Krakow - Kazimierz

Touring Kazimierz -note Ellen's perpetual pose--In 1335 Casimir the Great established the town of Kazimierz (named after him.) When the Jewish community was expelled from Krakow in 1495, as scapegoats for a major fire, they settled in Kazimierz. By 1800, when Kazimierz was incorporated into Krakow, Jews made up about one-third of its population. During WWII, the entire Jewish population was moved to the Podgorze Ghetto and then annihilated by the Nazis.	The Remuh Synagogue In 1553, Israel Isserles, a wealthy merchant, obtained a permit from King Sigismunt August to build a synagogue in Kazimierz. It is known as the Remuh Synagogue, an acronym for the founder's son, Rabbi Moses Isserles. The Remuh Synagogue is one of only two in the city where services are still held. It was destroyed by the Nazis and restored in 1957.
Remuh Synagogue interior The bimah is surrounded by a decorative wrought iron enclosure.	Remuh Synagogue Cemetery The cemetery was founded in 1551 when many plague victims were buried here. Many of the Renaissance tombstones were buried by the Jewish community before WWII to avoid desecration. Restoration began in 1959 and still continues. It is the only well-preserved Renaissannce Jewish cemetery in Europe.
Remuh Synagogue Cemetery The metal "roofs" on each stone are for protection from the weather. You can see a section undergoing restoration on the right.	Tombstone of Rabbi Moses ben Israel Isserles, halachic scholar