Olaszliszka
Encyclopedia
Olaszliszka is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
county, Hungary
.
Olaszliszka is nestled among the hills of the Tokay
country side (2 hours from Budapest
) where the famous Tokay wines come from. It had a population in the 1830s of around 2,682 inhabitants.
Among them were 57 tax paying citizens:
Two neighboring counties, as well as the town of Olaszliszka, banded together to supply 5,000 forint (Hungarian currency) toward the religious education as well as the support of the elementary school established in 1872. The elementary school had 1 teacher and 36 students. The Talmud Torah had 1 teacher and 25 students. The Jewish population also supplied the Talmud Torah students with housing and food. The Jewish community also made sure that the Library was well stacked and continually supplemented. The Library Project was called "Chevra Kiyan Seforim," or the Library Supply Committee.
Among other existing organizations are as follows: Chevra Kadisha (taking care of the deceased, funeral services and burials); Discretionary Funds — a poor house where one could stay if they had no place to go.
There are no exact dates given as to when the Jews decided to settle in Olaszliszka, however, it is concretely known that the mainstream of Jews came around 1830 with the advent of the young Rabbi, Zvi-Hersh Friedman (1808-1874). There is no question that the driving force behind the Jewish settlers was the Rabbi, who with his great knowledge, human understanding, and wisdom, attracted the vitners (wine merchants) from Poland and Russia, who came for the purpose of buying wine, and subsequently settled in Olaszliszka to be near their Rebbe. These men could be counted as the oldest or first settlers who subsequently aided the young Rabbi in establishing the various social services provided by the Jewish community of Olaszliszka.
The original founding fathers of the town, were mainly occupied with the selling, trading, and buying of the famous Tokay wine.
The Jewish population grew considerably with the brisk and successful wine trade. Spiritual religious life was at its focal point led by their spiritual leader Rabbi Zvi-Hersh Friedman, who was at an early age, known as a great scholar. The pious young scholar spread far and wide the spirit of Chassidus. In a short time the town of Olaszliszka became the focal point of Chassidus and its Rabbi named the father of the Chassidic movement of Hungary.
His humility, selflessness, aesthetic cleanliness, chesed (loving acts of kindness, i.e. charity) and wisdom spread far and wide so that people from foreign countries all over the world came to seek his advice and accept him as their Rebbe.
During this time the township of Lisker grew in scope and fame. This affluence lasted till the end of Hershel Lisker's lifetime of four decades.
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén is the name of an administrative county in north-eastern Hungary , on the border with Slovakia. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Nógrád, Heves, Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. The capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county is Miskolc...
county, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
Olaszliszka is nestled among the hills of the Tokay
Tokay
Tokay may refer to:* Tokaji wine , wines produced in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region of Hungary* Tokaj , wine region in South-Eastern Slovakia and wines produced in that region.* Grape varieties:...
country side (2 hours from Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
) where the famous Tokay wines come from. It had a population in the 1830s of around 2,682 inhabitants.
Jewish history of the town
In the 1830's the Orthodox Jewish community numbered 70 families, 312 members altogether.Among them were 57 tax paying citizens:
- 1 entrepreneur
- 17 small businessmen
- 2 farmers
- 2 civil servants
- 2 self-employed
- 5 freelance artists
- 8 blue collar workers
- 20 engaged in various other forms of employment
Two neighboring counties, as well as the town of Olaszliszka, banded together to supply 5,000 forint (Hungarian currency) toward the religious education as well as the support of the elementary school established in 1872. The elementary school had 1 teacher and 36 students. The Talmud Torah had 1 teacher and 25 students. The Jewish population also supplied the Talmud Torah students with housing and food. The Jewish community also made sure that the Library was well stacked and continually supplemented. The Library Project was called "Chevra Kiyan Seforim," or the Library Supply Committee.
Among other existing organizations are as follows: Chevra Kadisha (taking care of the deceased, funeral services and burials); Discretionary Funds — a poor house where one could stay if they had no place to go.
There are no exact dates given as to when the Jews decided to settle in Olaszliszka, however, it is concretely known that the mainstream of Jews came around 1830 with the advent of the young Rabbi, Zvi-Hersh Friedman (1808-1874). There is no question that the driving force behind the Jewish settlers was the Rabbi, who with his great knowledge, human understanding, and wisdom, attracted the vitners (wine merchants) from Poland and Russia, who came for the purpose of buying wine, and subsequently settled in Olaszliszka to be near their Rebbe. These men could be counted as the oldest or first settlers who subsequently aided the young Rabbi in establishing the various social services provided by the Jewish community of Olaszliszka.
The original founding fathers of the town, were mainly occupied with the selling, trading, and buying of the famous Tokay wine.
The Jewish population grew considerably with the brisk and successful wine trade. Spiritual religious life was at its focal point led by their spiritual leader Rabbi Zvi-Hersh Friedman, who was at an early age, known as a great scholar. The pious young scholar spread far and wide the spirit of Chassidus. In a short time the town of Olaszliszka became the focal point of Chassidus and its Rabbi named the father of the Chassidic movement of Hungary.
His humility, selflessness, aesthetic cleanliness, chesed (loving acts of kindness, i.e. charity) and wisdom spread far and wide so that people from foreign countries all over the world came to seek his advice and accept him as their Rebbe.
During this time the township of Lisker grew in scope and fame. This affluence lasted till the end of Hershel Lisker's lifetime of four decades.