Aleksander Rosner, a pioneer of modern gynaecology and obstetrics, a professor at the Jagiellonian University and a long-time Head of a University Department, the son of Antoni, was born on 26th February 1867 in Cracow.  After Aleksander Rosner had graduated from St. Ann’s Gymnasium no.3, he began medical studies.  He was an exceptional student – maxima cum laude. Rosner finished his studies in 1889 and obtained his MD title a year later. He travelled across Europe, visiting leading research centres.  Thanks to Maurycy Madurowicz, Rosner took the opportunity to develop his professional career under the tutelage of  Ludwik Rydygier, among others. In 1895 Rosner defended his postdoctorial thesis and set off on another scientific journey across Europe. After his return, Aleksander Rosner obtained the title of Associate…

Born in Vienna on 23rd February 1907, Oswald Bouska  was a German Police officer working in Cracow during WWII, awarded a Righteous Among the Nations medal in 1964. Oswald Bouska was a high-rank police sergeant working at a police station responsible for Cracow’s ghetto. A zealous Nazi at first , after witnessing the way the Jews were mistreated, Bouska changed his mind. Durig his work in Cracow, he helped Cracow’s Jews by working with Julius Madritsch (pronounced a Righteous Among the Nations), the owner of a sewing room located at Rynek Podgórski3 which offered empoyment to around 800 Jews and Poles. At the end of 1942, Madritsch found out that all children from the ghetto in Cracow would be deported. Thus, he decided to save some of…

Maciej Jakubowicz was born on 20 February 1911, son of Helena (born Schenker) and Maciej (homonym). Before the Second World War he was a reserve Polish Army Lieutenant and then fought in the September Campaign (1939). He was consequently arrested and held at the prison on ul. Montelupich in Kraków, before being transferred to Nowy Wiśnicz.  During the occupation, he had at first “Aryan papers” under the name of Jan Gołąb. In 1942 he was once more arrested and taken to the labour camp of Kraków-Płaszów but managing to escape from it. Until the liberation, Jakubowicz had to hide in the woods around Dobczyce. After the Second World War, he was a member of the board of the Congregation of the Mosaic Faith (currently the Jewish Religious Community…

20th February 1870 marks the date of death Dow Ber Meisels. The son of  Izaak and Aurelia (born in 1798 in Szczekociny) passed away in Warsaw. A Chief Rabbi of Kraków between  1832-1856  and a Chief  Rabbi of  Warsaw between 1856-1870. A great advocate of the settlement between the Poles and the Jews in order to regain indepenence. Dow Ber Meisels  spent his childhood and youth years in Kamieniec Podolski where he took his first steps in the Talmud education thanks to his father.  In 1820 he moved to Cracow where he married Pajcza, a daughter of a very wealthy banker and a salt dealer from Chrzanów,  Zelman Bornstein. Thanks to this marriage, Meisels could fully devote himsef to the Talmud studies. However, he did not resist…

Born on 20th February 1877 in Lviv, Majer Bałaban was a historian and a researcher of the Jewish history on Polish soil.  An author of „Historia Żydów w Krakowie i na Kazimierzu 1304-1655” (”The History of Jews in Cracow and Kazimierz 1304-1655”), a monumental work for the history and identity of the Cracow Jews. The two-volume book, which took nearly 25 years to write, was pubished in Cracow in 1936. Its reprint by Austeria , a Cracow publishing house,  came out in 2013. Bałaban received thorough education which he started at a cheder in Lviv.  In 1890, he graduated from the C. K. 4th Gymnasium in Lviv. Between 1895–1904 Bałaban studied history, philosophy and law at the John Casimir University in Lviv. He obtained his PhD title…

Czesław Jakubowicz was born on 20th February in 1916 in Lviv as the son of  Józef and Anna, neé Milner. A president of the Congregation of the Mosaic Faith in Cracow between   1979-1993. For most of his life, Jakubowicz had a close connection with his uncle Maciej Jakubowicz’s family. What is more, he worked at the uncle’s company for several years.  After Maciej Jakubowicz’s passing, Czesław Jakubowicz was chosen a president of the Congregation of the Mosaic Faith in Cracow. He died on 7th March 1997 and was buried at the new Jewish Cemetery in Cracow at Miodowa street.

Abraham Ozjasz Thon  – a rabbi, politician, activist, publicist, speaker and most importantly, a Zionist, was born on 13th February 1870 in Lviv.Thon came from a poor orthodox family. From a very young age he stood out with his intelligence and hard work.  Thon was the son of a well-known Talmudist – Uri Wolf Salat. At the age of 17, Abraham Ozjasz Thon received an unofficial rabbi title from his father. Between 1888–1891 he was a student of the 2nd National Gymnasium in Lviv. He continued his education at the  Frederick William University in Berlin, in the Department of Philosophy.    Thon achieved a PhD title in Philosophy in 1895.  Concurrently, he was studying at the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums. It is very challenging to describe…

Mojżesz Deutscher, a senator of the Republic of Poland between 1922-1927, a son of Saul, was born in Cracow on 13th February 1878. Deutscher was one of the founders of  Stronnictwo Żydów Niezawisłych (A Party of Independent Jews). Since 1919, he was also a member of The Orthodox Agudas Israel Organisation –  a local executive member in Cracow and a central executive member in Warsaw. Deutscher was a publisher of the ”Krakauer Tagblatt” and ”Der Jud” newspapers,  an editor at a weekly magazine –  ”Das Wochenblatt”. What is more, Deutscher owned a printing house in Cracow and was a director of both Konsum ”Israel” and a Warsaw editorial copartnership, „Israel”.  One of the most active members of the Jewish Religious Community in Cracow. Thanks to his efforts,…

Bernard Liban was born to Jude and Rachela, neé Bramberg on 9th February 1848 in Podgórze (currently one of Cracow’s districts). He graduated from the Real School at the University of Technology in Cracow.  While being a student, Liban took part in the January Uprising which resulted in serious consequences, including the expulsion from school.  In 1880’s he ran a factory „Bernard Liban – Wyrób Gipsu Wszelkiego Rodzaju” (”Bernard Liban – Making cement of all kind” ), a factory of the Portland Cement in Bonarka.  In 1903, Liban set up a factory of  Chemical Products in Borek Fałęcki, which was turned into one of the first joint-stock companies in the Cracow area nine years later. At nearly the same time, he set up the First Galician Soda…

Stella Müller-Madej, the daughter of Zygmunt and Berta, neé Bleiweis, was born on 5th February 1930 in Cracow, in a well-off, assymilated family. One of Oscar Schindler’s survivors, the author of a harrowing memoir „Oczami dziecka” (Cracow, 1991) / („A girl from the Schindler’s list”)  translated into nine languages. In 1941, Müller-Madej got to Cracow’s ghetto,  followed by a camp in Płaszów afterwards. She was transported to KL Auschwitz in 1944, where, as a Jewish woman, was sentenced to death. However, thanks to her uncle’s intercession,  Müller-Madej was added to the so-called ”Schindler’s list”. Together with other prisoners from the list, she was transported to the  Brunnlitz factory in Morawy where she lived to see the liberation day in 1945.  In the USA, Müller-Madej’s memoir describing the…