Friday, June 07, 2019
Demographics of Poland-Lithuania and Our Jewish History There
Nadene Goldfoot
Those of us doing genealogy and tracing DNA matched people to us need to know something about Lithuania's history, as Lithuanian ancestors were very proud of who who they were. My grandmother wanted us to know that she was not Polish but Lithuanian and here her town of Lazdijai, on the border, had been taken by Poland, but when? I'm afraid it happened before her birth of January 11, 1886. Her family even seemed to be using a Polish spelling for their surname-Jermulowkse, whereas there were possible relatives in other parts of Lithuania using Jarmolowsky. But she insisted that SHE WAS A LITVAK. Her husband, a Goldfus, was a Litvak and she was too. Lithuania was the big religious center of eastern Europe. In Vilnius was the Gaon of Vilna, the Genius of Vilna, and he must have had a lot of importance and was from a large family as so many people claim descend ency from him.
"The Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth comprised various identities: Poles, Lithuanians, Czechs, Hungarians, Slovaks, Ruthenians (Belarusians and Ukrainians), and Vlachs (Romanians). Sometimes inhabitants of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were called Litvins, a Slavic term for people from Lithuania, regardless of their ethnicity (with the exception of Jews, who were called Litvaks).
Jews have been known to have been in Lithuania since 1321, and slavery was permitted in these early days. I wonder if any of our ancestors were enslaved then?
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, but more importantly, the Spanish Inquisition started in this year. By 1495, Jews living in Vilna, Grodno and Kovno, most likely some of our ancestors, totaled 10,000.
By 1495 to 1502 Jews were excluded from Lithuania. Maybe this meant that more were banned from entering.
By 1529 with so many there they received a charter giving them freedom of movement and employment. A few managed to monopolize foreign trade and tax-farming, whatever this means. Being Jews were not allowed to own land, they may have been the tax collectors-something allowed for them to do.
From 1566 to 1572, the wearing of the Jewish badge was introduced. Jews could no longer give evidence in the courtroom. Then WWII came along and
it was again used on Jews.
Shortly after the Union of Lublin in 1569, the Commonwealth's population was around 7 million, with roughly of 4.5 million Poles, 750,000 Lithuanians, 700,000 Jews and 2 million Ruthenians.[94]
In 1618, after the Truce of Deulino, the Commonwealth population increased together with its territory, reaching 12 million people, which was composed roughly of 4.5 million Poles, 3.5 million Ukrainians, 1.5 million Belarusians, 750,000 Lithuanians, 750,000 Old Prussians, 500,000 Jews, and 500,000 Livonians.[7] At that time nobility was 10% of the population, and burghers were 15%.[7] The average population density per square kilometer was: 24 in Mazovia, 23 in Lesser Poland, 19 in Great Poland, 12 in Lublin palatinate, 10 in the Lvov area, 7 in Podolia and Volhynia, and 3 in the Ukraine. There was a tendency for the people from the more densely inhabited western territories to migrate eastwards.[95]
In 1623 the Jews created their own Council and a separate tax-system was established.
In the period from 1648 to 1657, populations losses are estimated at 4 m.[7] Coupled with further population and territorial losses, in 1717 the Commonwealth population had fallen to 9 m, with roughly 4.5 m/50% Poles, 1.5 m/17% Ukrainians, 1.2 m Belarusians, 0.8 m Lithuanians, 0.5 m Jews, and 0.5 m others.[7] Just before the first partition of Poland, the Commonwealth's population stood at some 14 million, including around 1 million nobles,[96] 4.7 million Uniates and 400,000 Orthodox Christians.[97] In 1792, the population was around 11 million and included 750,000 nobles.[96]
In 1768, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth became a protectorate of the Russian Empire.[41][42] Control of Poland was central to Catherine the Great's diplomatic and military strategies.[43] Attempts at reform, such as the Four-Year Sejm's May Constitution, came too late. The country was partitioned in three stages by the neighboring Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Monarchy.
By 1795, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had been completely erased from the map of Europe. Poland and Lithuania were not re-established as independent countries until 1918.
The Commonwealth did eventually make a serious effort to reform its political system, adopting in 1791 the Constitution of 3 May 1791, which historian Norman Davies calls the first of its kind in Europe.[27] The revolutionary Constitution recast the erstwhile Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a Polish–Lithuanian federal state with a hereditary monarchy and abolished many of the deleterious features of the old system.
World War I of 1914 to 1917: 100,000 Jews were expelled or emigrated to the Russian interior. It was also a time of much emigration of Jews to the USA.
Lithuania gave national autonomy to Jews from 1918 to 1924. Vilna went to Poland in 1919. This was the Jewish center where the Gaon of Vilna was from. Jews were weakened by this loss.
1959 was the year when 24,000 Jews still lived in Lithuania, most likely returnees to homes lost in the war.
1989 saw that half of the Jewish population in 1959 had left for Israel, leaving 12,312.
1990 INDEPENDENCE: A change in people's attitudes? According to Lithuanian law, anyone who left Lithuania under the Soviet occupation until the country’s independence in 1990, and their descendants to the second generation, are eligible for citizenship.
“This is a huge activity in our embassy,” a man interviewed said. “We have hundreds of people every day. We are happy, we are happy that our family here grows, that we have people who want to come and rediscover Lithuania.”
 |
| Outline of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth with its major subdivisions after the 1618 Truce of Deulino, superimposed on present-day national borders.
Duchy of Prussia, Polish fief
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, Commonwealth fief
|
"The Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth comprised various identities: Poles, Lithuanians, Czechs, Hungarians, Slovaks, Ruthenians (Belarusians and Ukrainians), and Vlachs (Romanians). Sometimes inhabitants of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were called Litvins, a Slavic term for people from Lithuania, regardless of their ethnicity (with the exception of Jews, who were called Litvaks).
Jews have been known to have been in Lithuania since 1321, and slavery was permitted in these early days. I wonder if any of our ancestors were enslaved then?
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, but more importantly, the Spanish Inquisition started in this year. By 1495, Jews living in Vilna, Grodno and Kovno, most likely some of our ancestors, totaled 10,000.
By 1495 to 1502 Jews were excluded from Lithuania. Maybe this meant that more were banned from entering.
By 1529 with so many there they received a charter giving them freedom of movement and employment. A few managed to monopolize foreign trade and tax-farming, whatever this means. Being Jews were not allowed to own land, they may have been the tax collectors-something allowed for them to do.
 |
| Jewish badge in Belgium-1941 |
From 1566 to 1572, the wearing of the Jewish badge was introduced. Jews could no longer give evidence in the courtroom. Then WWII came along and
it was again used on Jews.
Shortly after the Union of Lublin in 1569, the Commonwealth's population was around 7 million, with roughly of 4.5 million Poles, 750,000 Lithuanians, 700,000 Jews and 2 million Ruthenians.[94]
In 1618, after the Truce of Deulino, the Commonwealth population increased together with its territory, reaching 12 million people, which was composed roughly of 4.5 million Poles, 3.5 million Ukrainians, 1.5 million Belarusians, 750,000 Lithuanians, 750,000 Old Prussians, 500,000 Jews, and 500,000 Livonians.[7] At that time nobility was 10% of the population, and burghers were 15%.[7] The average population density per square kilometer was: 24 in Mazovia, 23 in Lesser Poland, 19 in Great Poland, 12 in Lublin palatinate, 10 in the Lvov area, 7 in Podolia and Volhynia, and 3 in the Ukraine. There was a tendency for the people from the more densely inhabited western territories to migrate eastwards.[95]
In 1623 the Jews created their own Council and a separate tax-system was established.
In the period from 1648 to 1657, populations losses are estimated at 4 m.[7] Coupled with further population and territorial losses, in 1717 the Commonwealth population had fallen to 9 m, with roughly 4.5 m/50% Poles, 1.5 m/17% Ukrainians, 1.2 m Belarusians, 0.8 m Lithuanians, 0.5 m Jews, and 0.5 m others.[7] Just before the first partition of Poland, the Commonwealth's population stood at some 14 million, including around 1 million nobles,[96] 4.7 million Uniates and 400,000 Orthodox Christians.[97] In 1792, the population was around 11 million and included 750,000 nobles.[96]
In 1768, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth became a protectorate of the Russian Empire.[41][42] Control of Poland was central to Catherine the Great's diplomatic and military strategies.[43] Attempts at reform, such as the Four-Year Sejm's May Constitution, came too late. The country was partitioned in three stages by the neighboring Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Monarchy.
By 1795, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth had been completely erased from the map of Europe. Poland and Lithuania were not re-established as independent countries until 1918.
The Commonwealth did eventually make a serious effort to reform its political system, adopting in 1791 the Constitution of 3 May 1791, which historian Norman Davies calls the first of its kind in Europe.[27] The revolutionary Constitution recast the erstwhile Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth as a Polish–Lithuanian federal state with a hereditary monarchy and abolished many of the deleterious features of the old system.
World War I of 1914 to 1917: 100,000 Jews were expelled or emigrated to the Russian interior. It was also a time of much emigration of Jews to the USA.
Lithuania gave national autonomy to Jews from 1918 to 1924. Vilna went to Poland in 1919. This was the Jewish center where the Gaon of Vilna was from. Jews were weakened by this loss.
 |
| Lodz Ghetto Lodz is in Poland. It is the 3rd largest city and a former industrial site. |
World War II and the Jewish population at the outbreak was about 175,000. About 25,000 were deported by the Russians from Lithuania and Latvia in July 1940. Those that remained were massacred by the Germans and Lithuanian Christian population by 1943.
1959 was the year when 24,000 Jews still lived in Lithuania, most likely returnees to homes lost in the war.
1989 saw that half of the Jewish population in 1959 had left for Israel, leaving 12,312.
1990 INDEPENDENCE: A change in people's attitudes? According to Lithuanian law, anyone who left Lithuania under the Soviet occupation until the country’s independence in 1990, and their descendants to the second generation, are eligible for citizenship.
“This is a huge activity in our embassy,” a man interviewed said. “We have hundreds of people every day. We are happy, we are happy that our family here grows, that we have people who want to come and rediscover Lithuania.”
This offer must not be extended to Jews, because I have a distant cousin, also with roots in Lithuania and related to me, Grant Arthur Gochin, who has written his book , writing through his frustration about this and how he has been denied citizenship. His book is called : Malice, Murder, and Manipulation-One Man's Quest for Truth. Grant is a Californian now, but he has quite a story; and a wonderful genealogy tree which contained my Goldfus relative as well, connecting us. So I'm proud of his strength and doing his part in keeping facts truthful. We're led to believe one thing when another is happening.
2019 and there are 4,000 to 5,000 Jews living in Lithuania.
Resource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth
https://www.jpost.com/Features/In-Thespotlight/Diplomacy-In-Lithuania-Jews-are-cool-319601
Book: Malice, Murder, and Manipulation by Grant Arthur Gochin
update on surname endings: http://www.polishroots.org/Resources/Surnames/Surnamesendings/tabid/118/Default.aspx
2019 and there are 4,000 to 5,000 Jews living in Lithuania.
Resource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth
https://www.jpost.com/Features/In-Thespotlight/Diplomacy-In-Lithuania-Jews-are-cool-319601
Book: Malice, Murder, and Manipulation by Grant Arthur Gochin
update on surname endings: http://www.polishroots.org/Resources/Surnames/Surnamesendings/tabid/118/Default.aspx
Labels: Grant Gochin, Lithuania, Poland
