Translator name :o.gniedziejko
Malbork was established as a settlement of German tradesmen and it was granted a town charter in 1276. During the time when Malbork was under Prussian rule, there were no Jews in the town. It was only after 1810 that Jewish families started to settle in Malbork; they soon founded a Jewish community. The most flourishing period for the Jewish community in Malbork was the second half of the 19th century. For example, in 1816, only 50 people of Jewish decent lived in the town, while 30 years later, in 1846, there were 151 Jews. In 1867, the Jewish community consisted of 317 members, who constituted 4% of the total number of inhabitants. In 1871, the number of Jews in Malbork increased further and reached 337 people, but in 1880, it fell to 306. In the following years, the community kept decreasing: from 180 Jews in 1895 until only 60 Jews in June 1938; in 1939, only 33 Jews lived in the town. When the Nazis came to power, mass emigration of Jews from Malbork intensified. As a result, there were no people of Jewish decent left in the town in 1940.
The first synagogue of the Jewish community in Malbork was built as early as 1830. The second one was constructed on Schulgasse (School Street) at the end of 1897 and the beginning of 1898. The building was consecrated on August 30, 1989. The celebration was attended by Rabbi Blumenthal from Gdańsk (Danzig) and Silberstein from Elbląg (Elbing). The Jewish cemetery in Malbork was also established at the same time as the synagogue. During the Kristallnacht in 1938, the synagogue was burnt.
Community
[Polish, gmina; Yiddish, kahal; Hebrew, kehila]
A form of organization in Jewish communities. The term has two meanings: it refers to a group of Jews having their own internal organization, including self-government and authorities; it also means the body of authorities governing this group.
Jewish law and tradition, along with government legislation, were the two main factors(...)
Community
[Polish, gmina; Yiddish, kahal; Hebrew, kehila]
A form of organization in Jewish communities. The term has two meanings: it refers to a group of Jews having their own internal organization, including self-government and authorities; it also means the body of authorities governing this group.
Jewish law and tradition, along with government legislation, were the two main factors(...)
Community
[Polish, gmina; Yiddish, kahal; Hebrew, kehila]
A form of organization in Jewish communities. The term has two meanings: it refers to a group of Jews having their own internal organization, including self-government and authorities; it also means the body of authorities governing this group.
Jewish law and tradition, along with government legislation, were the two main factors(...)
Rabbi
[Hebrew, rabi = my master]
A scholar who is an expert in the Scriptures and religious questions. A rabbi is a yeshiva graduate who has been issued a smicha [Hebrew, authorization] upon completion of his studies, which grants the right to teach and decide disputes of a religious nature regarding Jewish law.
A rabbi was the religious leader of a Community, and one of its officials.(...)
Synagogue
[Greek, synagogé = assembly], beit kneset [Hebrew, house of assemblies]
The building in which Jews pray, known in Polish as boznica.
The synagogue is the focus of religious life, and to some extent also for the social life in traditional Jewish communities. Its institutional origins reach back to antiquity, most probably to the period of the Babylonian captivity, when the(...)
Synagogue
[Greek, synagogé = assembly], beit kneset [Hebrew, house of assemblies]
The building in which Jews pray, known in Polish as boznica.
The synagogue is the focus of religious life, and to some extent also for the social life in traditional Jewish communities. Its institutional origins reach back to antiquity, most probably to the period of the Babylonian captivity, when the(...)
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