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Lezajsk
Yiddish: Lizhansk, Lezhansk. A district seat in the Podkarpackie Voivodship, situated forty kilometers to the northeast of Rzeszów.
Sights of interest:
- Renaissance church of the Holy Trinity (1610-1619), with wall paintings
- Greek Catholic church of the Dormition (first half of the nineteenth century)
- Bernardine monastery, with the church of the Annunciation (1618-1628), funded by the Opaliński family; in the church there is a painting of Our Lady of Consolation and wonderful organ (1688-1693), and choir stalls (1650), and fortifications from the first half of the seventeenth century;
- Town hall (eighteenth century)
- Inn from the second half of the eighteenth century
- Convent belonging to the Sisters Servants, dating back to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, along with an orphanage;
- Palace from the second half of the eighteenth century
- Wooden manor house from the seventeenth century
- Museum of the Bernardine Province in the monastery belonging to that order.
Historical overwiev
Leżajsk was first mentioned in historical records in the fourteenth century, though the settlement had already existed much earlier. The name was originally written as Lanzaysko (1460), and then later as Lezajsko and Leżeńsko. It was to be changed in 1397, when King Władysław Jagiełło granted the settlement a town charter on the basis of Magdeburg Law; from that time, it was to be called Królewskie miasto ("Royal Town"), but that name was never used in practice. The town's population was comprised of various ethnic groups, including Poles, Ruthenians and German colonists. The most important dates in its history were 1397, the granting of its town charter by Jagiełło; Zygmunt I the Old's declaration of a new town charter in 1524; the construction of the Bernardine monastery with the funds of Łukasz Opaliński in 1618; the destruction of the town the army of Jerzy II Rakoczy in 1657; tsaddik Elimelech's presence in the town (1717-1787); and in 1848 the establishment of the Free Royal Town of Leżajsk.
Jews in Lezajsk
The first mention of Jews in Leżajsk dates back to 1538. In the mid-seventeenth century, the Jewish population of Leżajsk had their own synagogue and cemetery. The Jews were involved in the trade in grain, which was sent by river all the way to Gdańsk, as well as in brewing, the cloth trade, tavern-keeping and money lending.
In 1635, Władysław IV granted a privilege to the Jews of Leżajsk, which was later confirmed by Jan II Sobieski and Stanisław August and continued to be in force until the Commonwealth ended as a result of the first partition in 1772. This document recognized the right of Leżajsk's Jews to own property anywhere within the town's limits, guaranteed them freedom of trade and allowed them to produce various types of alcohol. After the partition, the Austrian authorities limited the Jewish community's autonomy, obligated them to serve in the military, introduced taxes and implemented a policy of Germanization.
In the late eighteenth century, there were 756 Jews living in Leżajsk; over the course of the next century, this number almost tripled, and by the mid-eighteenth century, an independent Jewish Community was founded. When Elimelech settled here, the town became an important Chasidic center, and Elimelech himself was the originator of the concept of tsaddikism and the first tsaddik in the history of Judaism. His pupils became great tsaddikim themselves, and included the Seer of Lublin and Menachem Mendel of Rymanów. Elimelech presented his concepts in a work titled The Mildness of Elimelech (Noam Elimelech). Tsaddikism strictly regulated the norms of Jewish life and isolated them from outside influences.
During the nineteenth century, fires in the town worsened its economic situation. During the interwar period, the Jews comprised about 20% of the town's population, and there were many youth organizations and schools (Trabut, Yavne and Beit Yakov). Zionists were particularly active.
When the Second World War began, about 2,000 Jews lived in Leżajsk. The first day after the Germans occupied the town, they set the synagogue on fire, and on 12 September most of Leżajsk�s Jews were expelled beyond the San river, to the Soviet zone of occupation. (The Soviet army entered Polish territory on 17 September 1939.) About 350 Jews remained in the town, whom the Germans put into a ghetto in 1941. These were primarily older people, women and children. They were forced to work on construction sites and building roads, and many died as a result of the difficult conditions prevailing in the ghetto. Many were killed in executions that were carried out at the Leżajsk cemetery. In late April and early May 1942, the ghetto was liquidated, and some of the people were moved to a transit camp in Pełkinie and to the labor camps in Rozwadów and Radymno.
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The remaining approximately one hundred people were killed on the spot. The population of Leżajsk, repressed by the Germans, nevertheless aided the Jews in the ghetto, despite the fact that this was punishable by death. A group of Jews from Leżajsk did survive the war - primarily those who had been deported by the Soviets to the East.
Synagogue and cemetary
Some fragments of the synagogue are still visible inside what is now a bank, next door to the former yeshiva building, which is also still standing. Near the cemetery, a restaurant now exists in what used to be the cheder. A particularly important site recalling the Jewish presence in Leżajsk is the cemetery, which is situated to the east of the market square, on ul. Studzienna. It occupies an area of approximately two hectares (4.94 acres), and is currently fenced and overgrown with trees. The cemetery has an ohel (rebuilt in 1963) and several dozen matsevot that were excavated in the 1980's when work was being done on the Leżajsk market square. During the occupation, the Germans had reinforced the market�s pavement with the headstones.
The ohel of tsaddik Elimelech, erected in 1776, is located in the cemetery. During the war, it was heavily damaged by the Germans, who had been searching for the gold that was supposedly hidden inside it. After the war, it was restored at the initiative of rabbi Frydman of Vienna, a former pupil of the Kraków Rabbinical School, as a symbol of thanks for his life having been saved during the German occupation.
Ohel. Photo: A.Olej&K. Kobus:
Elimelech's ohel is currently the object of pilgrimages by Chasidim from all over the world, who gather there on the anniversary of his death - the 21st day of the month of adar - in order to pray together and ask for health, a good spouse or good luck in one�s business. They believe that the tsaddik�s spirit is present at his grave on the anniversary of his death and takes the little pieces of paper with requests - kvitelech - to God. The figure of tsaddik Elimelech, and his grave itself, are surrounded by an aura of miracles and legends. It is believed that he is capable of influencing God's decisions, curing incurable diseases, ensuring a good old age, money and fertility. He had supernatural abilities, such as seeing the future, the power to expel evil demons from people, and the capacity to speak with animals. Among the spectacular miracles attributed to him was for example the case in which a little girl's bones ceased to deteriorate after she had been brought to his grave from the United States. According to the Chasidim, Elimelech had within him a little of Moses's soul, and that he was one of the thirty-six righteous ones, who in each generation support the existence of the world through their virtues and their fear of God.
The cemetery is usually locked - the keys are kept by Krystyna Kiersnowska, who assumed care of the cemetery after the death of her mother, Anny Ordyczyńskiej. She did this at the urging of Rabbi Reichberg, despite her fears that without knowing Yiddish she would not manage to fulfill her obligations. She nevertheless has become accustomed to her new role. As a Pole and a Catholic, and at the same time the guard of the tsaddik's grave, she cultivates the old link between the Polish and Jewish peoples. Not far from the cemetery there is a house of prayer and a mikvah, as well as overnight accommodation for Jewish pilgrims in a building that belongs to the Nissenbaum Family Foundation.
Juliusz Ulas Urbański collects materials about the Leżajsk community.
Cultural events:
1. International Festival of Organ and Chamber Music. Since 1992, the festival has taken place every year from June to August in the Bernardine basilica.
2. International Hunting Festival. Since 1999, this event has taken place in autumn. It involves exhibitions of photographs and art, as well as fairs and collectibles markets, competitions, folk performances and contests testing competitors� knowledge about nature. It concludes with a hunt and banquet.
Chasidim in Lezajsk. Photo: A.Olej&K. Kobus:
3. Jewish Culture Days. The first event of this type took place in 2002 and was titled "Jewish Culture Days: Kvitelech". It included public lectures, photography and art shows and concerts by various musical groups. Since 2004, the event has been expanded in order to reflect the coexistence of three cultures - Polish, Jewish and Ruthenian, which is expressed in its name, "Meetings of Three Cultures".
You are welcome to discuss about "Lezajsk"
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