Few Polish cities have evoked more affection from their Jewish inhabitants than Krakow, and this volume brings together the work of leading historians from Israel, Poland, Great Britain, and the United States to explore how this relationship evolved. It takes as its starting point 1772, when Poland was partitioned between the Great Powers and Krakow came under Austrian rule, and examines the relationship between the Jewish minority and the Polish majority in the city in the different stages of its history down to the period of German occupation in the Second World War. An additional perspective is provided by a consideration of how Jewish life in Krakow has been remembered by Holocaust survivors, and how it is portrayed in post-war Polish literature. The main explanation for the specific nature of relations between Poles and Jews in Krakow as it emerges from these studies seems to be that Jewish acculturation to Polish culture was more pronounced in Krakow than anywhere else in Poland. The Jewish community as a whole opened itself up to contemporary currents and participated in the life of the city, above all in its cultural dimension, while nevertheless retaining a highly articulated sense of Jewish identity and unity. This meant that they were able both to defend their interests effectively and to establish links with the rest of the population from a position of strength. An additional important factor appears to have been the more tolerant atmosphere which prevailed in the Austro-Hungarian empire, which meant that ethnic tensions were less acute than elsewhere on the Polish lands. Furthermore, the fact that the city was largely pre-industrial and conservative, and was a spiritual and intellectual centre for both Catholics and Jews, may paradoxically have mitigated ethnic conflict, as did the fact that the two societies-Polish and Jewish-were largely socially separate. While the increase in antisemitism after 1935 and the consequences of the Holocaust are still etched in the minds of many, the city nevertheless has a special place in Jewish hearts and will continue to be remembered as one of the great centres of Jewish culture in east-central Europe. As in other volumes of Polin, the New Views section examines a number of important topics. These include a general investigation of the situation of the Jews in Galicia; an analysis of the position of Jewish slave labourers in the Kielce area under Nazi rule; an investigation into the resurgence after 1944 of the myth of ritual murder; and a discussion of the history of the Jewish settlement in Lower Silesia after the Second World War.

About the Author
Michal Galas is Associate Professor in the Department of Jewish Studies of the Jagiellonian University and the Secretary of the Commission on the History and Culture of the Jews at the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in Krakow. He is the author of Rabin Markus Jastrow i jego wizja reformy judaizmu: Studium z dziejow judaizmu w XIX wieku (2007) and editor of Duchowosc zydowska w Polsce (2000); Zydzi lelowscy: Obecnosc i slady (Krakow, 2006); and Swiatlo i slonce: Studia z dziejow chasydyzmu (2006). He has also written numerous articles on the history of the Jewish religion in Poland, particularly on Sabbatianism and Frankism. Antony Polonsky is Emeritus Professor of Holocaust Studies, Brandeis University, and Chief Historian of the Global Educational Outreach Project at the Museum of Polish Jews in Warsaw. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Warsaw (2010) and the Jagiellonian University (2014), and in 2011 was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of Polonia Restituta and the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of Independent Lithuania. His many publications include The Jews in Poland and Russia, 3 vols. (Littman Library, 2010-12), which in 2012 was awarded the Pro Historia Polonorum prize of the Polish Senate for the best book on the history of Poland in a non-Polish language written in the previous five years.

Reviews
'Together the essays give a well-rounded view of one of the oldest and largest Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.'
Research Book News
'This collection of studies on post-1772 Krakow Jewry is an extremely valuable and very readable contribution to the literature . . . Most are by well-known specialists, but not all of them have been widely published in English, which gives added value to this volume . . . corrects many misconceptions about Judaism in modern Poland. The articles can also stand alone, which adds to the utility of the volume for students. The glossary and fine index help to make this book very accessible to non-experts.'
Religious Studies Review



Book Information
ISBN 9781904113645
Author Michal Galas
Format Paperback
Page Count 584
Imprint The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization
Publisher Liverpool University Press
Weight(grams) 939g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 155mm * 48mm