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Kazimierz Wolinski and his Assistance Foundation for Converts at St. Mary's Church in Kraków

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Kazmierczyk A.

Kwartalnik Historii Żydow

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2006

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issue 4(220)

576-585

EN

A foundation established in 1731 by Kazimierz Wolinski at Cracow's St. Mary's Church was an interesting attempt to aid poor converts from Judaic to Catholic faith. Wolinski himself had converted from Judaism and before he died without leaving any descendants, he placed part of his assets at the disposal of the archpresbyter of the St. Mary's Church of Cracow. The annual rent from a tenement house in Cracow's Market Square was to be distributed among the neophytes in need. Alas, before long the new owner of the house stopped paying the amounts due. After court trials, until the 1760s, a mere quarter of the amounts due was disbursed. The operation of the foundation was only resumed after 1784 and it continued at least until 1846. Due to scarce funds, it never played a major role in the mission operation among Cracow's Jews.

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JEWISH CONVERTS IN KRAKÓW IN THE LATE SEVENTEENTH AND EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY (Zydowscy konwertyci w Krakowie w 2. pol. XVII w i 1. pol. XVIII wieku)

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Kazmierczyk A.

Kwartalnik Historii Żydow

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2011

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issue 1(237)

5-35

EN

The article examines the problem of conversions of Jews to the Roman Catholic faith in Kraków, which were much more frequent than was usually assumed, even though it never assumed massive proportions. In the 17th century, there were only rare instances of baptisms of Jews in the records of Kraków area churches but in the first half of the 18th century, and in particular beginning in the 1720s, the number of desertions from Judaism grew markedly. The growth trend continued until the late 1750s, when it was suddenly reversed. The baptisms of the Jews took place first of all in Kraków's main church, the Church of Our Lady, especially when Jacek Lopacki was the Arch Presbyter, who personally christened nearly 300 people. The growth of the number of converts was not due to the Church's missionary activity, however. No special institutions were ever established that would focus on the converts from Judaism. The Kraków Church just provided some financial support to the new Christians, who tried to integrate with the Christian milieu at a rapid pace. Most of the Kraków neophytes probably deserted the Judaic faith due to poverty, although there were also some representatives of the town's elites among them. In most cases, the reasons for embracing Christianity remain unknown. Throughout that period, the Jews' baptisms were solemn ceremonies, with Polish noblemen predominating among the Godparents, including many representatives of the Wielopolski magnate family. Kraków, being an important centre and especially the see of a diocese and seat of many monasteries, attracted many converts from Malopolska region.

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Margalita, the Debater and Troublemaker

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Doktor J.

Kwartalnik Historii Żydow

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2008

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issue 1(225)

5-19

EN

Aron Margalita was one of the most colourful figures among 18th century Jewish converts. During the tide of Messianic fervour, he accepted baptism in the Reformed Evangelic Church in 1695. However, he could not find himself a place in the Christian world. Apart from a several spell at Viadrina University, he could not find employment at any university, despite the fact that he published several widely known books. 'Oblatio Aaronis', first published in Latin and next in German as 'Malach ha-berit', was the first of the publications written by Jewish converts in the 17th and 18th century that did not condemn the Jews and their tradition but sought a reconciliation between the Christian and the Jews. Margalita was trying to convince Christians and Jews that they shared a common source of their faith. He accepted both the mission of Jesus and the inspired status of the Gospel and the cabalistic Jewish traditions. This is why he did not want to persuade the Jews to join any of the Christian churches, just tried to convince them to accept his own variant of Judaism, which was a certain form of Judeochristianity. He wanted to reconcile them with Christianity as Jews who preserve their identity and only reject the deviations of the 'new' Talmudic Judaism.

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Kazimierz Wolinski and his Assistance Foundation for Converts at St. Mary's Church in Kraków

JEWISH CONVERTS IN KRAKÓW IN THE LATE SEVENTEENTH AND EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY (Zydowscy konwertyci w Krakowie w 2. pol. XVII w i 1. pol. XVIII wieku)

Margalita, the Debater and Troublemaker