At the beginning of the 19th century, a group of several dozen German Jews established a Jewish community in Trzemeszno, called kehile in Yiddish and kehilla or kehillah in Hebrew (Hebrew: קהילה). Kahał is a Polish version of these words. Until 1833, it was headed by the elders. The decree of the 1st of June 1833, issued by the Prussian government introduced the obligation to establish the so-called board of directors “to assume full authority and responsibility”. The next decree of the 14th of January, 1834, defined each Jewish community in the province as a corporation, thanks to which Jews were recognized as citizens of the town”[1]Cullman P.S., Historia Żydów w Pile [History of the Jewish Community of Schneidemühl -1641 to the Holocaust], Stowarzyszenie Inicjatyw Społecznych EFFATA, Piła 2017, p. 76.. This is also the term used in two documents of Rabbi Heimann Wolffsohn for the designation of the Jewish community in Wieleń (German: Filehne ), where he came from (photo 1) and in Trzemeszno, which employed him during the years 1837-1841 and (photo 2).
Naturalization procedure
The first of the documents is the so-called naturalization patent. The aforementioned decree divided Jews in The Grand Duchy of Posen (German: Großherzogtum Posen; Polish: Wielkie Księstwo Poznańskie) into naturalized, tolerated, and eligible for expulsion. “Naturalizing” the Jews was meant to equate them to the Christian population, although "many restrictions were still imposed on them. (...) they could not hold any state offices or managerial functions in the municipal council, and they could not be elected to local government assemblies (powiat in Polish), commune assemblies, and provincial assemblies. In addition, there were two more recommendations that Jews had to pay recruitment tax instead of military service and that they could not move to the old provinces without the approval of the minister of the interior. (...) Within the provinces, naturalized Jews could settle wherever they wanted, practice any profession, buy real estate without additional conditions and apply for municipal rights, thanks to which they could be elected not as mayors, but as councilors”[2]Kemlein S., Jews in the Grand Duchy of Poznań 1815-1848, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, Poznań 2001, pp. 119-120.. To obtain this patent, the following requirements had to be met:
1) enjoy an impeccable opinion,
2) know the German language and undertake to use it in all public matters,
3) adopt a permanent surname,
4) have a permanent residence in the Grand Duchy of Posen from June 1, 1815, or - in the case of later settlement - obtain a permit from the state authorities,
5) have a sufficient source of income from scientific or artistic activity or land ownership cultivated in person and providing support to the family, or in the city - from craftsmanship or ownership of an indebted real estate with a value of at least 2,000 thalers or the capital of 5000 thalers.
The last condition could be replaced with "special merits to the state through patriotic deeds"[3]Ibid, pp. 165-166..
Two Jewish authors from the beginning of the 20th century — Herzberg and Heppner — in their book Aus Vergangenheit und Gegenwart der Juden und der jued. Gemeinden in den Posener Landen; nach gedruckten und ungedruckten Quellen provides information about 16 naturalized Jews living in Trzemeszno during the years 1834-1835 [4]Heppner A., Herzberg I., Aus Vergangenheit und Gegenwart der Juden und der jued. Gemeinden in den Posener Landen; nach gedruckten und ungedruckten Quellen, Koźmin - Bydgoszcz 1909, p. 991.. It should be noted that they constituted a narrow group in the then Jewish community, which in 1831 numbered 130 people[5]Dzieje Trzemeszna [The History of Trzemeszno], Cz. Łuczak [Ed.], Wydawnictwo WBP, Poznań 2002, p. 114.. Why so narrow? The reason was not the lack of interest of Jews in obtaining this patent, but the politics of the officials granting it. Sophie Kemlein, in her book Jews in the Grand Duchy of Poznań 1815-1848 , outlines the difficulties faced by applicants for a naturalization patent. In practice, the provincial authorities introduced additional criteria which they applied subjectively and unequally to all. In the end, the historian concludes that "the Jews were still left to the grace and disfavor of the officials in this matter, so important for their existence"[6]Kemlein, op. cit., p. 178.. As a result, only every fifth application for naturalization in the Poznań voivodeship was considered positive[7]Ibid, p. 167..
Rabbi Heimann Wolffsohn - a citizen of Trzemeszno.
26-year-old Heimann Hermann Wolffsohn, son of Adele and Wolf Wolffsohn from Wieleń, was one of the "lucky" men who received a naturalization patent in 1836. Only with it, he could apply for citizenship of the town of Trzemeszno, where, as I mentioned, he was employed by a Jewish corporation in 1837.
Wolffsohn performed the functions of a rabbi, shochet (a ritual slaughterer ), mohel (the one who performs the circumcision), and cantor. As we learn from the documents of the Southampton archive, the management of the Jewish community in Trzemeszno also entrusted him with the function of the treasurer. He was granted the citizenship of the town of Trzemeszno on the 29th of May, 1839 (photo 3).
The content of the citizen's letter was as follows (spelling according to the original document):
Citizenship letter
The Trzemeszno magistrate in the Grand Duchy of Posen and the Kingdom of Prussia hereby certifies that the Rabbi, Mr. Heimann Wolffsohn
after completing everything necessary, according to his request, was accepted as a citizen of the town, and by making an oath in the presence of our rite, the following:
I, Heimann Wolffsohn
swear by Almighty God that, having been accepted by the magistrate as a citizen of the His Majesty, King of Prussia, my beloved, faithful and subordinate Lord, obedient to local sovereignty, for the good of the town and its citizens, try to fulfill my obligations as a town citizen as strictly and conscientiously as possible and to act as a faithful citizen of the town under all circumstances. So help me, God, through his Son Jesus Christ, who sincerely vows to fulfill all civic duties, subject to all rights and obligations of a town citizen. By granting this certificate to Mr. Heimann Wolffsohn
He will be under the protection of the law, as long as he is worthy of it, which is confirmed by the seal of the town.
On the 29th of May, 1839 in Trzemeszno
Municipality.
Letter for Citizenship
for
Rabbi Mr. Heimann Wolffsohn
Certificate of the Jewish community
After the end of the contract, the commune board issued a very positive opinion to Wolffsohn, and its content was as follows:
Naturalized vice-rabbi and ritual slaughterer,
Mr. Heiman Wolffsohn, with his extraordinary
and noble conduct
during the four years when he held the position
during the four years when he held the position of vice-rabbi, shochet, and
cantor, as well as by the caring behavior
required by the dignity of this position,
he has earned our true respect, and we are ready
to give him this truly deserved testimony,
where at the same time we find a reason
to give him our most kind thanks
for the proper management of the corporation's cash register.
Trzemeszno, on the 3rd of May, 1841
Representatives and administrative officials
of an Israeli corporation
Leib Lipman Citron
Marcus Wreszinski
M. Langer
Moses Sußkind
[8]Testimonial from the Trzemeszno Jewish community, 3 May 1841, Hartley Library, University of Southampton, ref. MS 164 AJ 196 1/6; translation by Krzysztof Tomala.
Corporate superiors
The attached photo of the contract (photo 2) shows the signatures of the members of the board of the Jewish community in Trzemeszno. They were elected following the instruction of the Prussian authorities attached to the decree of 1833 quoted at the beginning. As Kemlein explains: “The members of the corporation entitled to vote elected representatives, who in turn chose administrative officials and advisers. Active and passive voting rights were held by all adult impeccable men who owned real estate or practiced an independent profession, or otherwise supported themselves”[9]Ibid, p. 126.. “The assembly of representatives exercised control over the corporation's finances and decided how the funds were used. Corporations were not allowed to take out loans without the approval of the authorities, nor to purchase or sell land or to impose new taxes. Every process, every employment contract, every wage arrangement, and every new budget had to receive the 'blessing' of the authorities henceforth. The administrative officer was the executive body of the assembly of representatives, although he was not subordinate to it and represented the corporation outside ”[10]Ibid, p. 130.. Matters relating to religious worship were subordinate to the rabbi. He was elected by the majority of votes by the members of the corporation. He supervised the teaching of religion to Jewish children in elementary schools and licensed private teachers.
As evidenced by the documents from Southampton, one of the leaders of the Jewish community in Trzemeszno during the years of Rabbi Wolffsohn's office, i.e. 1837-1841, was Leib Lipmann Citron. And here it is worth mentioning that there is a fragment among the surviving matzevot with an inscription bearing the same name and surname. The given period of life 1794-1873 would also suggest that it is a stone from the grave of one of the first heads of this commune (photo 4).
The previously mentioned authors, Herzberg and Heppner, also mention in their book the names of later heads of the commune[11]Heppner A., Herzberg I., op. cit., p. 991.. It is worth mentioning that in 1905 one of them - Warschauer - was also the chairman of the municipal council. There was also a women's board. As a curiosity, I would like to mention that in 1892 he belonged to Wittusch Horwitz, the wife of the teacher Meyer Horwitz[12]W publikacjach spotkałam się z 3 zapisami nazwiska odnoszącego się do tego samego małżeństwa: Hurwitz, Horwitz, Hartwitz. W dokumentach gminy żydowskiej zgromadzonych w Archiwum Państwowym w … Czytaj dalej, who was the prototype of one of the heroines of Jolanta Pietz's novel The Shadow of the sundial[13]She appears in the book as Ruta Harwitz..
Prussian surveillance
After the decree of the 1st of June, 1833, in the Grand Duchy of Posen was introduced, "the authorities designated corporation districts, namely for 75 corporations in Posen (Poznań) governmental district and 49 in Bydgoszcz governmental district. The district was based on the old synagogue communities, but unlike the previous district, belonging to a specific corporation was not a matter of one's own choice or the decision of the community, but depended on the place of residence. (…) This procedure guaranteed record and supervision of every Jew through the corporation. The presidents of synagogues still in office were obliged, under the threat of disciplinary penalties, to gather complete lists of all members of the corporation, along with family members and employees ”[14]Kemlein, op. cit., pp. 125-126.. But as Kemlein continues, the Jews (most of them?) treated this state of affairs "not as a loss of the previous autonomy of religious communities, but rather as a possibility of appealing to the Prussian authorities as a neutral institution in disputes"[15]Ibid, pp. 135-136..
Fight for autonomy
The Jewish community in Trzemeszno was incorporated into the Bydgoszcz governmental district. It was not dissolved even when its number dropped drastically from a few hundred members to several dozen in the 1920s. Urszula Cynalewska recalls in The History of Trzemesznothe determination with which they fought to maintain the autonomy of the commune: “Due to the small number of members, it was not possible to select a corporation consisting of nine representatives. In this situation, the magistrate suggested the starost liquidate the kehilla, to which the Jewish population, however, did not agree. It was also impossible to connect it to Mogilno, because this commune was threatened - for the same reason - with cessation of activity. Finally, in 1922, the voivode decided to keep the Jewish community in Trzemeszno and recommended a board of three members from among Jews entitled to vote (15-19 people)”[16]Dzieje..., op. cit., pp. 178-179..
Financial burdens and other obligations of members of the commune
Adult members of the Jewish community were obliged to pay taxes, both to the municipal treasury and their community. According to Anna Bitner-Nowak, in 1903, Moses Marcus, a Jewish tailor was in fourth place among the 143 residents of Trzemeszno who paid tax for running an independent business related to manufacturing[17]Ibid, p. 125.. Moreover, the Jews contributed to the maintenance of the facilities of their community: the synagogue (including the rabbi's salary), schools (including the employment of teachers), and the cemetery. Moreover, they materially supported the poorest, orphans, and the sick, and from 1879 also through the Israel Women's Society[18]Ibid, p. 158.. As Sławomir Pastuszka explains: "Cedaka (...) as a general term for showing acts of mercy has been one of the main principles of Judaism since Talmudic times"[19]Pastuszka S., Izraelickie Towarzystwo Opieki nad Chorymi i Pogrzebowe w Pszczynie. Wybór źródeł, Pszczyńskie Centrum Kultury, Pszczyna 2017, p. 10.. These glorious deeds also included services rendered to dying members of the community: “praying, providing spiritual support and keeping watch until death. After the death of a given person, the tasks include organizing a burial following the dictates of the Jewish religion, which mainly consists of cleaning the body, proper preparation of the coffin, sewing clothes, watching over the deceased, digging the grave, taking it to the cemetery and burying the body"[20]Ibid, p. 11.. In many communes, the ministry of deceased was performed by Chevra Kadisha (in Polish - ”święte bractwo”). So far, I have not come across any information that such an association would be established in Trzemeszno. Anna Bitner-Nowak mentions in The History of Trzemeszno that Jewish women associated with the Israel Women's Society in Trzemeszno took part in funerals. Perhaps it was they who performed the aforementioned service towards the near-death and the deceased.
Reformed commune
A copy of the Book of Remembrance entitled Hazkarat Neshamot[21]Hazkarat Neszamot , zwany Memorbuch (Księgą Pamięci), to wspomnienie zmarłych. Dokument znajduje się w Archiwum w Jerozolimie. Kopia oryginału, który spłonął w synagodze w 1885 r., została … Czytaj dalej containing a prayer for Jewish martyrs and deceased rabbis, mentioning Rabbi Akiba Eger[22]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiva_Eger, testifies to the fact that the Jews of Three of Tiberias were supporters of the reform movement influenced by the Haskalah[23]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HaskalahColloquially speaking - they went with the times. They changed their approach to religion, more and more often they opted for secular education. Getting to know their history from the very beginning, I was most amazed by their entrepreneurship (I will discuss it in a separate article) and the courage to start life in a new place. Their emigration to large cities in Germany was determined by improving their lives (developing their interests) and the existence of their children, where they could obtain higher education. Unfortunately, history showed that neither there nor in free Poland, they were not to remain safe.
In conclusion
I hope that the above outline of the process of building a Jewish community in Trzemeszno has brought you closer to what the Jewish settlers in this town had to deal with. They didn't come here as "conquerors." They were treated by the Prussian authorities as second and third - class people with limited rights. The poorest of them were expelled beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Prussia. They obeyed Prussian law because they had no better alternative. Unfortunately, most of the Polish leaders of the uprisings and representatives of the nobility did not know, and often consciously did not want to make them allies in their cause for the country's independence. This issue, related to the problem of the (national and religious) identity of the German Jews, required a more extensive discussion in a separate article. Meanwhile, people interested in this subject are referred to the already existing historical publications[24]Polecam dwie publikacje książkowe: cytowaną w artykule książkę Sophi Kemlein i pracę zbiorową pod red. Jerzego Topolskiego i Krzysztofa Modelskiego Żydzi w Wielkopolsce na przestrzeni … Czytaj dalej.
* * *
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Archives of the University of Southampton (Hartley Library, University of Southampton), which made available for the above publication scans of documents with reference number MS 164 AJ 196 1/6: Naturalization certificate for Wolfsohn, Bromberg, 18th of Aug, 1836 (photo 1); Trzemeszno Jewish community concludes the contract with Wolfsohn, 2nd of Feb, 1837 (photo 3); Conferment of citizenship on Wolfsohn by the town of Trzemeszno, 29th of May, 1839 (photo 3). Each use of these scans in subsequent publications requires the consent of the above - mentioned archive.
I would also like to thank Mr. Krzysztof Tomala for his invaluable help in translating the documents and Mr. Krzysztof Bielawski for his kind comments.
Agnieszka Kostuch
Translated by Anna Keren
* * *
Przypisy
| ↑1 | Cullman P.S., Historia Żydów w Pile [History of the Jewish Community of Schneidemühl -1641 to the Holocaust], Stowarzyszenie Inicjatyw Społecznych EFFATA, Piła 2017, p. 76. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Kemlein S., Jews in the Grand Duchy of Poznań 1815-1848, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, Poznań 2001, pp. 119-120. |
| ↑3 | Ibid, pp. 165-166. |
| ↑4 | Heppner A., Herzberg I., Aus Vergangenheit und Gegenwart der Juden und der jued. Gemeinden in den Posener Landen; nach gedruckten und ungedruckten Quellen, Koźmin - Bydgoszcz 1909, p. 991. |
| ↑5 | Dzieje Trzemeszna [The History of Trzemeszno], Cz. Łuczak [Ed.], Wydawnictwo WBP, Poznań 2002, p. 114. |
| ↑6 | Kemlein, op. cit., p. 178. |
| ↑7 | Ibid, p. 167. |
| ↑8 | Testimonial from the Trzemeszno Jewish community, 3 May 1841, Hartley Library, University of Southampton, ref. MS 164 AJ 196 1/6; translation by Krzysztof Tomala. |
| ↑9 | Ibid, p. 126. |
| ↑10 | Ibid, p. 130. |
| ↑11 | Heppner A., Herzberg I., op. cit., p. 991. |
| ↑12 | In publications, I found 3 spells of a surname referring to the same marriage: Hurwitz,Horwitz, Hartwitz. In the documents of the Jewish community gathered in the State Archives in Bydgoszcz, Inowrocław Branch, there are signatures of this couple as Meyer Hurwitz and Wittusch Horwitz. On the other hand, on Meyer's tombstone, there is an inscription "Horwitz". There is also a "Horwitz" version in the wedding note. Changing surnames among Jews was not uncommon, which is why this explains the discrepancies. |
| ↑13 | She appears in the book as Ruta Harwitz. |
| ↑14 | Kemlein, op. cit., pp. 125-126. |
| ↑15 | Ibid, pp. 135-136. |
| ↑16 | Dzieje..., op. cit., pp. 178-179. |
| ↑17 | Ibid, p. 125. |
| ↑18 | Ibid, p. 158. |
| ↑19 | Pastuszka S., Izraelickie Towarzystwo Opieki nad Chorymi i Pogrzebowe w Pszczynie. Wybór źródeł, Pszczyńskie Centrum Kultury, Pszczyna 2017, p. 10. |
| ↑20 | Ibid, p. 11. |
| ↑21 | Hazkarat Neshamot , also known as the Memorbuch (Book of Remembrance), is a memory of the dead. The document is in the Archives in Jerusalem. A copy of the original, which burned down in the synagogue in 1885, was made by Samuel Rothmann. |
| ↑22 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiva_Eger |
| ↑23 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haskalah |
| ↑24 | I recommend two book publications: the book by Sophie Kemlein quoted in the article and a collective work edited by Jerzy Topolski and Krzysztof Modelski, Żydzi w Wielkopolsce na przestrzeni dziejów (Poznań 1999). |