Library Highlight: The First Privilege of Polish Jews— Le Statut de Kalisz

Did you know that on August 16, 1264, Duke Bolesław the Pious issued a statute in Kalisz for Jews living in the greater Poland region under his rule? The statute contained issues of authority, principles on who could conduct credit and trade, and penalties for desecrating a Jewish cemetery or a shul. The statute also detailed relations with the Christian population and the provisions concerning blood libel accusations. The Statute of Kalisz became a symbol of the safe life of Jews in Poland.

While the original statute was not preserved, artist Arthur Szyk from Łódź recreated it in 1928. The historical background of Szyk’s recreation was published in an English and Polish bilingual edition in 2012, along with the artwork itself. The book also has individual prints of the statute, with each one intricately detailed in its depiction of each section of it.