Bobowa
Encyclopedia
Bobowa b is a town in the Gorlice County
, Poland
. Administratively attached to the Lesser Polish Voivodeship, it is located 18 kilometres from Gorlice
, at Biała Tarnowska River. It was formerly a village, being granted a town status since 1 January 2009. It lies approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) west of Gorlice
and 83 km (52 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków
.
, notable as a historic centre of Hasidism
, created and led by the tsadik of the Bobov dynasty. In 1900 the Jewish population of Bobowa numbered 749.
It was also the home of Gen. Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski who became "President of Poland for a day" in 1939. During the Second World War
Bobowa became a "concentration village" where the Jews from the surrounding area were imprisoned. The General's brother Kazek was the mayor and was able to save at least one Jew. Almost all were finally killed. One of the few survivors, Professor Samuel P. Oliner of Humboldt State University
, California, describes these events in his autobiography Restless Memories. He devoted his academic career to the study of Altruism, having himself been rescued by a Polish peasant woman called Balwina.
After the war Grand Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam (1907 – August 2, 2000) re-established the Bobov (Hasidic dynasty) in America. He was the son of Rabbi Ben Zion Halberstam (1874–1941) of Bobov (Bobowa), who died in the Holocaust. Initially based in the neighbourhood of Borough Park in Brooklyn, New York, it now has branches in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn
; Monsey
, New York; Miami; Montreal
; Toronto
; Antwerp; London
and Israel
.
Bobowa is also one of two (besides Koniaków
) villages in Poland famous for traditional art of lace-making. Since 2000 it houses an annual Bobbin lace
Festival.
, built in late 15th century and surrounded by a picturesque wall built in the 17th century. In addition, there is a 17th-century szlachta
manor house
(commonly referred to as the castle by the locals). This was Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski's house. There are also remnants of fortifications from the same period. The village's Jewish heritage is represented by a 1778 synagogue and a Jewish cemetery
.
Gorlice County
Gorlice County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Slovak border. It was created on 1 January 1999 as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Gorlice,...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Administratively attached to the Lesser Polish Voivodeship, it is located 18 kilometres from Gorlice
Gorlice
Gorlice is a city and an urban municipality in south eastern Poland with around 29,500 inhabitants . It is situated south east of Kraków and south of Tarnów between Jasło and Nowy Sącz in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship...
, at Biała Tarnowska River. It was formerly a village, being granted a town status since 1 January 2009. It lies approximately 18 kilometres (11 mi) west of Gorlice
Gorlice
Gorlice is a city and an urban municipality in south eastern Poland with around 29,500 inhabitants . It is situated south east of Kraków and south of Tarnów between Jasło and Nowy Sącz in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship...
and 83 km (52 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
.
Historical outline
Before the Holocaust in Poland, the village was home to a yeshivaYeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
, notable as a historic centre of Hasidism
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
, created and led by the tsadik of the Bobov dynasty. In 1900 the Jewish population of Bobowa numbered 749.
It was also the home of Gen. Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski who became "President of Poland for a day" in 1939. During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Bobowa became a "concentration village" where the Jews from the surrounding area were imprisoned. The General's brother Kazek was the mayor and was able to save at least one Jew. Almost all were finally killed. One of the few survivors, Professor Samuel P. Oliner of Humboldt State University
Humboldt State University
Humboldt State University is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of...
, California, describes these events in his autobiography Restless Memories. He devoted his academic career to the study of Altruism, having himself been rescued by a Polish peasant woman called Balwina.
After the war Grand Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam (1907 – August 2, 2000) re-established the Bobov (Hasidic dynasty) in America. He was the son of Rabbi Ben Zion Halberstam (1874–1941) of Bobov (Bobowa), who died in the Holocaust. Initially based in the neighbourhood of Borough Park in Brooklyn, New York, it now has branches in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
; Monsey
Monsey, New York
Monsey is a hamlet , in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the state of New Jersey; east of Suffern; south of Airmont and west of Nanuet...
, New York; Miami; Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
; Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
; Antwerp; London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Bobowa is also one of two (besides Koniaków
Koniaków
is a village in Beskid Śląski mountain range in Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It is the highest elevated village in Silesian Beskids and lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The village is primarily known for its tradition of intricate lace-making.- Koniaków...
) villages in Poland famous for traditional art of lace-making. Since 2000 it houses an annual Bobbin lace
Bobbin lace
Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually determined by a pattern or pricking pinned on the...
Festival.
Tourist attractions
Among the tourist attractions of Bobowa is the All Saints Church (14th century) and the St. Sophia Church at the local cemeteryCemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
, built in late 15th century and surrounded by a picturesque wall built in the 17th century. In addition, there is a 17th-century szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
(commonly referred to as the castle by the locals). This was Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski's house. There are also remnants of fortifications from the same period. The village's Jewish heritage is represented by a 1778 synagogue and a Jewish cemetery
Jewish cemetery
A Jewish cemetery is a cemetery where members of the Jewish faith are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition....
.
People
- Bobov Hasidic dynasty
- Wojciech BobowskiWojciech BobowskiWojciech Bobowski or Ali Ufki was a Polish musician and dragoman in the Ottoman Empire. He translated the Bible into Ottoman Turkish, composed an Ottoman Psalter, based on the Genevan metrical psalter, and wrote a grammar of the Ottoman Turkish language...
- Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski