Book review of “Jews in Old Poland” By Isaac Lewin
The study of the history of the Jews of Poland is Isaac Lewin’s specialty. Years before the outbreak of World War II, while still a young student, he began to publish fine essays and studies in this field, based for the most part on the responsa literature of Poland’s famous rabbis, on Polish documents and on the Pinkasim of communities and societies.
“Yidn in Alt Pollen” (Jews in Old Poland), which appeared recently in Buenos Aires, represents a selection of some of Lewin’s essays and studies. They deal with different aspects of Polish Jewish life and history and give the reader an intimate glance into many a corner of Jewry’s life in Poland of old.
The volume opens with the study “Isaac Abramovitch of Lemberg and Bath Sheba of Vienna,” a description of a famous “affair” of the beginning of the seventeenth century. Isaac and Bath Sheba, children of rich parents, married and settled in Vienna. Soon after the wedding Isaac became seriously ill. Bath Sheba’s parents fearing that their son-in-law might die and that their daughter would have to get “Halitza” from Isaac’s brother, persuaded Isaac to divorce Bath Sheba. It was understood that in the case of Isaac getting well again he would remarry Bath Sheba. Isaac did in fact recuperate, Bath Sheba’s parents, however, refused to restore to him his former wife. Subsequently Isaac’s parents disputed the validity of the divorce. Eventually the controversy as to the validity of the Get involved the greatest rabbis of Poland, including Meir of Lublin, who was an uncle of Isaac, Yehoshua Falk, who had been one of the rabbis who administered the Get, Samuel Eidels (Maharsha), Joel Sirkis and Mordechai Jaffe, the author of the Lebushim. Lewin describes the development of the “affair” and sets forth in concise and precise form the Halachic arguments of both sides of the controversy, which was finally settled by a decision of the rabbis of the Council of Four Lands, the central institution of Polish Jewry, declaring the Get as valid.
“How a rich non-Jew became a trader with Ethrogim”, describes the financial plight of the Council of Four Lands in the second part of the seventeenth century. Unable to pay a large debt which it owed to a Christian merchant of Breslau, the Council agreed to grant him part of a monopoly to bring Ethrogim, Lulavim and Hadassim to Poland. Lewin describes in detail the efforts by the Breslau merchant to retrieve his debt until the agreement with regard to the Ethrogim trade was made. Lewin doubts whether the Ethrogim trade had brought the Christian merchant the income he had expected.
The following two chapters deal with communal affairs of the Lemberg Jewish community of the middle of the eighteenth century. One tells of a dispute between the rabbi of the community Hayim Cohen Rapoport and the communal leadership, and the other of a battle between two opposing parties for power in the community. In both cases the Polish authorities were called in to intervene by one of the parties.
“A chapter of Jewish Sthadlanut in old Poland” speaks of the endeavours of the Jewish communities to influence the elections of deputies to the Sejm, for the purpose of preventing the adoption by this body of measures which might adversely effect the Jews.
A larger essay tells of Shechita, the Jew’s right to observe his Sabbath, the Jewish oath and of excommunication in old Poland. Short biographies of Mordechai Jaffe, the author of the Lebushim; David Gans, the author of Zemah David; Aryeh Leib, the author of “Shaagat Arye” and of Hayim Elazar Waks, rabbi of Kalish, form the concluding chapters of the book.
May I permit myself here two minor remarks. Speaking of Meir of Lublin, the author writes that his death occurred under unknown circumstances, that his last place of rest is not known and that it is doubtful whether he stayed in Lublin until the end of his life. May I add that though it is true that Meir of Lublin’s tomb is not known, it is quite certain that he died in Lublin. Also, the inscription of the lost tombstone has been preserved in writing (see Hagoren vol. I p. 45). Lewin also writes that Mordecai Jaffe came to Posen in the year 1599. The same date is also given by Horodetzky. May I add that according to Perles—who was the first to write extensively on Jaffe and who also mentions the tombstone whose fate Lewin describes—1599 is the year of which we know with certainty of Jaffe’s stay in the city, though he might have come there earlier. I made these two minor points only to show that I read this fine book with utmost care.
On the whole the volume displays the wide erudition of the author, who in addition to his scholarly researches is prominently active in the field of higher Jewish education and serves as one of the political leaders and spokesmen of Agudath Israel. Written in an elegant Yiddish and in a lively style, the book will be read with interest not only by students of Jewish history, but also by the general Jewish reader. It is to be hoped the Dr. Lewin will soon present us with another selection of his studies which first appeared in publication, now almost unavailable or inaccessible.
Reviewed by Tovia Preschel
Jewish Press
March 9, 1962