Janusz Radziwill
This is a first ever English translation of a document from an archive in Bialystok that sets forth the juridic and general rights of the Jewish community of Zabludow. Provided by Urszula Dudko Translated from Polish by Tomasz Liniecki Zabludów, April 23rd 1645
Janusz Radziwill, chamberlain Lithuanian, owner of the Zabludów goods, outlines the rights of Jews of Zabludów and the court jurisdiction for them. Copies in AAB, ADZ [these are abbreviations of the names of archives] – "Excerpt from the town register of Zabludów dated July 21st, 1661" signature of Nieswiez Archives "224", and AAB, ADZ – " In the year 1684 day 9th of month May [after] presented himself in person [as] a Jew Icko Markiewicz that letter addressed to Zabludów Jews submitted to the register of documents of the City of Grodno. Kazimierz Hero Kobylinski, levtenant of Grodno County" and annotation, which is missing at the copy no 1:"I hereby confirm for the later consideration and use – Ludwika Karolina Radz.(iwillówna) m(argrabina) b(randenburska) [markgraefin of Brandenbourg] l(oco) s(igilli) [puts her seal] Old signature of Nieswiez: No 114"
Janusz Radziwill Count on Birze and Dubinki, chamberlain of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, starost of Mscibów, Kazimierz, Kamieniec, Bystrzyca, Retów (1) etc.,etc.,
With this letter we announce hereby, that I was presented a petition of my Jews of Zabludów, in which they ask all their freedoms and privileges be the same as for Jews of other towns, as granted by the late H.S.H. Count our father (2), to be preserved. Therefore, following that privilege of H.S.H. Count, and their petition giving consideration, I gave them this letter, and I do want all of them not to be by my officials as well as the townsmen and other subjects disturbed.
Firstly Jews who shall be living in my town Zabludów, shall settle all their disputes in front of my Zabludów levtenant, in presence of Christian attorney, and my levtenant is obliged to judge according to the common law for Jews in Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but with the freedom of appeal to me; and from the jurisdiction of the town courts we make them free. They shall not be charged with penalty higher than one zloty, regardless sentenced for a case with another Jews or with the Christians. All penalties sentenced in respect to charges raised by my authority, or from another party, or for some great crime, shall be given in proportion to the transgression. In case of penalty of prison, they shall serve in the manor. If by an idea of some frolicful people Jews would be disturbed; or if they would be harassed in their homes, and local constables and magistrates along with city aldermen fail to protect them while asked for help, than all they shall be due remuneration to the aforementioned Jews for the harms after their guilt sentenced. In case some Zabludów townsman would be charged by some Jew, he shall be summoned to the City Office, as it’s proper for the townsmen, because nobody shall be summoned from the local office to some other, improper courts of justice. But if the local City Office would not like to make justice for the Jews, or was reluctant, than my Zabludów levtenant shall make justice either with the townsman as with the office.
Jews shall pay the same tax to our treasury as the townsmen. I allow them to buy and sell all the goods according to their abilities. And everybody may run slaughterhouse. For the slaughter the Zabludów Jews shall pay tax equal to 7 stones of tallow, each stone equal to 40 pounds. All taverns in the town shall be free. We also preserve Jews with their land, which is assigned for Jewish funerals (3). And those funerals we allow to be held the way they would like the best.
And none of my Christian subjects shall make them neither obstacle, nor get involved in that. But the Jews shall not extend their funeral yard behind the old fencing, they shall not appropriate more ground, unless I allow for that.
Additionally, they shall be free from other charges and from delivering horse carriages, the ones dispatched to the shore and the ones to go to another places.
Jews shall build their synagogue at Surazka St., according to the letter of H.S.H. the late Count to the Lord of Bereza, in that time Starost of Zabludów. A hospital nearby (4), as well as the synagogue we make free from the taxes, but under condition, that they shall not, under no pretext and condition, dare to blaspheme and slander the Christian faith, and particularly they shall not blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Their houses shall be subject of troops quartering equally with those of the townsmen, so we allow them according to the same letter of H.S.H. the late Count, in the same Surazka St., which is designated for their accommodation, to buy houses from the Christian townsmen, trading the houses for their houses, which they have on another spots, or by the price stated by official estate estimator, because we want them to build in the most decent manner.
In case there will be a investigation and some stolen goods shall be searched, and there will be some likeliness a Jew be involved, than inquisition shall be arranged according to common practice observed in Great Duchy of Lithuania, and he shall be obliged to testify under oath, and if one shall be acknowledged for crime and perjury, that he has hidden some stolen things, than his crime shall be punished according to the regular customary law.
These articles of rights and freedoms serving them I confirm, preserving them entirely with all the items described above, and for a better reliability I gave this letter with a signature of my hand (second copy) and my seal to the aforementioned Jews of Zabludów. Given in Zabludów, on day 23rd of April 1645.
At the letter nearby the great seal there is a signature done by the hand of H.S.H Count, namely: Janusz Radziwill.
His privilege was submitted to the City Registers of Zabludów by the senior Jews of Zabludów, and after copied into the register word by word, was returned to the senior Jews of Zabludów as a copy from the register. Written ut supra.
Marcin Niewiarowski, writer of the Town of Zabludów.
During preparation of Zabludów inventory, Jews have presented this extract for inventory. Given in Zabludów, day 20th of January 1662.
Jan Pekalski.
And whatever was used for the funerals during epidemic (5), shall stay for funerals according to inventory.
J. Pekalski m. p.
A.S. Skiwski s.b.
In the year 1665 on July 10th during the inspection of Zabludów this extract was put in front of me by Zabludów Jews, I confirm that with my signature.
Krzysztof Lopata.(6)
I confirm for my future dispositions.
B. Radziwil l. s.
1) Janusz Radziwill, (born 1612 –died 1655) Chamberlain Lithuanian 1633, Field Hetman Lithuanian 1646, Starost of Zmudz 1646, Voivod of Vilno 1653, Great Hetman Lithuanian 1654, Starost of Kamieniec, Kazimierz, Sejwy.
2) Janusz’s father was Krzysztof Radziwill (1585-1640)
3) Re.: Jewish cemetery called kirkut
4) Refuge for seniors
5) In original "bad air"
6) Krzysztof Lopata governor of Zabludów goods, mentioned from May 7th 1661. Document is also presented in the work of Janusz Tazbir "Arians in Bialystok and Surroundings", in: "Studia i materialy do dziejów miasta Bialegostoku" vol. I, Bialystok 1968, p.92.
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