Tit ha-yaven (The Miry Clay)

Now we shall begin to describe the confrontation of the King of Sweden with the King of Poland. First, the aforementioned King of Sweden came to the holy community of Posen [Poznań], a major Jewish settlement of two thousand householders. This king performed kind deeds with the Jews, but in our many sins most of them died of hunger and in an epidemic, until only three hundred of them remained. From there the king went on and captured Kosńcian, where there were four hundred householders, and only fifty householders remained, for the rest died of hunger and the sword. The king proceeded from there to the holy community of Leszno, where there were four hundred very wealthy householders, and everything was destroyed, leaving only one hundred remaining householders. They fled to the land of Ashkenaz [Germany]. From there the oppressor of the Jews, [Stefan] Czarniecki, went to Kobylin with an army, where three hundred householders were wiped out almost entirely, in martyrdom. From there he went to Modrze [?], which had a population of one hundred householders, almost all of whom were killed by them. He next went to Wrzesńnia, and virtually all of its one hundred householders were killed. They then proceeded to [town unknown], with forty householders, and almost all of them were killed. From there they went to [town unknown], which held twenty householders, almost all of whom were killed. Next they went to the Holy Community of [Vietz?], where its one hundred householders were almost all killed. Then they proceeded to the holy community of Brisk Dekuyave [Brzesńcń Kujawski], which had one hundred householders, virtually all of whom were killed. They then moved on to the large holy congregation of Luntshits [Łęczyca], a major Jewish city with five hundred householders, and they were almost all killed. From there they went to the great holy community of Kalisz, where almost all of its six hundred householders were killed. And from there he went to the holy community of [Lepno?], and there forty householders were all killed, before proceeding to [town unidentified], which had forty householders, almost all of whom were killed. He next came to the holy community of [town unidentified], and its two hundred householders were almost all killed. From there he went to the holy community of [Poredy?], and almost all its fifty householders were killed.

They then moved on to the great city of Danzig; his royal highness the King of Sweden went and took it all by force, and he treated the remaining Jews with mercy. He then went and took the city of Kraków, a major Jewish city, with two-thousand-five-hundred householders, and he dealt mercifully with the Jews. However, due to our many sins they died of hunger and disease. The oppressor Czarniecki fled from Kraków when he heard that the King of Sweden was approaching the city. This oppressor Czarniecki, before fleeing Kraków, destroyed all the bordering lands of Great Poland around Kraków. Afterward the oppressor Czarniecki came to the holy community of Nowy Wisńnicz, where there were two hundred householders who fled to Kraków. He then came to the holy community of Wisńlica, which had fifty householders, and they destroyed the place and killed them. They then proceeded to the holy community of [Żarnowiec?], where there were fifty householders, all of whom were all killed, and he destroyed the place. They next moved on to Kazimierz (Wielki), where there were fifty householders, and he destroyed and burned and killed almost all of them. Then they went to [Przemysl?], which held forty householders, and he burned and destroyed and killed virtually all of them. He next came to [town unidentified], where there were forty householders, and he destroyed and burned and killed almost of all of them. He then proceeded to little Tarnów, where there were fifty householders, almost all of whom he destroyed, burned, or killed. He went from there to the holy community of Opatów, where there were two hundred very wealthy householders, and almost all of them were killed in a single act of abomination. He next came to the holy congregation of Szydlów, with its two hundred householders, who fled to the holy congregation of Pinńczów. From there they went to the holy congregation of Chmielnik, which had a hundred householders, and almost all of them were killed. They next arrived at the holy community of Cheçiny, where there were 150 householders, and he burned and destroyed and killed almost all of them. His next stop was the holy community of Wodisław, which had two hundred householders, and he destroyed and burned, and the Jews fled to the holy community of Pinńczów. From there he arrived at the holy community of Pinńczów, where there were about a thousand householders, but their duke, whose title was margrave, dealt with them mercifully [ . . . ] and he fought together with the Jews with great force. They then moved on to the holy community of Raków, where there were 150 householders, who also fled to the Holy Community of Pinńczów. From there they proceeded to the holy community of [Nowy?], which had fifty householders, almost all of whom were killed. Next, he went to the holy community of Nowy Sącz, where there were fifty householders, and virtually all of them were killed. He then went to the holy community of [Brzezńno Łynńskie?], where there were forty householders, and almost all of them were killed. He went from there to the holy community of Piotrków, which held fifty householders, almost all of whom were killed. And then they went to the holy community of Przedbórz, where there were fifty householders, and almost all of them were killed.

The number of holy communities that were destroyed in our many sins, aside from those that are unknown to me, is seven-hundred-and-forty. The total of householders who were killed, apart from women and children and others whose torment remains unknown, in our many sins, is six hundred thousand and seventy. May the Lord fence this breach with the advent of our just Messiah, and may He take vengeance, and fulfill for His people Israel the verses: behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers (Malachi 3:23–24); and a redeemer will come to Zion (Isaiah 59:20). Amen, may it be Your will.