Objects

 

Sztoker, Berysz (Jerozolima; 18..-19..)

The industrialist Józef Hersz Szpiro (1880–1941) originated from a respectable Hasidic family who had lived in Zgierz since the mid-nineteenth century. His grandfather, also Józef, who had moved to Zgierz from Aleksandrów, was a wealthy timber merchant and owner of forests. He was connected with tzaddikim courts in Aleksandrów, Góra Kalwaria and Kock. During the January Uprising, he was falsely accused of aiding the Russian invader. He was saved from the execution at the last moment by a Zgierz priest who testified he was not guilty. Józef Hersz’s father, Rafał Jakub Szpiro (ca. 1849–1901), obtained the honorary title of Admor (our master, teacher). His wife, Rywka née Lezer (ca. 1850–1922), was called Rojcza Di Szpirita, i.e. “Rywka the Beautiful”. They had fifteen children (The Book of Zgierz. An Eternal Memorial for a Jewish Community of Poland, League City 2007, pp. 368–371).

One of Rafał Jakub’s sons, the aforementioned Józef Hersz Szpiro, founded a Torah scroll for the Zgierz synagogue in 1922, in memory of his deceased parents. In 1927, when accompanying the tzaddik Abraham Mordechaj Alter from Góra Kalwaria on a journey to Palestine, he commissioned the craftsman Berysz Stoker, originating from Poland, to make discs that would decorate the Torah scroll in the Zgierz synagogue.

Józef Hersz Szpiro died in the Łódź ghetto. He was buried at the Jewish cemetery in Łódź. Most of the members of his family also fell victim to the Holocaust. Only one of the daughters, Ada Falk, survived.

The Zgierz synagogue and its furnishings were burnt down by the Germans https://sztetl.org.pl/pl/miejscowosci/z/323-zgierz/112-synagogi-domy-modlitwy-i-inne/90364-synagoga-w-zgierzu-ul-lodzka. (Polish only) One of the discs made in Palestine was saved from the fire. It was taken away by an unidentified German soldier who then gave it to his old teacher, Pastor Otto Michel. The further history of the disc is known. After Michel’s death, his widow donated the disc to the museum in Tübingen. In 2011, during a formal ceremony, the Mayor of Tübingen returned the disc to Józef’s descendants, including Ada Falk’s son, Dr. Avner Falk. The family decided to bring it back to Poland. In 2015, the grandchildren: Avner Falk, Gili Haberberg, Dr. Ibby Mekhmandarov and great-grandchildren Dorit Itzchaki and Ofer Berger donated it to POLIN Museum.

MW

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Information about the object
Author / creator
Sztoker, Berysz (Jerozolima; 18..-19..)
Object type
handicrafts
Time of creation / dating
20th century
Place of creation
Jerusalem (Israel)
Technique
engraving
sculptor’s
inlaying
Material
wood
silver
nacre
Keywords
Copyright status
the object is not protected by copyright law
Owner
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Identification number
MPOLIN-M1
Localization
The object is not currently on display