Photographs From Poland’s Lost Jews

Wedding photograph of Mr. & Mrs. Stendig of Lezajsk, taken in 1921.

The YU Museum has an exhibit of photographs of Jews taken in Poland before the Holocaust. Those not familar with the history may be shocked at the number of Jews without beards or head coverings. Unlike what your rabbis may have told you, the vast majority of Poland's Jews were no longer Orthodox in observance by the 1920s. The above couple, for example, is from the 'hometown' of the Noam Elimelech. Not what one would expect if he learned his history from Yated Ne'eman, HaModia, Rabbi Paysach Krohn, or in yeshiva or seminary.

Anyway, the New York Times has a story, pictures and a slideshow on the exhibit. Money quote from the story:

Elie Wiesel, when he saw this homespun collection, is said to have told friends that you want to grab these people and warn them: “Run away! Do something!” But of course most Jews did not perceive the scope of the menace they faced.

Except, of course for one man – Jabotinsky.

Comments

[Yochanan Lavie]

I heard that in some frum history books, photos were altered to make it appear as though bareheaded women were covering their heads. Is that true, or is that an urban myth?

[Shmarya]

I know it has been done for bareheaded men, and women's sleeves and skirts have been lengthened. Women's faces have also been whited out in some haredi books.

[nickname]

Don't forget that the 'real' shtetl Jews couldn't afford picutres.

[Schneur]

Indeed there was much acculturation among the jews of Poland, Lithuania and Galicia. But almost no assimilation.
Also standards were different for example a so called Reform synagogue in Poland still had a mechitza and fulL service . It only had a male choir a professional cantor a university educated rabbi who preached in Polish and decorum. But all that labeled it Reform. Remember Jews in these countries were very frum and anyone who in galicia shaved was a n apikorus anyone who appeared bare headed was a Goy etc etc. according to these standards even many of our yeshiva Charedim in the us would be considered non religious .
a quick glance at election reults to various city wide Jewish councils in Poland in the 1920's and 1930's reveal that more than 30% of adult Jews voted for the various orthodox parties. Factor in the fact that many Orthodox Jews voted for groups like the BUND FOR ECONOMIC REASONS and the Revisionist and many did not vote at alll and you will get a better picture of the religious state of Polish jewry.
In addition the history of these shtetlech was usually written by survivors who left them prior to the War to either the US or Israel and these people tended to be non religious and this prejudiced their depiction of jewish life.
AGREED THAT PROBABLY A MAJORITY OF jEWISH YOUTH IN POLAND WAS MOVING AWAY FROM RELIGION , BUT MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS WERE STILL into it.

[Schneur]

I amy also add that even after world war 1 many Polish Jews were very wary of photos and did not easilly permit such .

[Charles B. Hall, PhD]

I've seen photos from the Mir yeshiva from the 1930s, whose authenticity was confirmed by a Rosh Yeshiva who learned there as a young man, in which none of the boys had beards.

[PishPosh]

I know that my fathers parents in Gorlice Poland were Shomer Mitzvos. My father and his 4 brothers all were Shomer Hatairniks. I have a feeling though that Shomer Hatzair at that point in that part of my fathers world at that time was not as atheistic as it later seemed to become.
And the whole town was a amalgamam of religous and non-religous, and we the children of this town mourn the loss of the frum and not frum equally, because they all loved each other equally.

[Isa]

There was this fellow in my shul of old and was in Poland when the hun army invaded. This is how he escaped:
He served in the Polish army and since he did he could fake being a goy. The huns asked for volunteers to work in the factories of Germany and he raised his hand. No hun would ever suspect a Jew would willingly volunteer for work in Germany.
He did say that the majority of Jews got out of serving in the Polish army.

[Isa]

Regarding:
""""I've seen photos from the Mir yeshiva from the 1930s, whose authenticity was confirmed by a Rosh Yeshiva who learned there as a young man, in which none of the boys had beards.""""
Rabbi Kopel Rosen (of England) was in one of those old photos as a yeshiva student and without a beard and his son also a rabbi happened to see one of those photos and was surprised by the lack of beards.
Rabbi Kopel Rosen founded Carmel College (a Jewish high school for boys and girls) which later went out of business after 1990 sometime.