Guide to the Records of the Krotoszyn Jewish Community Council RG 14

Processed by Steven M. Lowenstein in the 1970s. Edited by Rivka Schiller in 2006 with the assistance of a grant from the Gruss Lipper Family Foundation. Additionally processed and prepared for digitization by Violet Lutz in 2016 as part of the Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Collections Project, with the assistance of a grant from the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, New York, with additional funding from the Kronhill Pletka Foundation, and The Ruth and David Levine Charitable Fund, 2015.

Note to researchers: This collection is currently closed in preparation for the Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Collections Project.

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
15 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
Email: archives@yivo.cjh.org
URL: http://www.yivo.org

Electronic finding aid was converted to EAD version 2002 by Yakov Sklyar in December 2006. EAD finding aid customized in ARCHON in 2012. Description is in English.

Collection Overview

Title: Guide to the Records of the Krotoszyn Jewish Community Council RG 14

ID: RG 14 FA

Extent: 3.0 Linear Feet

Arrangement: The collection is arranged in 43 numbered folders according to provenance, in as far as the fragmentary nature of the collection permits. Most of the documents were already bound into volumes in Krotoszyn. The “government” referred to in this catalogue is the Prussian provincial or local government. The majority of the documents are written in German, which was the dominant language of this region during the given time period (1828-1919). Some documents are in Yiddish or Hebrew.

Languages: German, Yiddish, Hebrew

Abstract

Located in Western Poland in the province of Poznan, the Polish town of Krotoszyn (Krotoschin in German) was annexed by Prussia following the second partition of Poland in 1793. In 1834 Krotoszyn was officially declared a Prussian city. Trade alliances between Krotoszyn and greater Poland came to a halt when Krotoszyn was annexed by Prussia and began to align itself increasingly with Germany and other nearby countries. Krotoszyn reverted to Poland after World War I. The Jewish community of Krotoszyn dates back to the 14th century. During the period leading up to World War I, the Krotoszyn Jewish population began to decline significantly. The Prussian wars of the late 19th century and World War I contributed to this decline; the depletion of the Jewish population was due to the steady stream of emigration to countries including Germany, the United States, and South America. By the eve of World War I, there were 411 Jews in Krotoszyn, and by 1919, only 119 remained. During the inter-war period, when Krotoszyn was returned to Poland, the Jewish community had dwindled to 50 members. As of 12 September 1939, only 17 Jews remained in Krotoszyn, and after the outbreak of World War II they fled to Łódz, where it may be assumed that they were forced into the ghetto. The collection is only a partial representation of the Krotoszyn Jewish community’s archives. The material focuses on the period 1828-1919, when Krotoszyn was under German rule.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The records contained within the collection are primarily concerned with Krotoszyn’s communal administration. A number of records shed light on the integration of the Jewish community of Krotoszyn into the Prussian (and later, German) presence. The following categories of documents may be found in the collection:

Legal, Government, and Business Records: Tax lists, receipts, bills, 1835, lawyers’ reports concerning the status of property ownership, government summonses to individual taxpayers, 1834-1835, circulars calling meetings, minutes, correspondence re: mortgage matters, 1836-1860, government documents granting rights of marriage, 1838-1841.

Communal Aid and Welfare Societies: Contracts for the distribution of matzo to the poor and to Jewish soldiers, 1859-1874, material pertaining to the Deutsches Central-Komitee fur die russischen Juden, letters concerning and combating anti-Semitism, 1891-1894, 1896, 1905, questionnaires, correspondence, receipts, statutes, and advertisements pertaining to the Deutsch-Israelitischer Gemeindebund; zur Erziehung Der Juedischen Gebrechlichen, Blinde und Geistesschwache, 1905-1912.

Community, Religious, and Education Records: Applications for the positions of cantor and religious teacher, 1904, 1908, 1910, Hebrew school curriculum and miscellaneous school-related material, 1919, constitution of the Raschi Verein, 1828-1830, 1908-1910, voter lists for community representatives, 1838-1845.

Historical Note

Known for its participation in Jewish affairs, Krotoszyn was actively represented at the Council of the Four Lands (ca. 1580-1764). Jews in the city established a matzo bakery, which was famous throughout the province of Poznań. Jewish workers in Krotoszyn were organized in a professional trade union at quite an early date. In 1883 the first Hebrew publishing house was established by Ber Leyb Monash, and within a few years, was joined by a second Jewish publishing house.

By mid-19th century, the Prussians officially required rabbis, as religious leaders of the region’s Jewish communities, to receive academic training. The orthodox rabbis opposed this “decree” and as a result, Krotoszyn was plagued by riots, which demanded the intervention of police forces. In 1894 the Jewish community of Krotoszyn encountered further religious strife over the matter of women singing in the synagogue during prayer time. A decision was ultimately reached to establish a second synagogue, in which women would be permitted to sing alongside those praying. In this manner, the Reform Movement began to take root in the province of Poznań.

The Krotoszyn Jewish community had one elementary school, which was recognized by the government. Another school that was specifically oriented toward religious studies was also successfully established in Krotoszyn. In 1896, 192 students attended the Jewish elementary school.

A number of Jewish public welfare and aid societies existed in Krotoszyn including the “Bikur kholim,” “Ezras noshim,” and the “Khevre kadishe.” In 1907, a local branch of the German-Jewish union, “Ezra Hilfsverein” was formed in Krotoszyn. The organization’s goal was to help establish agricultural settlements and educational institutions in the land of Israel.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions:

Open to researchers by appointment.

For more information, contact: Chief Archivist, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011, email: archives@yivo.cjh.org

Related Materials:

At the present time, the Krotoszyn communal records can be found in several locations. Part of the communal archives for the Jewish community of Krotoszyn was sent ca. 1910 to the Gesamtarchiv der Deutschen Juden in Berlin. Materials were later dispersed among several archival repositories around the world. A portion of the materials spanning the years 1684-1899 found its way to the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People in Jerusalem. Another portion of the materials was taken over by the East German state archives and ultimately returned to the German Jewish community. Today these materials can be found in the “Centrum Judaicum,” which is a museum and archives located on Oranienburger Strasse, at the site of the recently reconsecrated Neue Synagoge Berlin. Yet another portion of the materials is located at the Jewish Historical Institute (ŻIH) in Warsaw. Finally, fragments of the Krotoszyn records are located in Moscow, at the former “Osobyi” (Special) archive, a repository for records confiscated by the Red Army from Germany and other countries during World War II.

A Centrum Judaicum catalogue was published in 2001 and contains references to 51 files dating 1825-1901. A listing of the Krotoszyn materials, which were sent to the Gemeindebund in Berlin for placement in the Gesamtarchiv der Deutschen Juden is found in folder #16 of the present collection.

Preferred Citation: Published citations should read as follows:Identification of item, date (if known); YIVO Archives; Records of the Krotoszyn Jewish Community Council; RG 14; folder number.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

Series 1: Records of the Krotoszyn Jewish Community Council, 1828-1919

Series 1: Records of the Krotoszyn Jewish Community Council 1828-1919

Folder 1: Belege Ueber Einnahme Und Ausgabe 1835: Recrutensteuer tax list (322 names); lists of amounts and contributors for Passover flour for the poor (196 names); other tax list; communal decisions; list of various types of fees, receipts, bills
Folder 2: Militair-Angelegenheiten Resp. Beurlaubung Der Juedischen Soldaten Zu Den Feiertagen 1891-1910: Correspondence with regimental commanders concerning leaves for the holidays; decisions of the community; circulars calling for attendance by community officers at oath taking ceremony held in synagogue and involving soldiers; announcement re: regimentation of patriotic ceremonies in synagogue; correspondence with commanders about patriotic ceremonies; public announcements of patriotic ceremonies (e.g., king’s birthday)
Folder 3: Matse For The Poor; Contracts 1859-1874: Includes case of Louis Bursch vs. community – 1874: letter by Bursch demanding payment for delivered matse, court documents, copy of complaint, circular to Vorstand to decide answer; official answer, annual lists of recipients, communal decisions, contract for deliveries (repeated annually); petitions by individuals asking aid, matses for soldiers, correspondence with contractor, requests from organizations, contracts, attestation of poverty, announcement of auction of contract
Folder 4: Akta Fleischerschul 1828-1830, 1908-1910: Government property tax orders, petitions by community and answers, receipt, government correspondence, communal meeting, bills, cost estimates for building projects, plans of Jewish community buildings, description of plots of land belonging to community, list of those who will still make donations (?), Yiddish letters to community, announcement of meeting of government building commission, accompanying letter to fire insurance payment. Lawyer’s correspondence, communal meetings concerning combining Orthodox and main services, letter of Vorstand to Repraesentanten, circular calling meeting, circular announcement of general meeting of Raschi Verein, letter of Raschi Verein to community, constitution of Raschi Verein (alias Fleisherschule), lawyer’s report on Fleischerschule’s property
Folder 5: Recrutensteuer 1834-1835: Government orders concerning individual taxpayers and general tax matters, individual petitions (e.g., for exemption), government summonses to individuals, announcement of payment deadlines, attestation of residence for a Jew, government correspondence, account of tax money, lists of names and amounts still owed, tax list (333 names), list of those who moved
Folder 6: Die Einberufung Der Repraesentanten 1838-1845: Many circulars calling meetings, government notices concerning absentees from represaentanten meetings and orders for punishment, minutes re: investigation of absentees by Vorstand, government correspondence, excerpts from minutes, appointment of substitutes
Folder 7: Bewerbungen Um Die Vacante Rabbienr-Stelle 1895: Circular calling meeting, letters of application, further correspondence
Folder 8: Anstellung Des Friedhofs-Diener Jankowski 1873-1913: Requests for raises by Zehler Friedhofsdiener, his miscellaneous correspondence, communal decisions, notice to Zehler re: termination of employment, job applications and recommendations, Zehler’s protest; reports of interviewing commission; contract for and correspondence with Friedhofsdiener Royl, his resignation, request from Ostrowo community for information, contract for Casimir Jankowski and renewals, correspondence with Jankowski, bills, request for raise, insurance, letters from town administration, copies of internal correspondence of national government re: gravediggers’ rights in Germany, firing of Jankowski, newspaper advertisement for Friedhofsdiener, requests by his wife, receipt, order that she leave or face trespassing charges
Folder 9: Die Wahl Der Repraesentanten Und Deren Anstelung 1834-1872: (Bound, but a few loose pages out of order). List of those elected, government regulations on Jewish communal administration, meeting minutes, government orders re: specific changes in membership repraesentanten, official inaugurations into office, government correspondence, requests to government, communal decisions filling vacant seats, announcements of elections, lists of eligible voters (252 in 1837), circulars announcing inaugurations, list of those eligible for election as Repraesentanten, government confirmation of choices, petition of newly naturalized Jew, petition of a representative, circulars announcing election of Vorsitzer of Reprasentanten, letters concerning a court case, list of recently naturalized Jews, petitions, announcement of elections, minutes and results of elections, letters from Vorsteher, correspondence, etc.
Folder 10: Die Correspondenz Der Repraesentanten 1834-1842: Correspondence; includes government regulations for business and various other kinds of business
Folder 11: Currenden Des Vorstands Und Representanten 1910-1915: Very many circulars calling meetings and other gatherings (with agendas), requests for meetings, communal decisions, newspaper announcement of a meeting
Folder 12: Sitzungs Verhandlungen Der Repraesentanten 1905-1910: Circulars calling meetings, incoming correspondence, public announcements, communal tax notice to a member, minutes of all meetings, outgoing correspondence, petitions and requests, accompanying letters by Vorstand sending documents for meetings
Folder 13: Sitzungs-Verhandlungen Der Representanten 1910-1913: Incoming correspondence, circulars calling meetings, minutes of all meetings, requests, cost estimate, building committee minutes, committee reports, requests for meetings
Folder 14: Die Unterstuetzung Der Russischen Juden 1891-1894, 1896, 1905: Lists of various donations, receipts, circulars about founding a local committee to aid Russian Jews and calling meetings of it, letters from Deutsches Central-Komitee fur die russischen Juden, letter from provincial committee, letter asking aid in fight against anti-semitism, meeting minutes, secret letter about anti-semitism, proposed letter by local committee against anti-semitism, bill for Verein zur Unterdruckung d. Anti-semitismus, letters re: book against anti- semitism, correspondence of Verein against anti-semitism, circular asking decision about where to give funds
Folder 15: Versicherungen 1869-1902: Inventory of communal property and gifts to community, insurance policies, premium receipts, correspondence with insurance company, plan of synagogue buildings
Folder 16: Deutsch-Israelitischer Gemeindebund; zur Erziehung Der Juedischen Gebrechlichen, Blinde Und Geistesschwache 1905-1912: (Title is not totally accurate). Contains a catalogue of Krotoschin archive materials (materials not found in the YIVO collection, presumably those that were sent to Gesamtarchiv). Blank questionnaires from Gemeindebund, correspondence with Gemeindebund concerning blind, retarded, and archive, pleas for aid from other organizations, receipts, letter advertising Israelitisches Familienblatt, letter re: reorganizing Jewish community organization in Germany, letters and statutes from Vereinigung fur das liberale Judentum, requests from individuals, rules for Jewish schools, letters from English consulate re: a birth certificate, advertisement for esrogim, newspaper ad for 2nd cantor for Krotoschin
Folder 17: Die Heiraths-Sachen Und Die Nachsuchung Resp. Ertheilung Der Trauscheine 1838-1841: Requests, government permission for individual marriages, correspondence, information on amounts of dowries, communal decisions, attestations of marriage bans, government waivers of various requirements
Folder 18: Schulden Tilgungs Commission 1836-1860: Court correspondence about mortgage, correspondence with court, correspondence between Vorstand and representnanten, letter from collector for Thurn and Taxis, government correspondence, new mortgage, ground plans, request for sale of land by community, correspondence and decision not to sell, correspondence and decisions concerning land
Folder 19: Freihan’sche Legat Zu Breslau 1828, 1834-1839: Government correspondence, mortgage on two manors in Silesia, petition, apprenticeship contract, correspondence with curators concerning Freihan’s yortsayt, pleas for aid, communal decisions on who should receive aid, lists of recipients with receipts, bills, receipts
Folder 20: Das Freyhansche Legat 1858-1899: (Bound nut with a few loose pages, some in Yiddish). Petitions for payments or aid, communal decisions, annual lists of recipients with receipts, correspondence with curators of the fund, money order stubs, bills, receipts, public announcement, apprenticeship contracts, school diploma, questionnaire about communal life
Folder 21: Process-Sache Der Krankenverpflegungsanstalt Zu Breslau VS. Krotoschin Community 1837-1840: Correspondence with Breslau Khevre kadishe; court documents in the case
Folder 22: Die Einziehung Der Korporations Beitragen 1858-1870: Correspondence with government mainly concerning individual tax bills, attestations of receipt of Steuerbekanntmachungszettel by individuals, petitions, correspondence between post office and government offices, lists of amounts collected from members who moved to Breslau, government documents concerning dues owed the community, receipts, lists of arrears owed by individuals, circulars calling meetings, communal decisions, tax bills from Krotoschin community and others, amounts due from migrants (e.g., Berlin), government orders, orders for liens on property, documents in court cases
Folder 23: Miscellania 1834-1837, 1870: Government documents, petitions, government correspondence, communal decisions, circulars calling meetings, correspondence (also contains one loose letter from 1870)
Folder 24: Die Ertheilung Der Todtenscheine Und Der Correspondence Hierueber 1834-1858: Requests for death certificates by individuals and government institutions, outgoing correspondence, certificates of death with names of heirs
Folder 25: Die Repartition Der Aufzubringenden Comunal Beitraege 1834-1837, 1852: Government correspondence, announcements, petitions (e.g., for reduction), tax lists and lists of those in arrears, communal decisions (1852?)
Folder 26: Praeparationsbeschwerden (?) Wegen Korporationsbeitraege 1863-1869: Government correspondence, petitions, government answers to individuals, tax notices, list of petitions with results, circulars calling meetings of Reklamations Kommission, Insinuations-Document
Folder 27: Der Verein Zur Bekleidung Armer Elternloser Schulkinder 1834-1836, 1852-1853: Government correspondence, statutes of newly founded Verein, lists of members, communal decisions, correspondence, accounts of Verein, pay orders, bills, list of recipients, list of children not attending school
Folder 28: Satzungen Des Unterstuetzungs-Vereins Fuer Juedische Armen undated, 1905: Statutes with amendments (last amendment dated 1905)
Folder 29: Bewerbungen Der Cantor Und Schaechter, Religions-Lehrer Stelle Sowie Chorleiter 1904, 1908, 1910: Letters of application, curricula vitae and further correspondence and telegrams, recommendations and diplomas and other material including concert programs
Folder 30: Justiz-Kommissarius Kubale 1850-1853: Printed rules for sale of synagogue seats with results of auction and signed contract; court documents in case of Jewish community vs. Sh ? including accusation and verdict
Folder 31: Plan Zur Tilgung Der Schulden Der Israelitischen Corporation Zu Krotoschin 1839-1874: Amortization accounts arranged both by year and by name of creditor (mostly owed to various Catholic churches)
Folder 32: Gutachten 1859: Lawyer’s legal opinion concerning government subsidy for school
Folder 33: Accompanying notes for contributions for Russian Jews 1891
Folder 34: Accompanying letter to Vorstand by bank concerning 1,000 mark bond 1915
Folder 35: Letter of thanks from Rabbi Berger 1918
Folder 36: Letter from Provinzial Kasse fur jud. Wanderarmenfursorge – Posen 1913
Folder 37: Blueprint for renovation of Jewish school 1913
Folder 38: Curriculum of Hebrew school in Krotoschin; fragment of Texte zu den synagogalen Gesangen in Krotoschin undated
Folder 39: Letter from Posen community concerning Passover foods; letter from Krotoschin town administration about aid to Jewish poor 1919
Folder 40: Letter of application for post as cantor 1905
Folder 41: Miscellaneous 1844, 1892, 1902, 1909
Folder 42: Religionsschule 1900-1902
Folder 43: School 1919: Invitations to meetings of teachers’ association, government letters, orders and circulars (in German) from the Polish government concerning the Jewish school, orders to pay Jewish teacher, attendance lists

Browse by Series:

Series 1: Records of the Krotoszyn Jewish Community Council, 1828-1919