Published : 2024-12-31

Together Through Centuries in One City: Selected Aspects of Jewish Community Life in Tarnow

Abstract

The history of the Jewish community in Tarnow can be traced back to the 15th century. From that time until the 20th century, Poles and Jews coexisted in this Galician city, engaging in shared work, observing their respective religious festivals, and partaking in communal leisure activities. This article primarily seeks to present an image of the Jewish community as an integral element of Tarnow’s historical narrative, and to examine the dynamics of Polish-Jewish relations within the city. For over six centuries, these relations were largely amicable, notwithstanding certain challenging periods, such as when the proprietor of Tarnow, as a privately held town until 1772, exercised authority over the rights of the Jewish community, possessing the prerogative to prohibit Jewish settlement and entry, or to impose restrictions on trade. This article identifies several notable Jewish figures for whom Tarnow served as either a place of birth or a location of professional activity. The discussion concludes with a reflection on the most tragic episode in the history of Tarnow’s Jewish community: the period of the Second World War and the extermination of thousands of its inhabitants, for whom this city represented their home. In the contemporary landscape of Tarnow, the legacy of its Jewish inhabitants is evoked by, inter alia, the Jewish cemetery, the bimah, the ritual bathhouse, and the mezuzahs affixed to doorframes.

Keywords:

Tarnow, Jews in Tarnow, Polish-Jewish relations



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Pachowicz, A. (2024). Together Through Centuries in One City: Selected Aspects of Jewish Community Life in Tarnow. Jewish Studies. Almanac, 14, 45–61. https://doi.org/10.56583/sz.2646

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Akademia Zamojska
ul. Pereca 2, 22-400 Zamość
tel. 84 638 34 44
fax 84 638 35 00
e-mail: rektorat@akademiazamojska.edu.pl
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