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. In 1868, he…

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 theory of football,…

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, Talmud and commentaries…