Born on 3rd July 1883 in Krakow, Sara Schenirer,  daughter of Becalel and Roza, née Lach, was an educational and social activist and a founder of  the Bajs Jakow school. According to Sean Martin, Schenirer, who grew up in a religious sprit, dreamed about secular education, which, at that time, was unavailable for a Jewish female.  Since she had no opportunity to expand her knowledge of secular subjects, she audited courses ran in Polish by Polish educational female activists. Inspired by Rabbi Flesch, whom she met in Vienna, Sara Schenirer founded a girls-only school in 1917, located in Krakow, św.Katarzyny 1. Over time, the school had expanded. Despite the school’s profile being in juxtaposition with the role of a woman in traditional Jewish families, it had lots of supporters in the community,…

Born on 24th June 1889 in Krakow, Joachim Metallmann, son of  Menasze  and Regina, née Friedner, was a  philosopher of natural science, methodologist and professor at the Jagiellonian University. A St.Ann’s Gymnasium (currently Ist Secondary School) graduate, Metallmann studied Philosophy and Physics at the Philosophy Department at the Jagiellonian University between 1907-1912. He obtained the PhD title in 1912. Since 1917 he held the position of a gymnasium teacher in Mielec and Krakow (the Adam Mickiewicz Gymnasium number VII, the Hebrew Gymnasium, Vth Secondary School).  From 1931 up to the outbreak of WWII Metallmann was a Philosophy lecturer at the  National Pedagogium in Krakow. In 1932 he went to France on a scholarship and obtained his habilitation after returning to Poland in 1933. In  1934, having the title of Associate…

Today we remember Rabbi Jakób Polak. Living at the turn of 14th and 15th century, he was the first Rabbi in Poland known by his name.  In Krakow, Polak set up the first yeshiva in Poland. This Talmudic academy initiated the expansion of the Jewish studies in Poland. According to Majer Bałaban, ”Jakób Polak was an unusual person with an unusual life. Born in Germany, he learned at the famous yeshiva in Nuremberg from Rabbi Jakób Margulies. Polak excelled at school and became a Rabbi in Czech Prague at a very young age.  The bond between Prague and Krakow turned out to be  a lot more than just strong and as a result, Mojżesz Fiszel gave Rabbi his own daughter, Estera as well as full control and authority of the…