On January 31st 1946, Jakub Künstlich, a Tarnów resident, was killed on a road between Jadowniki Mokre and Radłów (Cracow voivoidship). The most probable cause of his death was a property dispute about a homestead/a farm (3 morgens) in Jadowniki Mokre which was the victim’s property. According to the findings of the Security Office, the culprits were Józef Urban and Karol Boksa, the members of  Roman Horodyński’s („Jastrząb”)  division. These findigs, however, sparked doubts. Less than two months later, on 26th March, Dora Künstlich, Jakub’s wife passed away in a hospital in Cracow. She had been shot on 6th February in her own flat by an unidentified person. Julian Kwiek, Nie chcemy Żydów u siebie. Przejawy wrogości wobec Żydów w latach 1944-1947, Warszawa 2021, s. 446, 466.

Born on 27th December 1951 in Krakow, Henryk Halkowski, son of Salomon, was a publicist specialising in the history of the Krakow district of Kazimierz. A long-time member of the Jewish Religious Community in Krakow.   Henryk Halkowski was a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the Krakow University of Technology as well as Philosophy at the Jagiellonian University. A passionate world traveller who lived in a kibbutz for some time. Henryk Halkowski’s intellectual legacy includes works like: Legendy z Żydowskiego Miasta na Kazimierzu pod Krakowem (Legends of the Jewish City in Kazimierz near Krakow), Opowieści rabina Nachmana z Bracławia (Stories of rabbi Nachman from Braclaw), Potęga obyczaju (The Power of Tradition), Żydowskie życie (The Jewish Life), Żydzi w Krakowie (Jews in Krakow), 700 lat historii…

Helena Rubinstein, called the Empress of  Beauty by Jean Cocteau, a multimillionaire and a feminine symbol, was born on 25th December 1872 in Krakow.  Helena was the eldest daughter of  Gitel and Herzl Rubinstein, who lived together with their extensive family at Szeroka 14/ 4. Their low social status and level of life were a source of embarrassment for Helena. She dreamt of a different life, thus at the age of 17, she left Krakow and vowed never to come back there again..Helena Rubinstein achieved an incredible global success. She can be called the mother of modern make-up products. At the time of her death, her net worth was approx.$100 mln.She was a muse for the top artists of her times. Helena Rubinstein was painted by Pablo…

Born on 22nd December 1926 in Podwołczyska near Tarnopol, Janina Ruth Buczyńska was a lawyer and a social activist, closely related to artistic and academic groups in Krakow. She recalled WWII as most Jews who survived it, namely as a horrific ordeal. After WWII, she found herself in Krakow where she graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Jagiellonian University.  Throughout her life Janina Ruth Buczyńska was closely connected with Piwnica pod Baranami. Her written works were published in the Krakow edition of ”Przekrój” . She was always willing to offer legal advice to the opposition activists. Moreover, Janina Ruth Buczyńska was an active supporter of  the Centre of the Jewish Culture in Krakow (Centrum Kultury Żydowskiej). Stanisław J. Jaźwiec recalls Ruth Buczyńska as a truly…

Born on 19th December 1820 in Pressburg (modern-day Bratislava), Szymon Schreiber was a rabbi of  the Jewish Religious Community in Krakow.  He held this position between 1861–1883. Schreiber was one of the first orthodox rabbis who took an active part in political life by co-founding an orthodx political party called Machzikej ha-Dat. As the party representative, he received a parliamentary seat at the Viennese Imperial Council and joined the Polish Party (Koło Polskie). Despite this, he was an avid opponent of the Polonisation process of the Jewish intelligence who, at that time, would eagerly join the University.   Instead, he wanted to set up a yeshiva in Krakow which would focus the youth more on religion. He opposed the construction of the Tempel Reform Synagogue.Szymon Schreiber  died on…

Born on 12th December 1880 in Krakow, Józef Kornitzer was the second last pre-war rabbi of the Jewish Religious Community in Krakow. He held this position between 1925–1933. A Pressburg (modern-day Bratislava) yeshiva graduate who worked as a rabbi in Wynohradiw, Czechoslovakia. In 1927, Polish president, Ignacy Mościcki visited the Old Synagogue. Józef Kornitzer was a grandson of Szymon Schreiber, a well-known Krakow rabbi (1861-1883). His own son, rabbi Samuel Kornitzer who acted a dayan, was murdered in Auschwitz.Józef Kornitzer died on 28th April 1933 in Krakow and was buried at the Jewish Cemetery at Miodowa 55.

Born on 26th November 1918 in Przemyślany, maestro Leopold Kozłowski-Kleinman, son of Herman; was a pianist, composer and a conductor. From 1968 he ran the Folk Song and Dance Group of the Krakow and Warsaw Military District. A graduate of the Lviv Conservatory in the grand piano and Conducting at the State Higher School of Music. The last representative of the pre-war klezmers in Poland, often referred to as The Last Klezmer of Galicia. For several years, Leopold Kozłowski was a vice-Chairman and an honorary Chairman of the Jewish Religious Community in Krakow as well as the honorary citizen of the city of Krakow. He was a devoted musician who was active until his last days. Fully devoted to the Jewish community in Krakow, then became its…

The pogrom of the Lviv Jews started on 22nd November 1918 at 5:30 a.m. in Lviv. Upon an informal approval of the city of Lviv commander, Captain Czesław Mączyński, the Polish army started the massacre at Bóżnicza street which was located in the middle of the Jewish district. The pogrom finished at 8 a.m. on 24th November 1918. According to the report issued by he representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the operation resulted in the murder of 150 Jews, burning down of 50 two and three-storey Jewish-owned houses while approximately 500 Jewish shops were fully robbed.  The total number of  Jewish families affected by murders, robberies and thefts came to 7,000, according to a report by dr Leon Chrzanowski and Józef Wasserzug. The direct cause…