History Of The Jewish People Of Warsaw Poland , Written By Justyna Laskowska
This video was made as I began my journey. I had just found my great grand parents graves and both came from Warsaw to America in 1910. This was the start of my search. More videos shall be coming on Warsaw and its Jewish people.
When I began this extraordinary journey from knowing nothing of my family to discovering that they are from Warsaw Poland . The Baumwol’s go back as far as 1720 , all I wanted to do was try to find out if they were buried there and if so could I find their burial sites. I also longed to know where they lived and the streets they walked. I have now discovered much of what I set out to find.
In my research, there have been a few books that take you back all those years to the Jews of Warsaw. I came across this essay in my research which I have found to be of great value in understanding the history as well as placing me in context to their lives and times.
Below is the beginning of an essay written by Justyna Laskowska about the history of the Jewish people of Warsaw Poland:
First traces of Jewish presence in Warsaw can be found at the beginning of the 15th century or even earlier[1.1]. The first documented references about the Jews come from 1414 (Czersk Books)[1.2] and mention money obtained by Lazar Judeo de Varschovia. Next pieces of information already come from town books. The oldest one from municipal books (1421) mentions only ten Jews, so we can assume that the Jewish community was in fact very small. The existence of Jewish inhabitants in the city in 1414 can be confirmed by the oldest aldermen’s books from that time.
The Jews inhabited Żydowska Street, where they had their own synagogue, mikveh and cemetery situated outside the city walls near present-day Krakowskie Przedmieście. This serves as evidence that they formed a well organized, though small, community that numbered 120 members.
Click here to go to my page with the text of the full essay to read more.
Also if your interested in reading more about the history of the Warsaw Jews, more content can be accessed in the top menu items Warsaw Poland and Baumwolls of Warsaw
