Teacher and Students in a Heder, Lublin
Alter-Sholem Kacyzne
1920–1929
Image
This photograph of a heder, a traditional Jewish boys’ elementary school, has become an iconic photograph of pre-World War II Jewish life in Eastern Europe. The heder was often a one-room classroom (heder means “room” in Hebrew) in the home of the melamed (teacher), whose job was to teach his students the Hebrew alphabet, the prayers, and the weekly Torah portion. By the time Kacyzne took this photo, the heder was already seen as a symbol of a traditional past on the point of disappearing. After World War I, Jewish children in Poland had a wide array of educational options for the first time and could attend Polish schools, Yiddish- and Hebrew-language schools, and even modern religious schools. This photograph, taken for the New York Forverts, was meant to be seen by American Jewish immigrants, many of whom personally remembered attending such schools. The rapport between photographer and subject was a hallmark of the work of Kacyzne, who often framed his shots as if they were performance stills from a play.
Credits
Courtesy of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Reseach and the Forward Association.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 8.
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