HASKALAH
(19th century)
The revival of the Jewish community in Wrocław, initiated by the reforms of Frederick II and culminating in the edict of tolerance issued by Frederick William III, enabled free religious and cultural development. The Enlightenment movement, which promoted education not only related to the study of religious texts but also the broader integration of Jews into German society, began to gain increasing importance. This wave of reform, which began in Wrocław, was called Haskalah. It was crucial for the development of literature, science, and modern values among the city’s Jewish community.
Haskalah
The burial brotherhood – Chewra Kadisha. “Death is not an enemy of life; it is its natural part…”
The life of Jewish communities revolved around both mundane and spiritual matters.
The Jewish world was taking shape, centered around three places: the house of prayer (synagogue), the mikveh, or ritual bath, and the cemetery, the place of burial and final waiting for the coming of the Messiah. This thirteenth principle of faith from Maimonides’ commentary on the Mishnah significantly influenced the perception of the death of a member of the community. The dying person could count on the presence of family members who watched over them until the end, singing psalms and reciting prayers. The body had to be buried within 24 hours. In the late 18th century, the Prussian authorities imposed the requirement to wait several days before burying the body. This change was related to the mistakes that occurred, which led to the burial of people in a catatonic state or in a coma. Such people were able to revive during the funeral ceremony or even in the grave.
The Jewish community of Wrocław also decided to adapt the tradition to the new regulations and introduced the rule of burial three days after death. A special brotherhood, called chewra kadisza (holy brotherhood), was responsible for preparing the body and the funeral; it had probably been functioning since the beginning of the Jewish communities in Wrocław and Silesia. The first records of the Wrocław Funeral Brotherhood date back to 1725. Thanks to information from documents, we know that their main goal was to support members of the community with prayer during illness and death. From the 18th century, it was called the Jewish Institution for the Care of the Sick and the Funeral Society, as it also took care of sick Jews who were deprived of family and support from their loved ones. The statutes of 1826 clearly defined the tasks of the brotherhood’s members: care and nursing for the sick and the poor, ensuring free medical and pharmaceutical care for them, and finally, ensuring a dignified burial for the deceased, regardless of their status or gender, while preserving traditions and rituals. For poor families of the deceased, the Society also provided coverage of all costs of preparation and the ceremony itself from its own funds. A group of gravediggers, called kabranim, cooperated with the institution. Funeral brotherhoods were widespread throughout Lower Silesia, functioning wherever Jewish communities were active, including in Strzegom, Kłodzko, Kamienna Góra, and Jelenia Góra.
The Chevra Kadisha played an important role in integrating the Jewish community, gaining considerable influence on its functioning. Thanks to donations and support from wealthier Jews, it was able to initiate the development of necropolises. As a result of the activities of the Jewish Hospital and Burial Society, three new cemetery sites were established: on Gwarna Street, Ślężna Street, and Lotnicza Street.
The Last Journey
The funeral ceremony consisted of several stages. After death, the deceased’s body was laid on straw on the floor. According to the principles of the Talmud, the eyes were covered, which was meant to signify the end of all desires that had fueled human emotions during life. Most of the procedures were performed by the Chevra Kadisha, which took the body to the Bet Tahara/Tahore Shtibl (funeral home). This name comes from the ritual purification of the body – tahara (ablution). Tradition and regulations forbade family members from being with the deceased during this time. The brotherhood members took care of the men’s bodies, and the women members performed the ablution of the women’s bodies. At this time, prayers were recited using quotes from the Book of Ezekiel, the Book of Jeremiah, the Book of Joshua, and the words of the Song of Songs. Finally, the dried body was dressed in mourning clothes. It was buried in a shroud, because tradition dictated that the body should be quickly reunited with the earth.
However, medicine, epidemiological considerations, and the official requirement to bury bodies in coffins changed the existing burial customs. Jews began to produce coffins without using nails, made of soft, quickly decaying wood. These coffins had a small opening that ensured contact between the deceased and the earth. This was a compromise between old customs and the demands of modern times.
Royal edict and cemetery obligation.
In the late modern period, the Kingdom of Prussia experienced a decline in its power, which it owed to Frederick II. He seized the area of western Poland and most of Silesia, which was in the hands of the Habsburgs, and initiated the partitions. He was only defeated by Napoleonic troops. In order to strengthen the state, it was necessary to normalize relations with its subjects, including the Jews. On March 11, 1812, King Frederick William III introduced an edict granting Jews civil rights, enabling them to function fully on an equal footing with the Christian inhabitants of the kingdom. From then on, Jews could freely settle in towns and villages, acquire property, and build cemeteries.
In subsequent decrees issued by the authorities in 1814 and 1818, Jews were actually ordered and forced to establish cemeteries. This was related to sanitary issues, as the long transport of a body, in accordance with tradition without a coffin, could lead to epidemics. Therefore, the decision of the officials made it possible to create a network of cemeteries. In 1813, the Jews, in gratitude for the establishment of the new law, joined the fight against the French troops of Napoleon. They were bid farewell with solemn speeches and blessings in the houses of prayer.
The New Synagogue (also known as the Synagogue on Wygon, located on present-day Łąkowa Street).
The impressive building was erected in 1872 at the initiative of a group of Jewish people from Wrocław, who were involved in the Haskalah movement as early as the 1840s. The liberal and growing community needed a place for prayer. In 1864, for a considerable sum for that time, 240,000 thalers, the construction of the synagogue began, which could accommodate 1,850 people (1,050 men and 800 women). In a competition, the design of the well-known Jewish architect Edwin Oppler was selected, who was an advocate of assimilation with German culture. Oppler said: “German Jews in a German state also build in a German style,” and therefore he considered the Neoclassical building to be authentically German. The monumental structure was distinguished by a dome with a diameter of 18 m, rising to a height of 73 m.
The official opening of the synagogue took place on September 29, 1872, with the participation of the Orthodox Rabbi Gedaliah Tiktin and the rabbi of the liberal community, Manuel Joel. It was a gesture of reconciliation that ended a long-standing dispute within the Jewish community of Wrocław. The synagogue impressed with its style, execution, and the paintings by Gisbert Münster. It dominated the area of today’s Łąkowa, Podwale, and Tadeusz Kościuszko streets. It became a significant symbol of the Jewish presence in Wrocław. For this reason, it had to disappear during the Kristallnacht, on November 9, 1938, in Nazi Germany. The walls of the synagogue were so strong that sappers were employed to carry out its demolition.
The distinguished historian, Willy Cohn, wrote in his memoirs:
“There were serious riots last night! The milkman told my wife this morning that the New Synagogue was set on fire, and the shops were vandalized.”
November 10th
It seems that something bad is happening in the city! The new synagogue is still burning! […]All Jewish shops have been destroyed, as reported today in the “Neueste Nachrichte,” and the New Synagogue continues to burn. Apparently, all synagogues have been destroyed.
November 11th
The dome of the New Synagogue has collapsed, and the interior is completely burned out. […]I no longer believe in the rebuilding of Jewish life in Germany. […]The atmosphere in the streets is […]very anti-Semitic, and people are rejoicing in what has happened to the Jews. [1]A terrible description of the collapse of the New Synagogue, where my father used to pray and which is associated with my earliest memories.
[1]W. Cohn, No Rights – Nowhere. Diary from Breslau 1933-1941, Wrocław 2010, pp. 223-225.
