Text Panel
The local rulers who gladly welcomed the Jews to Poland and Lithuania, and especially from the middle of the 13th century, contributed to the economic and demographic prosperity of the Jewish communities in the kingdom. Jewish peddlers, craftsmen and traders formed independent guilds there. The leasing system (arenda) enabled the Jews to manage the estates owned by the nobles, collect taxes on their behalf from the serfs, and receive income from the inns they ran.
This period left behind vestiges of a rich material culture, ranging from elegant religious artifacts to elaborate head coverings worn by women. All of them testify to the flourishing cultural life and economic activity of the Jews in Poland and Lithuania.
