The Polish monarchy continued to support the Jews of Brest and their synagogues.
Rabbi Feinstein, in Ir Tehila, writes: in addition to the privileges granted by Zigmond I, that King also empowered the Jews of Brisk to renovate and decorate their synagogue:
 |
Zigmond I empowers renovating the synagogue
(from Ir Tehila original page 13) |
Translation:
Zigmond
I,
besides the privileges he granted to all the Lithuanian
communities in 1507, in Mielnik, he also confirmed municipal
privileges at the meeting of the ministers that took
place in Brisk in 5271 [1511] and added new privileges to the Jews of our city, permitted them
to purchase and hold property and to deal in commerce in the land
and also empowered them to renovate the building of the
synagogue and
glorify it honorably.
The author gives his source as the Slovnik
Geograficzny (Geographic Dictionary) entry for Brisk.
Later in Ir Tehila, Rabbi Feinstein expands on his description of these events, again quoting the Slovnik
Geograficzny:
 |
Zigmond I empowers renovating the synagogue, alternate version
(from Ir Tehila original page 52) |
Translation:
In the Ministers meeting that took place in Brisk in 1511, he [Zigmund] confirmed the privileges of the city granted by the previous kings (Slovnik Geograficzny; item Brisk) He added new privileges to the inhabitants in general and to the Jews in particular. He permitted them to buy property in the city and to restore the building of the synagogue and decorate it honorably.
This version tells us that the additional privileges were granted to all the inhabitants and additional special privileges were granted to the Jews.
Pinkas Hakehillot gives an exact date and additional details:
Translation:
On the 25th of September 1511, King Zigmund I gave permission to the Jews of Brest to renovate their synagogue and directed that bricks and other building materials be provided to them.
Rabbi Feinstein records that a short time later –he did not specify a date– that was praised in old Russia and Polish books of Geography.
 |
Rabbi Feinstein describes a majestic Brest Synagogue
(from Ir Tehila original page 13) |
Translation:
Very soon, the Jews had the wealth to build a majestic synagogue – the biggest in all Poland. It is the synagogue praised in the old Russian and Polish Geography books, which prove that this synagogue was honored by other nations and also authors of other nations wrote in its praise. It stood up high and was intact several hundred years until our city was destroyed.
We can try to interpret Rabbi Feinstein's words and infer the dates. It seems very likely that the majestic synagogue he describes was, in fact, built soon after Zigmund I extended permission in 1511. And the date of destruction was almost certainly ~1840, when the old city was razed to make way for the Brest Fortress.
Our sources regarding the early synagogues of Brest are rare and those we can find do not seem entirely reliable.
The main alternative to Rabbi Feinstein's Ir Tehila is a book by Ch. Zonnenberg, The History of the City of Brest-Litovsk (1016-1907). While Zonnenberg is apparently considered a reliable source by the modern Belarusian historian Emmanuel Ioffee, whose relevant article can be found here, we have our doubts. (As Professor Ioffee quotes only Zonnenberg, and doesn't mention Ir Tehila, perhaps he is simply unaware of Rabbi Feinstein's book.)
Our doubts are increased by what we find on page 25 of Zonnenberg's history, which records the construction of a synagogue with much support of King Witold in 1411.
Witold ordered in his decree of 25th September 1411 that clay
and bricks be provided, free of charge, to the
Brest Jews.
That's exactly 100 years earlier, on the very same month and day, compared to Rabbi Feinstein's account. Zonnenberg continues:
A wonderful synagogue was built. It was famous
throughout Europe /2/. Its
architecture and graceful design aroused admiration among all
experts and envy among Poles at late as the XVI century.
Is Zonnenberg describing a synagogue that Rabbi Feinstein (in Ir Tehila) believes was built in 1511? For the "wonderful, famous synagogue" which he describes, Zonnenberg cites his source in his footnote /2/:
/2/ Georg
Gustav in Lehr-Buch,
Berlin 1766,
in von der Geographie says of Brest: Brest
mit einem Bisthume und berühmten synagoge der Juden.
(Brest,
with a Bishopric and Famous Synagogue of the Jews.)
The description in the Lehr-Buch of a Brest synagogue built in 1511 –or 1411– only as Famous is disappointingly unhelpful; it doesn't support the date of 1411, or the aid of King Witold, and offers no specific identification of the synagogue. (Zonnenburg also mis-identified the author; for more about his credibility as a source, see here.)
| Notes: the meeting of the ministers probably the legislative assembly of the GDL (the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) the Sejm. (The Sejm exists today as the legislative assembly of modern Poland.) |
