Miroslawa Lenarcik

A Community in Transition: Jewish Welfare in Breslau-Wroclaw Miroslawa Lenarcik

In this book, the development and collapse of the Jewish community of Breslau-Wroclaw is described, through the examination of its welfare and social activities. A Community in Transition focuses on the city from the end of the 19th century to the 1940s. The transition that took place in May 1945, when Breslau became Wroclaw, was a change under dramatic circumstances - from a German city into a Polish city - influencing the fate of many people. The city had been a center of Jewish life from the Middle Ages. At the end of the 19th century, it became the second largest Jewish community in Germany. In describing and analyzing Breslau-Wroclaw's Jewish population, it is possible to understand the process and complexity of the rise, fall, and reconstruction of a community. Furthermore, the study of German and Polish Jewish communities adds to the understanding of the variety of Jewish regional and national identities.