in 1793, there was
the first of three national uprisings called Insurekcja Kosciuszkowska
(the Kosciuszko Insurrection) named after the leader. During
an insurrection, Kosciuszko appeared at the Old Synagogue in
1794 to rally the Jews to fight for Polish independence. This
established the Old Synagogue as the place where political leaders
in Poland would meet with the Jews. Polish President Ignacy Moscicki
made an official visit to the Old Synagogue in 1931 in a symbolic
gesture of friendship with the Jewish population.
In the novel, Schindler's List, there
is a description of how the Nazis came to the Old Synagogue on
Dec. 4, 1939 and promised to spare the lives of the Jews in the
congregation if they would spit on the sacred Torah. All but
one spat on the Torah, but the Nazis shot them all anyway. This
scene was not in Spielberg's film, although the movie was based
on the novel.
October 2005 photo
of entrance into Old Synagogue
On the square in front of the Old Synagogue,
there was an antique push cart from which an enterprising Polish
merchant was selling souvenirs to visitors when I visited in
2005. The souvenirs included carved wooden figures of Jews. One
of the Jewish restaurants in Kazimierz had some of these wooden
figures decorating their tables.
Souvenir stand in front
of the Old Synagogue
Carved wooden statutes
of Jews at Souvenir Stand
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