Trudy Gold
‘Polin’ Here We Will Rest: Poland’s Golden Years?
Summary
This lecture examines the historical context of Jewish settlements in Poland-Lithuania, highlighting the country’s tolerance towards Jews during a time when much of Europe exhibited hostility. The discussion emphasizes the strategic importance of Jews in managing the economy, tax collection, and other essential functions. Additionally, the lecture provides insight into the historical context that shaped the relationship between Jews and Poland, setting the stage for further exploration of this dynamic throughout history.
Trudy Gold
Trudy Gold was the CEO of the London Jewish Cultural Centre and a founding member of the British delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Throughout her career she taught modern Jewish history at schools, universities, and to adult groups and ran seminars on Holocaust education in the UK, Eastern Europe, and China. She also led Jewish educational tours all over the world. Trudy was the educational director of the student resources “Understanding the Holocaust” and “Holocaust Explained” and the author of The Timechart History of Jewish Civilization.
Before the fall of communism, there were 5,000. Now it’s 30,000. What happened after the collapse of communism, people of Jewish background were coming out of the woodwork. It appears that hundreds of babies were saved by being given to Polish parents who brought them up. Imagine you’re middle-aged and your “parents” on their deathbed tell you, “Actually, you were a Jew.” They actually had to set up a hotline in Warsaw to deal with this phenomenon.
Yes, there was. For example, there was a family called Fishel and were one of the richest families in Poland. Some of those members converted and finished up as part of the Polish nobility.
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was conquered and then divided up. It begins at the end of the 30 Years’ War. Poland is invaded from the north and then the Cossacks go on the march. And from then on, from 1648, it takes about 130 years, but Poland begins to disintegrate. Beginning in 1772 culminating in 1815, this whole land, this whole entity is wiped off the map, the majority of the land going to Catherine the Great, another chunk going to Prussia, and another chunk going to the Habsburgs.