“Politics, Economy, Music… Krakow’s District of Kazimierz from Different Research Perspectives” (PL)
26.06.2025 - 11:00 / Galicia Jewish Museum, ul. Dajwór 18The history and culture of the Kazimierz Jews are a subject of varied research both in Poland and abroad. During the meeting, you will hear presentations by authors of five different research teams, which in recent years have broadened our knowledge of the Jews of Kraków and Kazimierz. Each presentation will last several minutes. The authors will present the most important theses, aims, and results of their projects.
1. Hanna Kozińska-Witt, The Co-creators of the Kraków City Council: Jewish Councillors in the 19th Century
Before 1914, the Kraków City Council was an institution based on a census: the chosen councillors were either educated or rich, regardless of their religion or ethnicity. Therefore, Jews were also elected to the City Council. Dr. Kozińska-Witt is the author of the book “Politycy czy klakierzy. Żydzi w krakowskiej Radzie miejskiej w XIX w.” (“Politicians or Clappers? Jews in the Krakow City Council of the 19th Century”). During the presentation, she will speak about the forgotten councillors and their work, e.g. for the “Jewish district” of Kazimierz.
2. Kinga Migalska, “In the Heart of Kazimierz. The History of the Jewish Museum in the Old Synagogue”
The Museum in the Old Synagogue (established in 1959) was chronologically the second institution created in post-war Poland, which was completely devoted to the topics of Jewish history and culture. It was created during times that forced such institutions to face many challenges. The speaker will present them during this speech. The topics are researched in her unpublished PhD thesis.
3. Przemysław Zarubin, “Jewish Businessmen of Kazimierz”
Kazimierz, a place full of synagogues and prayer houses, is not widely recognized as a business area. But even here, one can trace business activities. These include, most of all, tallits, products made of concrete, cigarette tubes, and leather goods. The speaker, who is the editor of the book “Rozwój przemysłu naszym przeznaczeniem. Żydowscy przedsiębiorcy w Krakowie i jego okolicach w dobie autonomicznej (1867-1914)” (“The Development of Industry Is Our Destiny. Jewish Businessmen in Krakow and the Krakow Area at the Time of the Autonomy (1867-1914)”), will tell us more about the forgotten 19th-century industry and craft centres in Kazimierz.
4. Sylwia Jakubczyk-Ślęczka, “How Did Kazimierz Sound? The Jewish Musical Life in Kraków Before 1939”
The variety of musical institutions, the diversity of musicians’ worldviews, and the multitudes of musical aesthetics… This is what Jewish musical life in Kraków looked like before the Shoah. All of these topics were researched by the speaker in various publications, including the monograph on the favourite pre-war cantor of Kraków, Eliezer Goldberg (1843-1920). During this speech, Sywia Jakubczyk-Ślęczka will present her research and thesis, which broadens the interpretational context.
5. Alicja Jarkowska, Stanisław Szombara. “The Kraków Ghetto: The New Closed Living Space for Krakow’s Jews”
From March 1941 until March 1943, the area of Kraków’s Podgórze district was where the ghetto was constructed: a space where 11 to 20 thousand Jews were forced to live, among them those from the nearby district of Kazimierz. Crowded into 20 hectares, they opened stores, cafes, confectioneries, photo shops, shoe repair shops, electric stores, etc. During these presentations, the speakers will describe the public space of the ghetto from the perspective of maps and history. The speakers are founders of the website www.shoahkrakow.uj.edu.pl and authors of many publications on urban planning and the history of the Kraków ghetto and its inhabitants.
This is an accompanying event organized by the Galicia Jewish Museum in cooperation with the Jagiellonian University Centre for the Study of the History and Culture of Krakow’s Jews.
