Born in Krakow on 20th November 1927, Miriam Akavia (formerly known as Matylda Weinfeld) was a writer, translator and President of the Polish-Israeli Friendship Society in Israel. She grew up in an assimilated Jewish family. Both of her parents died during WWII, while she spent this period in the Krakow ghetto, KL Plaszow, Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen camps. A strong supporter of the Polish-Jewish reconciliation and the owner of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. ”Right after WWII, I thought that I would never put my foot here ever again. Today I know that I cannot erase Poland, especially Krakow, from my life”, said Miriam Akavii during one meeting with the youth in Poland. She died on 16th January 2015 in Tel-Aviv. Her most notable works include:Jesień…

Born on 16th November 1919 in Krakow, Natan Gross, son of Jakub, was a director, screenwriter, film producer and film critic, poet, writer, editor and a publisher in both Polish and Hebrew. A Krakow’s Hebrew Gymnasium graduate who took his maturity exams in 1938 and who studied at the Faculty of Law at the Jagiellonian University as well as at the Academy of Fine Arts. War, however, ceased his education. Right after WWII broke out, he tried to get to Lviv but when he was just about to enter the city, he learned that Lviv had been occupied by the Soviets and decided to return to Krakow where he stayed until the beginning of 1941. Since that moment, his family’s ordeal began. In the search for shelter, they…

Born on 14th November 1876 in Krakow, Chaim Hilfstein, son of Jakub and Zofia, née Rosner, was a social and political activist, a Zionist and a consultant in internal medicine who worked at the St.Lazarus hospital in Krakow.He graduated from St.Ann’s gymnasium in Krakow in 1897, followed by Medicine at the Jagiellonian University. Hilfstein obtained his PhD title in 1904. A member of the National Jewish Council for Western Galicia in November 1918. In 1897, Hilfstein co-founded the ”Przed-świt-Haszahar” Jewish Youth Association which was the first Zionist organisation in Krakow. Throughout the interwar period, together with Ozjasz Thon, Hilfstein was one of the leaders of the Zionist Organisation of the Lesser Poland and Silesia region. He was a delegate at Zionist congresses in Karlsbad (1921), Vienna (1925)…

Born on 13th November 1888 in Chrzanow, Ignacy Izaak Schwarzbart, son of Markus Saul and Chana, née Michalik, was a lawyer, politician and a publicist. A deputy to the Sejm of the 6th term (1938-1939), member of the National Council of the Polish authorities in exile, board member of the Jewish Religious Community in Krakow (1924-1936) as well as a city council member (1933-1939). A 1908 graduate of a gymnasium in Podgorze who studied Law at the Jagiellonian University and obtained his PhD title in1913. After finishing university, he ran his own law firm. During WWI, he served in the Austro-Hungarian Army and later on in the Polish Army. Between 1921–1925, Schwarzbart was the editor-in-chief of Nowy Dziennik, a local Zionist newspaper in Krakow. A member of the Administrative…

Born on 3rd November 1840 in Częstochowa, Szymon Dankowicz was a progressive rabbi connected with the Tempel Synagogue. A patriot and a great advocate of the agreement with Polish people. A graduate of School of Rabbis in Warsaw, Jewish Theological College in Wrocław as well as the Philosophy and History Faculty at the Central School of Warsaw. He was issued a smicha which he received from Dow Ber Meisels. In 1862, Szymon Dankowicz published a Jewish coursebook through Orgelbranda, a publishing house from Warsaw. Between 1861-1862, he participated in patriotic demonstrations and as a consequence, was arrested by the Russian authorities and exiled. His patriotic career includes being a January Uprising participant (1863-1864), too. From the mid 60’s of the 19th century, he held the position of a preacher at the Tempel Synagogue.…

Born on 1st November 1889 in Krakow, Józef Lustgarten, son of Wilhelm, was a footballer, sports official, coach of the national team, international referee as well as a lawyer. A IIIrd Jan Sobieski Gymnasium graduate who studied law in Krakow and Vienna where he completed a judicial apprenticeship and successfuly passed a certified referee exam in 1913. During WWI, Lustgarten fought for the 1st Legion Brigade. In 1919, he obtained his PhD title and started his career as a clerk and a solicitor. After the end of WWI, Lustgarten made huge efforts to revive two local footbal clubs, greatly weakened by WWI , namely Cracovia and Wisła. His professional articles published in Przegląd Sportowy covering the topic of umpiring constituted a must-read for all aspiring would-be referees. Apart from dealing with the…

Born in 1583 (his exact date of birth is unknown), Natan Spira, an outstanding Kabbalist, preacher, expert in Talmudic and philosophical literature, chairman of the rabbinical court in Krakow, died on 20th July 1633. Interestingly, Spira was the son-in-law of a member of the Kraków kehilla, Mojżesz Jakubowicz, who provided him with support and resources to let him continue his studies. Natan Spira was considered a saint by his contemporaries. He preached that the dispersion of the Jewish nation (diaspora) and the transmigration of souls (gilgul neshamot), through successive incarnations, were the punishment for the contamination of Israel with sin. He dedicated all his fortune to charity and science.Acording to Henry Halkowski, starting from 1617, Spira was the rector of the Krakow yeshiva, where he taught Torah,…

Born on 15th July 1840 in Tarnow, Arnold Chaim de Porada Rapaport, son of Dawid and Karolina, née Herz, was a councilor of the city of Krakow (1872-1881), member of the National Parliament (1876-1907) and the Council of State (1879-1907), president of the Society for the Care of Neglected Jewish Boys in Krakow, founder of a craft school for the Jewish youth in Krakow, chairman of the Aid Committee for the Poor Jewish Population in Galicia. Founding member of the Polish Gymnastic Society “Sokół” in Krakow. Lawyer, industrialist, financier and philanthropist.A graduate of St. Anna’s gymnasium in Krakow (1858) and the Faculty of Law at the Jagiellonian University (1862). He defended his doctorate thesis in 1863. From 1870, he worked as a lawyer in Krakow and Vienna.…

Today we remember Eliezer Askenazy, son of Eliasz, a dotor and rabbi of Krakow between 1584-1585.Most likely born in Venice (although according to other sources he was born somewhere in the Ottoman Empire), he studied in Thessaloniki, at the Yeshiva of rabbi J. Taiłacak. At the age of 26, he became a rabbi in Cairo. During this period, several people asked his opinion, including rabbi J. Karo of Safed (Cfatu), who was developing his codes of Talmudic law, rabbi Moses Alshich, the famous commentator, rabbi M. Isserles (ReMU) from Krakow and S. Luria (Maharshal) from Lublin. After 22 years, in circumstances which remain unknown ,he left Cairo, while in 1561, took the position of rabbi in Famagusta, Cyprus. Over there, he was visited by Eliahu of Pesaro,…

Born on 2nd July 1864 in Drohobych, Leon Sternbach, son of Jozef , was a professor of Classical Philology at the Jagiellonian University, Byzantineist, member of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences.A Drohobych gymnasium graduate, who later studied at the universities in Leipzig and Dresden (1882-1883) and in Vienna (1883-1885), where he obtained his doctorate. He obtained his habilitation and doctorate at the University of Lviv in 1889. However, for all his life, Leon Sternbach remained professionally and scientifically associated with the Jagiellonian University. He received the title of associate professor in 1892, and full professor in 1897. He retired in 1935 having received the title of honorary professor. In the academic year 1904/1905 he was the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy. In 1893, Leon…