Day: 23. October 2015

Cracow and the Jewish Community in Poland

My name is Alejandra and I am from Guatemala. I am having an apostolic experience in Krakow. I read some books and visited some of the synagogues and the Jewish quarter in Krakow and I am a volunteer in the Jewish Galicia Museum. First of all I would like to explain about the history of the first Jews in Krakow. The first Jews who arrived in Polish territory were merchants. They were fluent in Arabic, Persian, Greek, Spanish and “Slav” languages and their arrival occurred simultaneously with the formation of the Polish state. One of them was Ibrahim Ibn Jacob, the author of the first extensive account about Poland. Interestingly, the very first mention of the name of Krakow (Karako) comes from him. The influence of the Jews in Poland was brought about mostly by their persecution in Western Europe, which increased during the crusades. The first Jews arrived in Poland in 1097 or 1098 from Prague and Germany. In the middle of the 14th century they had occupied 35 Silesian towns. Regarding the social …