Around Jewish Rzeszów

Around Jewish Rzeszów

For centuries, Rzeszów was a cultural conglomerate in which different beliefs and traditions created a unique mosaic. One of the largest religious groups were the followers of Judaism. Already in the second half of the 16th century, a Jewish commune or kahal, was established in the Yiddish name Rajsze. At that time, the community was concentrated in the so-called The "New Town" was built according to Renaissance assumptions and connected to the Old Town thanks to a causeway built among the wetlands. During the reign of the Lubomirski family, „New Town” became a district of Rzeszów.

The Israeli community lived mainly in the area near the synagogues - Staromiejska, dating back to 1610, and Nowomiejska, built according to the design of the architect John Baptist Belotti in the first decades of the 18th century. Over the years, further facilities necessary for the functioning of the commune were built in the city, such as nectopolises, hospitals, schools, mikveh and many others. In 1920, there were 13 private houses of prayer in the city. Jews constituted the majority of Rzeszów's inhabitants almost until the end of the 19th century, influencing its color and architecture.

The Nazi occupation brought an end to Jewish culture. A ghetto was established in the city and the extermination of the inhabitants began. Estimated data indicate that only 700-800 Jews from Rzeszów survived the Holocaust. However, most of them did not decide to live in the former Rajsze.

During the walk, we will delve into a world that no longer exists and together we will try to find traces of the no longer existing Mojżeszów and the inhabitants of Galician Jerusalem on the Wisłok River.