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Revision as of 18:19, 24 July 2004
Template:JewsByCountryFrom the Middle Ages until the Holocaust, Jews were a significant part of the Polish population. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, known for its religious tolerance as a "Jewish paradise", attracted numerous Jews who fled persecution from other European countries. By the Second World War Poland had the largest Jewish population in the world (about 3 million), most of whom were then killed by the Nazis. Poland was therefore a major spiritual and cultural center for the Ashkenazi Jewry for many centuries, and many of Europe's famous Jews were born in Poland.
Many Polish Jews contributed to Jewish culture and religious teaching. There were also many who assimilated with Poles and made great contributions to Polish cultural, economic and political life; including Jews who were ardent Polish patriots.
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Historical Figures
Polish Politicians
- Jakub Berman (?), Communist security minister
- Bronisław Geremek (b. 1932), foreign minister
- Saul Wahl (1541-1617), temporary King (rex pro tempore) in 1586
- Szmul Zygielbojm (1895-1943), Jewish leader
Israeli Politicians
- David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), prime minister
- Menachem Begin (1913-1992), prime minister
- Shimon Peres (b. 1923), prime minister, Nobel prize (1994)
- Yitzhak Shamir (b. 1915), prime minister
Soldiers & Fighters
- Mordechaj Anielewicz (1919-1943)
- Berek Joselewicz (1764-1809)
- Hyman Rickover (1900-1986)
- Krystyna Skarbek (1915-1952)
Activists
- Joseph Rotblat (b. 1908), anti-nuclear campaigner
- Raphael Lemkin (1900-1959), human rights lawyer
- Rosa Luxembourg (1870-1919), Marxist
- Adam Michnik (b. 1946), dissident
- Ernestine Rose (1810-1892), feminist
Criminals
- Meyer Lansky (1902-1983), gangster
Religious Figures
- Israel ben Eliezer (the Baal Shem Tov) (ca 1700-1760), Hasiddic rabbi
- Jacob Frank (1726-1791), messiah claimant
- Elimelech of Leżajsk (1717-1786), Hasiddic rabbi
- Dovber of Mezeritch (d. 1772), Hasiddic rabbi
Academics
Scientists
- Solomon Asch, Gestalt psychologist
- Paul Baran, engineer: packet switching
- Jacob Bronowski, scientist & broadcaster
- Georges Charpak, physicist, Nobel prize (1992)
- Samuel Eilenberg, mathematician: category theory
- Kasimir Fajans, physicist
- Casimir Funk, biochemist: vitamins
- Roald Hoffmann, chemist and writer, Nobel prize (1981)
- Abraham Lempel, computer scientist: LZW compression
- Benoit Mandelbrot, mathematician: fractals
- Emil Leon Post, mathematician
- Tadeus Reichstein, chemist, Nobel prize (1950)
- Albert Sabin, inventor of the oral Polio vaccine
- Andrew V. Schally, endocrinologist, Nobel prize (1977)
- Alfred Tarski, logician
Humanities
- Szymon Aszkenazy, historian
- Ludwik Zamenhof, doctor and inventor of esperanto
Cultural Figures
Artists
- Chim, photographer
- Moise Kisling, painter
- Daniel Libeskind, architect
- Helena Rubinstein, fashion designer
Musicians
- Władysław Szpilman (1911-2000), pianist
- Henryk Szeryng, violinist
- Arthur Rubinstein, pianist
- Artur Schnabel, pianist
- Wanda Landowska, harpsichordist
Screen & Stage
- Samuel Goldwyn, film producer
- Anna Held, stage actress
- Roman Polański (b. 1933), film director
- Lew Rywin (b. 1945), film producer
- Warner Brothers, film producers
Writers
Polish-language
- Janusz Korczak (1878-1942), children's writer and educator
- Jan Lechoń (1899-1956)
- Bruno Schulz (1892-1942)
- Antoni Słonimski (1895-1976)
- Julian Tuwim (1894–1953)
Yiddish-language
- Sholem Asch
- Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991), Nobel prize (1978)
- Israel Joshua Singer
Other Writers
- Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Hebrew writer, Nobel prize (1966)
- Anna Langfus, French writer, Prix Goncourt (1962)
- Osip Mandelstam, Russian poet
Business Figures
- Henry & Helal Hassenfeld, founders of Hasbro
- Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore
Sports Figures
- Miguel Najdorf, chess player
- Akiba Rubinstein, chess player
- Myer Prinstein, long- and triple-jumper (4 Olympic golds)
- Irena Kirszenstein Szewinska, sprinter (7 medals over 4 Olympics)
See also: History of the Jews in Poland, List of Jews, List of Poles