In an effort to prevent anti-Jewish incidents, the Council of Jewish Communities and the Jewish Central Committee have addressed a (##)int appeal to the Security Ministry, asking the stationing of a special guard before an ancient synagogue in Cracow which is now the subject of a conflict between the Jewish and Catholic communities in that city.
The synagogue, which was built in the 17th century, was occupied after the war by a Christian sect calling itself the “National Church,” since few Jews remained alive in the section of Cracow where it is located. However, the Council of Jewish Communities in Warsaw protested to the Polish Government, which ordered the building closed until an investigation established the right of the Jews or the Christian sect to ownership.
In the meantime, however, the office of the Catholic Bishop in Cracow, asserting that the ground on which the synagogue was built is part of a tract which centuries ago belonged to the Catholic Church, occupied the building and set up an exhibit of holy pictures. This led to a rumor among the Catholic population that “the Jews wish to capture a Catholic holy place.”
The Jewish population, fearing anti-Jewish riots if the religious pictures should be stolen during the night by elements interested in provoking anti-Semitic disturbances, wants the building guarded by Polish security authorities. It is understood that the Security Ministry is not only willing to place the building under special police guard, but will also ask the heads of the Catholic Church in Cracow to issue an appeal to the Christian population to remain calm.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
