Warsaw dates from the 13th century and became the capital of Poland in 1596. Until Jews received substantial rights in 1862, they were restricted to specific sections of the city. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish population was about 375,000 (29% of the total population), making it the second largest Jewish population in the world. The establishment of the Warsaw ghetto and the murder of the Jews is well documented in the sources referred to below.
The postcard below (postmarked 1916) depicts the Tlomacka Street Synagogue in Warsaw. This synagogue, designed by Leandro Marconi, was consecrated in 1878. The community leaders who were the principal financial contributors were culturally assimilated and desired to build a large synagogue along classical lines associated with the Russian monarchy. The building was designed to seat 1,100. The synagogue, which was located outside the ghetto established by the Germans, was blown up on the orders of SS General Jurgen Stroop after the end of the ghetto uprising in 1943.
A Visit to Historical Places of Interest in Poland
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Gutman, Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, P. 1598-1631
Carole Herselle Krinsky, Synagogues of Europe, P.231-233
Copyright © 1998-99 Edward Victor