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Revision as of 22:11, 12 August 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. The following is a list of some prominent Polish Jews.
Historical Figures
Polish Politicians
- Jakub Berman (?), Communist security minister
- Bronisław Geremek (b. 1932), foreign minister
- Saul Wahl (1541-1617), according to a legend temporary King of Poland-Lithuania (rex pro tempore) in 1586
- Szmul Zygielbojm (1895-1943), Jewish leader
Other Politicians
- David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), Israeli prime minister
- Menachem Begin (1913-1992), Israeli prime minister
- Shimon Peres (b. 1923), Israeli prime minister, Nobel prize (1994)
- Yitzhak Shamir (b. 1915), Israeli prime minister
Soldiers & Fighters
- Mordechaj Anielewicz (1919-1943), leader of Warsaw ghetto uprising
- Berek Joselewicz (1764-1809), Colonel during the Kościuszko Uprising and the Napoleonic-era wars
- Hyman Rickover (1900-1986), US Navy Admiral
- Krystyna Skarbek (1915-1952), WW2 spy
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
- Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972), theologian
- Elimelech of Leżajsk (1717-1786), Hasiddic rabbi
- Dovber of Mezeritch (d. 1772), Hasiddic rabbi
Academics
Sciences
- 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
- Stanislaw Ulam, mathematician
Humanities
- Szymon Aszkenazy, historian
- Isaac Deutscher, historian
- Lewis Namier, historian
- Ludwik Zamenhof, doctor and inventor of esperanto
Cultural Figures
Artists
- Chim, photographer
- Moise Kisling, painter
- Daniel Libeskind, architect
- Helena Rubinstein, fashion designer
Musicians
- Ida Haendel, violinist
- Wanda Landowska, harpsichordist
- Geddy Lee, vocalist in Rush (Polish parents)
- Arthur Rubinstein, pianist
- Artur Schnabel, pianist
- Henryk Szeryng, violinist
- Władysław Szpilman (1911-2000), pianist
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 & Poets
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 (1880-1957)
- Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991), Nobel prize (1978)
- Israel Joshua Singer (1893-1944)
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
Sport 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