Judaism in Poland Prior to World War II

Polish Jewish history is not limited to the Holocaust, rather it spans over 800 years and involves periods of acceptance and periods of persecution alike. Prior to World War II, Poland was home to the largest population of Jews in the world. Within this population there were several different ethnic devisions – there were Ashkenazi Jews, from Northern and Eastern Europe, there were the Sephardic Jews who fled from the Spanish Inquisition and found a safe haven in Poland, there were the Karaim from Crimea who claimed to be the first Jews in Poland, and each group had its own traditions and values. Within the divisions are different types. For example, the Ashkenazi Jews of Poland typically identify as part of the Orthodox or Progressive tradition. For the sake of brevity, this exhibit will focus on Jews of the Ashkenazi tradition.

 Orthodox Jews are more conservative than Progressive Jews, as the name might suggest. Within the Orthodox tradition, men and women must pray separately during services, and all services are done in Hebrew. Hasidic Judaism, a branch of the Orthodox tradition that promotes spirituality through Jewish mysticism was founded by a Polish Jew in the eighteenth century. In contrast, Progressive Jews do not separate genders within the synagogue, and services are often done in the local language – German, Polish, Yiddish, etc. Within Poland, there was a saying that Progressive Jews were “Polish on the street, and Jewish at home.” Despite these clear differences in how these Jews lives, there appears to be little difference in how they are remembered.