Obraz żydowskiego rzemiosła w Chmielniku w międzywojennej Polsce w pamięci mieszkańców miasta

Abstract

Already in the second half of the 19th century, Chmielnik – located in the pre-war Kielce Voivodeship (currently Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship) – was deemed the biggest urban settlement and trade canter in the Kielce Governorate. Strong market and the possibility of selling goods caused that craft and smallscale production developed particularly well in Chmielnik. The majority of craftsmen in the town were Jews. The changes that were taking place in the era of capitalism and economic crisis after World War I had very negative influence on the economic situation of craftsmen. Loss of economic independence caused that they were becoming cottage workers, labourers, or wage workers. The phenomenon affected Polish craftsmen, but even more the Jewish ones. The view of a poor Jewish shoemaker, tailor, or a tradesman became characteristic for the economic life of Chmielnik in the interwar period and was engraved in the collective memory. The article presents a picture of the Jewish craft in Chmielnik in the interwar period that is engraved in the memory of the Polish inhabitants of the city, over 50 years after the annihilation of the Jews in Chmielnik.