David Wolf Abbe-Death Certificate
The patriarch of a large family of weavers that settled in Łódź and Pabianice, David Wolf Abbe was the first Jew to have been received as a master in the Weavers’ Guild. He has also been credited by historians with the discovery of a new method of yarn production. Mania Piwnik was his granddaughter. His grandson and Mania's cousin, Samuel Abbe, opened a small factory, which the Nazis later turned into the infamous Radogoszcz prison—today the site of a museum.
Izaak Kersz, Szkice z dziejów Gminy Żydowskiej oraz cmentarza w Łodzi (Łódź: Oficyna Bibliofilow, 1996), 31. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE RADOGOSZCZ PRISON http://www.muzeumtradycji.pl/1-historia/?lang=en
The State Archives in Łódź
1889-01-08
Russian
Polish
archival document
Cinema-Theater Syrena
An ad and an article in the Łódź weekly dedicated to cinema affairs about the movie theater <em>Syrena</em>. Although disguised as an interview, the article is in fact a full page advertisement for Syrena, announcing planned renovations. The owner assures his clientele that shortly there will be a first-rate movie theater in Bałuty.
Łódzki Przegląd Teatralny no. 7
1927
Polish
newspaper ad and interview
Film in Variety Shows
Ad from the Yiddish newspaper <em>Lodzer Tageblatt</em> publicizing a 1910 screening of two short films in the theater Modern in Łódź. In the early years of cinema, films were often shown within variety and magic shows. In this case, two typical film showings, a short mythological drama and a "nature" film, are additions to the headliner: the presentation of "the latest technological wonder"—the talking head.
Lodzer Tageblat no. 72
1910
Yiddish
newspaper ad
The Jazz Singer in Łódź
Ad from the Yiddish newspaper <em>Najer Folksblat</em> publicizing a 1930 screening of <em>The Jazz Singer</em> at the movie theater Splendid in Łódź. As the first cinema with a permanent sound-film setup, Splendid was the ideal venue to screen the first full-feature synchronized American talkie. Though not the most financially successful of the early talking movies, <em>The Jazz Singer</em> went on to become the most treasured of them. For Lodzer Jews, the film had the additional significance of presenting the story of the Jewish passage into modernity: the cantor's son leaves the traditional Jewish world to seek good fortune in the world of popular music.
Najer Folksblat no. 63
1930
Yiddish
Polish
newspaper ad
Courses for Motor Vehicle Drivers
Ad from the Yiddish newspaper <em>Najer Folksblat</em> announcing driving courses. The Talmud-Torah Artisan School, established in Łódź by progressive Jews at the end of the 19th century, provided vocational and humanities education to Jewish youth.
Najer Folksblat no. 121
1929
Yiddish
Polish
newspaper ad
Family Tree Papercutting
This papercut, inspired by traditional Jewish artwork and brimming with symbolism, was created by Anna Dąbrowicz. The family tree (inscribed in Hebrew Etz Chayim, “The Tree of Life”) has its roots in the transformation of Łódź from a hamlet (left) to a modern industrial metropolis (right). This motive was adopted for the header in the graphic design for this website. At the top are eight lighted candles, referencing the menorah or chanukiah (without the shamash), the eight-branched candelabra used for Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. The two birds at the top allude to the name of Zanvel Goldberg’s mother, Fajga (the Yiddish name that translates as “a bird”). Likewise, within the ornate border surrounding the tree, you will find representations of various objects corresponding to first names that appear in the tree: bees for Deborah (Dobra), a wolf for Wolf, stags for Hersh (Hersz, Herszek), a lion for Leib, or a crown for Malka. In the top border you will find branches: myrtle on the left for Hadassah (Hudes) and palm on the right for Tamara (Temer).
Anna Dąbrowicz
Central Museum of Textiles
Keiserpanorama
The fully operational keiserpanorama at the Film Museum in Łódź is one of a handful of original keiserpanoramas built by August Fuhrmann’s firm, which survive until our time. Inside the wooden case, a revolving mechanism projects images on glass illuminated by a light source behind it. Each of 25 stations of the kaiserpanorama is equipped with a pair of lenses for viewing the stereoscopic images.
The Film Museum in Łódź
Departure from Łódź for Pabianice
A tram—GE58 "Berlinka"—is preparing to depart from a stop at Pabianicka Street. One of the engineers is using a rope to adjust the trolley pole that transfers electricity from the overhead catenary wire to the tram. A large group of passengers is leaving the tram; others are mounting the wagon. Among them are traditionally attired Jews and uniformed tram engineers. A transport cart piled with wooden planks stands next to the tram.
The State Archives in Łódź
Lodz: A. .J. Ostrowski
PL 39 606 Ł-I-4-P-1
||||osm
before 1914
Zgierska Street
On a sunny afternoon, we see Zgierska Street from the Bałuty Market southward towards St. Mary’s Church. The architecture is a mixture of wooden houses and tenement buildings, typical of Bałuty. The street is paved with cobblestoned and in the foreground we see covered gutters and tram tracks. We witness ordinary activities and traffic. Horse carts, trucks, and cars are traveling in the direction of the Bałuty Market. The pedestrians—poor and rich, young and old, men and women—are going about their business. A few elegantly dressed men stopped by the advertising pillar and are looking in the direction of the photographer.
Wlodzimierz Pfeiffer
The State Archives in Łódź
1937
PL 39 596 687
Włodzimierz Pfeiffer