Estera Golde-Stróżecka – freethinker, activist for women’s rights, journalist, political and cultural-educational activist, doctor, was born on August 1, 1872 in Płock, as the daughter of Beniamin and Liba Ruchla nee Goldsztejn. Her father was a well-known merchant, industrialist and philanthrope. After graduating from the […]
The records reveal that Bomzon family have lived in Płock from the beginning of the 19th century. My paternal great-grandfather, Izrael Abram Bomzon (1861-1913) was one of the six children of Dawid Szlama Bomzon (1826-1904) and Ruchla Łaja Bomzon née Liberman (1830-?) and a gingerbread […]
Stanisław (Salomon) Posner was born on November 21, 1868 as the son of Leon and Matylda née Bornstein. His father was one of the proponents of the assimilation, many of his articles were printed in Warsaw’s “Jutrzenka”. Stanisław Posner’s sister was Malwina Garfein-Garska – writer and publicist, author of Gromnice (1907) and Opowieść o duszy polskiej (1912). Stanisław’s great-grandfather – Salomon Markus Posner (1770-1848) – a merchant and philanthropist from Finland, as a young man settled in Warsaw, where he became a salt trader and soon reached a considerable fortune. Thanks to it, in 1817 he was able to buy land in Kuchary Żydowskie, where he moved with his family and, in 1823, founded one of the first textile factories in the Kingdom of Poland.
Stanisław Posner was an outstanding lawyer – theoretician. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Imperial University of Warsaw. Already as a student, since 1891, he wrote articles for “Gazeta Sądowa Warszawska”. In 1893, he was awarded a gold medal for a contest study titled Szkoła historyczna prawa w Niemczech (The historic legal education in Germany). He continued his studies in the years 1893-1895 at the Faculty of Law of the Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. After returning to Poland, he was involved in research and journalism. In 1900 he published his work entitled Prawo a życie, which was awarded at the “Gazeta Sądowa” competition, and three years later, a famous study Nad otchłanią (Over the abyss). In this work, he aimed to prove that human trafficking is not fiction, he cited in detail the court hearings of two trials in Bytom and Piotrków, in which the accused admitted that they were involved in deporting women to brothels in South America. At the time, such trials were exceptional. His creative achievements include dozens of articles in the pages of “Przegląd Tygodniowy”, “Prawda”, “Ogniwo”, “Themis Polska”, “Wiedza”, “Książka”, “Czasopismo prawnicze i ekonomiczne”, “Przegląd Filozoficzny”, “Przegląd Polityczny”, „Wielka Encyklopedia Ilustrowana”. Posner was the author of numerous books and brochures in Polish, French and German from various fields of legal and social sciences. Among his many works, worth mentioning are: Domy ludowe w Belgii (Workers’ Houses in Belgium; in which he deals with workers’ cooperatives), Drogi samopomocy społecznej (Means of social self-help; where we can find essays on, among others, Franciszek Tarczyński and buttonery in the town of Sochocin) or the work Dlaczego jestem socjalistką? (Why am I a socialist?), published in 1921. As Feliks Perl wrote, Stanisław Posner was a socialist in the name of respect for man, in the name of creating conditions for man to fulfill his human potential.
During World War I, Stanisław Posner was in exile in Western Europe. At the time, he worked with extraordinary effort for the cause of Poland’s independence. He gained the opinion of a reliable informant, a noble politician, a great patriot, and at the same time a modern European. Posner wrote about Poland for numerous French magazines, gave lectures, held private meetings with influential people. At the same time, he organized Poles in France, preparing them for future activities in independent Poland. He was the initiator and creator of the Adam Mickiewicz People’s University in Paris, which was founded in 1916. Together with Józefa Franciszka Joteyko and Maria Grzegorzewska, he organized the Polish Teaching League – an institution that set itself the task of collecting for the country’s needs materials in the field of education and teaching methods, as well as promoting the Polish independence movement. From Paris, under his own name or a pseudonym of Rajmund Kucharski, he wrote numerous letters to Polish magazines published in Russia by Polish emigrants.
In 1922, Stanisław Posner was elected from the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) list in the Kielce Province to the Senate of the Republic of Poland. He worked in the Legal, Foreign and Military Affairs Committee. In 1928 he again became a senator from the PPS state list, he was then entrusted with the dignity of the Senate Deputy Marshal. For both terms he was the vice president of the club of the Association of Polish Socialist Parliament Members and the president of the socialist faction in the Senate. He spoke many times in the most important debates. His parliamentary speeches testifying to his deep knowledge of law and multilateral erudition have earned him the status of an eminent parliamentarian. Collected in the book Pięć lat pracy w Senacie Rzeczypospolitej 1922–1927 (Five Years of Work in the Senate of the Republic of Poland 1922–1927), they were published in 1928 by Księgarnia Robotnicza.
Stanisław Posner’s great contribution was Poland’s ratification of the ban on night work and the admission of children under the age of 14 to industrial work, recognized at the First International Labor Conference in Washington in 1919. He was also one of the authors of the Geneva Declaration of 1924, in which children’s rights were first listed, and one of the founders and vice-chairman of the League for the Defense of Human and Citizen Rights. He was one of the founders and a board member of the Polish Association of the League of Nations. He actively worked in the Interparliamentary Union – an international organization founded in 1889, the goal of which was to protect peace and fuel positive democratic change through political dialogue and actions. Finally, he worked for young people in a institution dear to his heart, which was established in 1922 – the State Institute of Special Education, under the guidance of professor Maria Grzegorzewska – creator of special education in Poland.
Let’s remember, wrote Posner, that it is happiness to love people. You have to respect them, not hate them and despise them. You need to bind people together, not divide them and grind their relationships to dust. You need to establish social connectivity, instead of opening craters of hatred and selfishness…
Stanisław Posner died on May 8, 1930. He was buried in the Evangelical-Augsburg cemetery in Warsaw.
The Nobiscum Foundation has devoted an exhibition to Stanisław Posner, which was prepared last year and presented so far at the Department No. 7 of the Władysław Broniewski Library in Płock, during the 5th January Uprising Run in Kuchary Żydowskie, in the Municipal Culture Centre in Płońsk during this year’s Jewish Culture Festival in the city of Ben Gurion and the Municipal Culture Centre in Sochocin.
Bibliography:
Perl F., Stanisław Posner, Cracow, 1927
Stanisław Posner. Wspomnienie [in:] “Gazeta Sądowa Warszawska” nr 20 z 19 maja 1930 r.
Świdwiński St., Wspomnienia pośmiertne. Senator Stanisław Posner [:] “Ogniwo: organ informacyjny i sprawozdawczy Związku Zawodowego Nauczycielstwa Polskich Szkół Średnich i Biuletyn Zarządu Głównego Z.Z.N.P.S.Ś.”, nr 5 (maj 1930)
websites:
In 1870, the successors of Ojzer Lewita bought from the Town Hall of Płock for 1000 rubles in silver a square bordering from the south with Misjonarska street, from the west with prison buildings, from the north and east with the garden and property of […]
The mikvah, which existed even before the construction of the beautiful building, which is now the seat of the Art Gallery of Płock. The tenement house in which the Society for the Care of Jewish Children and the Shelter for Homeless Jewish Children was located. […]
Stefan Themerson was born on January 25, 1910 as the son of Chaim Mendel aka Mieczysław Themerson (1871-1930) – a medical doctor, writer and publicist, and Sara Liba aka Salomea nee Smulewicz. In 1928 he graduated from the Władysław Jagiełło State Junior High School in Płock. In the same year he went to Warsaw to study. He studied physics at the University of Warsaw and architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology. At the end of the 1920s, he began experimenting with photography and film, including photograms and photomontages. In 1931, he married Franciszka Weinles, with whom he realized (until 1937), using innovative techniques, six avant-garde films, including “Pharmacy” (1930) and “Europe” (1932). In 1937, Stefan and Franciszka Themerson left for Paris. At the beginning of September 1939, they volunteered for the Polish army in France. After the surrender of France, they left for London, where they settled permanently. Stefan Themerson was the author of many grotesque-philosophical novels, including “Professor Mmaa’s Lecture” (1953), “Cardinal Pölätüo” (1961), “Tom Harris” (1967), “Euclid Was an Ass” (1986), “Hobson’s Island” (1988). He was also the author of popular works for children, including “Mr Rouse Builds His House” (1938) and “The Adventures of Peddy Bottom” (1951). In 1943-1946, Themerson collaborated with the London monthly “Nowa Polska” (“New Poland”). In 1948, together with Franciszka, he founded the Gaberbocchus Press publishing house, the goal of which was to publish so-called bestlookers (books with original layout). He died in London on September 6, 1988.
Stefan Themerson is considered one of the most original artists of the 20th century avant-garde. In his hometown he is commemorated by a plaque on the wall of the house at 5 Grodzka Street, where he was born and spent his childhood. Since 2010, the Themerson Festival has been organized in Płock, and since the beginning of 2019 the name of Stefan and Franciszka Themerson has been borne by the Płock Center of Culture and Arts.
Bibliography:
Askanas K., Sztuka Płocka, Płock 1991
Przedpełski J., Stefański J., Żydzi płoccy w dziejach miasta, Płock 2012
Photograph of Stefan Themerson above (including modifications) CC BY-SA 4.0: https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Themerson#/media/Plik:Stefan_Themerson12.jpg
Sukkot (Festival of Tabernacles, Festival of Shelters) is a holiday commemorating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and wandering in the desert during which they experienced direct divine protection. At the time of this holiday, the sukkot (in Polish „kuczki”) are being built, in which people […]
The Nobiscum Foundation cordially invites you to the exhibition “The Jewish Count. The story of Stanisław Posner”, which this time we will have the pleasure to present in the exhibition hall of the Municipal Culture Centre in Płońsk to all the guests of the 3rd […]
The property with the former mortgage number 281 is located in the eastern corner of Tumska and Kościuszki streets, in the space of the historic downtown of Płock.
The first owner of the property was Ludwik Mahn, an assessor, the architect of the Płock department, and also a member of the Masonic Lodge in Płock. After the death of Ludwik Mahn, the property was owned in 1824 by his widow, Fryderyka née Wolters from the Pomerania region, daughter of Krystian and Anna Maria née Werner, and their children – son Karol Henryk Antoni and daughter Amalia Szarlotta Leopoldyna. After the death of his mother and sister, Karol Henryk Antoni sold the inherited property to Bogumiła Rościszewska née Ligowska, daughter of Jan and Marianna née Dobrosielska, wife of the captain of the Polish Army Franciszek Maksymilian Rościszewski. The next owner of the property was Ludwik Bergman, and after his death, in 1853, Amalia Bergman and Laura Amanda, Sydonia Ewelina and Ferdynand Edmund, the Bergman siblings. In 1877 Moryc Lewenstein became the owner of the property.
Moryc Lewenstein was born in Mława in 1833 as the son of Lejba and Ryfka Ruchla. His wife was Chawa née Pinkus, daughter of Naftali and Ruchla, born in 1844 in Kutno.
On 9/21 August 1863, Moryc Lewenstein received permission to conduct business activity, which included: non-guild trade in spices, soap, candles, herring, cereals, glass, stationery, footwear, cotton and linen products, various small items, wines and foreign liquors. The company recommended in particular Hungarian barrel and bottled wines (from Hegyal and Tokaj regions), as well as French, Spanish, Rhine, champagne, flavored liqueur wines, French aperitif Saint-Raphael, Crimean and Caucasian wines, London porter, vodkas, liqueurs, French and domestic cognac, Russian vodkas by Popow, Koszelew and Sztriter, tinctures, bottled honey, as well as sugar and tea from various companies. The company’s offer included truffles, capers, olives, mustards, Astrakhan caviar, Dutch herring and various types of cheese. Lewensztejn maintained trade contacts, among others with a St. Petersburg merchant and also the owner of the largest delicatessen in Russia located on Nevsky Prospect – Grigorij Jelisiejew. Lewenstein’s shop also recommended a wide selection of “fancy and modernist” wallpapers from the well-known Warsaw company of Józef Franaszek, operating on the corner of Marszałkowska and Złota streets.
Moryc and Chawa had several children: Naftali (born in 1867), Nachman (born in 1869), Fajga (born in 1872), Rafał (born in 1873), Gelia (born in 1877) and Pinkus (born in 1881). The second child of Moryc – Nachman, married Teodozja Maria née Piekarska, daughter of Wojciech and Bronisława née Schmidt, who was born in Kalisz in 1885. Nachman Lewenstein worked as a clerk. Rafał Lewenstein’s wife was Aleksandra née Michajłow, daughter of Prokop and Matylda née Braun, born in 1898 in Płock, of an Orthodox religion. In 1921, Rafał converted from Jewish to Evangelical-Augsburg religion.
Since 1862, at 1 Kościuszki Street there was a sculpting and framing company of Walerian Krowicki, which dealt with all church works: renovation, reconstruction and construction of altars, baptismal fonts, feretories, antepedia, ciboria, canopies, banners and painting of church interiors and facades. The company’s services also included competitive prices for framing paintings.
The lithographic studio of the printer Mojżesz Rozenfeld also operated at this address (since 1888). The workshop had a prining press, it carried out multi-colored artistic and lithographic works. A stationery store operated by the printing house. Rozenfeld’s company operated until 1904, then was taken over by Izrael Koszerkiewicz.
In the interwar period there was the office of lawyer Szymon Nichtberger, the seat of the Society of Cyclists in Płock and Estera Nejman’s “Źródło bogactwa” (“Source of Wealth”) lottery.
After the death of Moryc Lewenstein, the property was inherited by his wife Chawa and children. From 1912, the owners of the property were the brothers Nachman and Rafał. In 1926, Rafał purchased a part of his property from Nachman, becoming its sole owner.
The property at 1 Kościuszki Street by the decision of the Minister of Culture and Art announced in Monitor Polski on July 31, 1920 No. 171 was included in the category of historic buildings.
Rafał Lewenstein was a well-known art lover in Płock, collector and president of the Credit Society. He was murdered by the Germans in Działdowo.
Bibliography:
G. Nowak, A. Wojciechowska, Żydowski Płock – architektoniczne wizje i realizacje, Płock 2014
J. Przedpełski, J. Stefański, Żydzi płoccy w dziejach miasta, Płock 2012
Józef Kwiatek was born on January 22, 1874 in Płock, in a large Jewish family. His father Fiszel, son of Efroim Kwiatek (1792-1875) and Sura née Kagan, traded in colonial goods. Józef’s mother was Hinda née Prussak. Józef had six siblings – brothers Symcha (born […]
