LUBLIN - OLD CEMETERY The "old" Jewish cemetery in Lublin - a town used to call Jerusalem of Kingdom of Poland or Jewish Oxford - belongs to the most precious Hebrew necropolises in Europe . Despite of years of devastation we can find here gravestones with high religious, historic and artistic value that very often have austere, archaic inscriptions typical for medieval Jewish cemeteries. It is a place of rest of many famous rabbis and prominent representatives of Jewish community. The cemetery is situated on a hill between Kalinowszczyzna and Sienna streets in the place of former fortress that was built in the early Middle Ages. The exact date of set up remains unknown but the oldest existing gravestone dates back to 1541. There are written records from 1555 saying that starost of Lublin Stanisław Tęczyński proclaimed a privilege confirmed by king Zygmunt August guarantying Jews right to bury their deceased in this place. In those days the hill was surrounded with backwaters. Although in 1829 new Hebrew necropolis in Lublin was set up, the "old" cemetery maintained sporadically its burial functions till the beginning of the 20th century. The whole area is surrounded with a wall from the 17th century. In 1918 Majer Bałaban described this place in following words: "Through a small gate we enter the actual cemetery. The path winds through the sod shadowed by bushes and trees and climbs more and more steeply up the hill. At the beginning we cannot see any graves but the higher we are the more often we meet them. Some stand straight on, the other askew but usually they lay on the ground covered with dust and soil. The higher the more dense woods and more impenetrable bushes. (.) Soon we reach top of the hill that rise along the entire cemetery. Here our eyes can enjoy outstanding view in all directions. To the north there are houses belonging to Kalinowszczyzna suburbs, to the south there are towers of Old City and huge battlements of a castle. (.) With rectors, rabbis, elders from kehilla at the cemetery are buried also famous physicians, servants of royal court, great merchants and all those who played any part in Jewish community life. Now earth cover their ashes while time and storms bent or caused gravestones to collapse (.). Gradually weather and loose shape rich decorations engraved on stones - lions and leopards, candle sticks and crowns, broken trees and open books and allegorical figures and in most cases inscriptions are completely invisible" . By entrance from the site of Kalinowszczyzna street there is a matzeva of rabbi and famous Talmudist Jakub son of Jehuda ha-Lewi Kopelman who died in 1541. This is the oldest one Jewish gravestone in Poland remaining in its original place. There is an inscription engraved on it that says among others: "Powerful ruler of Torah, precious cornerstone whose name is placed on the throne of powerful ruler Jakub, Jaakow the just, son of Jehuda ha-lewi of blessed memory ". Quite close there is a slab framed with arch standing on grave of chazzan Abraham who died on the 25 th May 1543. There is an inscription on it: "My eyes flowed with streams of water, because the sky darkened with clouds, due to death of mister Abraham, son of Uszaj of blessed memory chazzan, who died on Moday, on the 24th Sivan and on the same day was buried. Man just and faithful. In year 303 according to the shortened calculus". Matzeva in front of Abraham's grave memorizes woman named Chana who died probably in 1552. Also here we can quote translation of inscription: "This grave proves and this slab proves that cry, bitterness and pain are great due to lack of respectable Chana, daughter of MA of blessed memory, called because she was ready to fulfill all commandments. Her soul went out on the 12th elul on Thursday or on Friday [ ] according to the shortened calculus" . Barred family tomb belongs to rabbi Jakoow Icchak Hurwicz (Horowitz) known as "The Seeing from Lublin " (in Hebrew "ha-Choze mi Lublin "). He was told to be "an angel and to his door the greatest rabbis knocked" . Hurwicz was born in 1745 in Józefów Biłgorajski as one of children of rabbi Elizer. He was a pupil of famous religious teachers like rabbi Sznelke from Puławy or Elimelech. His court in Lublin at 28, Szeroka street attracted hundreds of Hassid who believed in his miraculous powers. Also today religious Jews from all over the world make pilgrimages to the grave of "The Seeing". May we go further to the next group of gravestones. Almost two meters high slab with inscriptions but without any decorations is a re-curved in the 19th century gravestone of Szalom Szachna son of Jozef - eminent Talmudist, rabbi of Lublin and the last general rabbi of Małopolska county who was born around 1510. He was called "Doctor Judaeorum Lublinensium". His father Josko was a banker of king of Poland , leaseholder of royal taxes in Lwów, Lublin and Chełm and the only one Jew in Lublin who had right to live in the Christian district. After many years of studies Szachna set up an yeshiva in Lublin where among others famous Mojżesz Isserles was a pupil. For his services on the filed of education Szachna was rewarded by king Zygmun August with lower taxes. There is an inscription on his matzeva: "This stone that was laid as a stele will be shelter for saint and terrifying man of God who propagated Torah in Israel more then the others who were before him in previous generations. And he brought to former state a crown of sciences and taught many pupils so all inhabitants of earth live from his mouth and drink his water. In his glory was our lord and teacher the crown of fame of thousands heads of Izreal. Our honourable teacher and master, mister rabbi Szalom called Szachna, son of saint and just rabbi Josef of blessed memory. Religious and modest is the one who joined his ancestors on Friday, new moon in kislev, year 319 of the 6 th millennium from the creation of the world. May his soul be bound in a pouch of alive with just souls who are in Paradise garden, amen, may this will be" . Next to it there is small matzeva with unicorn and shot through with a missile gravestone of Dawid Tewel, son of Józef. Narrow path leads to the top of a hill. Here there is a reconstructed in the 19th century stele of rabbi Szlomo (Salomon) Luria called Maharszal who died in 1573. Szlomo Luria was a well known rabbi, rector of yeshiva in Lublin , great authority on Jewish law and an author of such studies like "Sea of Salomon ", "Pillars of Salomon", "Wisdom of Salomon". His name was given to one of synagogues in Lublin (Maharszal-szul or Maharszal' Synagogue). Many more eminences are buried at this cemetery. Among others Estera Pilati - woman with great rabbi knowledge; her gravestone is decorated with lion and crown that usually symbolize learned men. Also marshals of Jewish Parliament of Four Lands (in Hebrew Waad Arba Aracot) - Abraham Parnas and Abraham Abel. Years of the WW I and WW II resulted in serious damage of the cemetery. Wooden matzevas were used by soldiers to set a fire. The Nazis used some gravestones to laid streets. Till present bomb craters can be seen and on some graves have traces of bullets and missiles. Unfortunately Mr Józef Honig - a many years guardian of this necropolis - died in June 2003 at the age of 86. Keys to entrance gate are kept in Chamber of Memory at a new Jewish cemetery at Walecznych street . At the Lublin area there are three more Israeli necropolises. So called the new cemetery at Walecznych street (still in use) and destroyed necropolises in Wieniawa and Głusk districts. |