The eastern borderlands of Poland in the past were inhabited by various ethnic and religious groups, and today you can still see landmarks reflecting this fact. They represent the valuable heritage of these lands, constituting an important element of their cultural image and contributing to the attractiveness of this region for visitors. During a tour of the Podkarpackie Region in search of such landmarks you can follow a number of cultural routes. One of these, the Hasidic Route takes you to the mysterious world of the Jewish people who once lived here.
The meaning in Hebrew
The word Hasid in Hebrew means ‘pious’ and ‘godly’. On the other hand, the word Hasidism relates to the religious movement that originated in the 18th century in the territories which at that time were part of Poland. The movement was initiated by Israel ben Eliezer (c. 1690-1760), also known as the Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name), who lived and worked in Podolia, and eventually settled down in Międzyborze Podolskie, where all his followers also gathered. His teachings combined Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) with Talmudic tradition. He addressed simple people and used a language that they could understand as it avoided the Talmudic complexities. He taught about the omnipresence of the divine in all activities, in learning, in work, and in play, and in everything that surrounds people.
His followers believed he was able to work miracles and help the world and people with his prayer. Contrary to traditional Judaism, he believed that no rabbi was needed in one’s contact with the divine; according to the Baal Shem-Tov, anyone can meet God through personal prayer if its intentions are pure and sincere. Israel ben Eliezer also taught his disciples who, having demonstrated their wisdom and charisma, later became tzaddikim - i.e. leaders of Hasidic communities. One of them was the famous Dov Ber of Mezeritch, known as the Maggid; he was the teacher of another great tzaddik, Elimelech Weissblum of Lizhensk (1717 - 1787). His brick tomb (ohel) in Leżajsk is one of the most important sites along the Hasidic Route in the Podkarpackie region.
Every year in February and March, in Leżajsk you can hear the prayers and songs of Hasidic pilgrims who come here from all over the world. They believe that those who visit Elimelech's grave once in their life will not die in sin. They also believe that on the anniversary of his death - called ‘Yahrzeit’ - the tzaddik's soul visits the ohel and, through him, the prayers recited on that day and the requests written on small pieces of paper (called ‘Kvitel’) reach God immediately. Hasidic pilgrims also visit other holy places such as the graves of Menachem Mendel and Tzvi Hirsh in Rymanów, Naftali Horowitz in Łańcut and Tzvi Elimelech Shapiro in Dynów. The renovated synagogue in Łańcut has also become a pilgrimage site.
Ustrzyki Dolne and Lesko – in Yiddish Istrik and Linsk
These are towns which, along with Leżajsk, Dynów, Jarosław, Ropczyce, Baligród and many others, are located on the Hasidic Route which links the Podkarpackie region with the Lubelskie Voivodeship in the north. (Map of the route – PDF (63.5 KB) )
In Jarosław the relics from the times Jewish people lived here include two synagogues, the building of the Jewish Craftsmen Association Yad Charuzim as well as the cemetery. Synagogues have also been preserved in many other towns, including Dębica, Lesko, Przemyśl, Rymanów and Łańcut.
Dating from 1761, the synagogue in Łańcut is one of the most valuable monuments of Jewish religious architecture in Poland. It was built at the site of an earlier wooden synagogue. The construction was financed by Stanisław Lubomirski, who provided support to the Jewish community in Łańcut. In the 19th century a characteristic staircase was added inside, leading to the women’s section.
The building was damaged during WWII. The Germans set it on fire and it was only owing to the quick reaction of Alfred Antoni Potocki, owner of the Łańcut estate, that the fire was quickly extinguished. However, the wooden furnishings inside were destroyed.
Since 1973, the synagogue has been administered by the Museum - Castle in Łańcut. During the restoration works, the magnificent wall paintings and ornaments inside were renovated. The walls, the ceiling and pillar capitals are adorned with painted decorative plasterwork. Since no representations of human faces are allowed in the decoration of synagogues, some biblical scenes are depicted in symbolic ways. For instance in the scene of the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden you can only see a tree, hands of two people and a hand passing an apple from behind the tree.
The Aron Hakodesh or the Torah Ark in accordance with the tradition is located on the wall facing Jerusalem, i.e. looking eastward in this case. Over the beautifully ornamented Torah Ark you can see the decoration depicting two lions adoring the tablets of the Decalogue. On the other walls you can see floral and animal motifs, texts of prayers and signs of zodiac. There is also a painted image of the Holy Land with Jerusalem. In the middle of the spacious prayer room you can see the imposing structure of the Bimah, used for Torah reading during services.
Seeing the building as it looks outside, those who enter the synagogue are invariably impressed by the size of the prayer room. In fact this impression is not an illusion; the effect was achieved by lowering the floor level in relation to the street. This was done during the construction works because the founder Stanisław Lubomirski did not want the synagogue to be taller and more beautiful than the church and the town hall in Łańcut. One could say that this synagogue is certainly a good example of a “win-win” situation.
Not all of the synagogues along the Hasidic Route look as grand and attractive as the one in Łańcut. Many of them, e.g. the synagogues in Cieszanów and Wielkie Oczy should be thoroughly renovated. The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, which in fact has delineated the Hasidic Route, is working to restore the original appearance of these buildings.
Jewish cemeteries
People living in Galicia in the past used the word kirkut with reference to Jewish cemeteries. These were located outside towns, and today you can see them in many places throughout the Podkarpackie region, from Cieszanów to Baligród. The largest one is located in Lesko. Because of the age of the tombstones the latter cemetery ranks among the most notable historical sites of this type in Poland. In an area of approximately 3.2 hectares there are over two thousand matzevahs, i.e. tombstones. According to the dates carved on the tombstones, some burials took place here in the first half of the 1500s. A legend has it that some rabbis exiled from the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages have their graves here.
The oldest tombstones are located on the hillside (entrance from J. Słowackiego Street). The slabs are made of sandstone and have a very simple form, with no ornaments and they carry inscriptions carved in simple archaic letters. The oldest one has an inscription in Hebrew saying: ‘Here is buried the man, fearful of God, Eliezer son of Meshulam (memory of the righteous one be blessed), on Tuesday of the 9th day of the month of Tishrei the year 309 according to short reckoning’.
At the top of the hill, the tombstones are more ornate and younger, majority of them dating from the 1800s. One of these is a tombstone with two slabs; according to the inscription, this is the grave of Rebbe Menachem Mendel Horovitz from Rozwadów and Lesko, who died in 1803. He was the father of Naftali Tzvi Horowitz, the famous rebbe of Ropczyce. In this inscription, the name of each holy rebbe is accompanied with the following phrase: ‘May his merit shield us’. So during the tour of the Podkarpackie Region you should visit the Jewish cemetery in Lesko, because this blessing from the past, made by the strength of the holy rebbes, waits for every visitor. It is enough for you to be there for the blessing to be effective.