Page 45 - Centrum Dialogu im. Marka Edelmana w Łodzi. Artur Szyk, Man of Dialogue.

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ARTUR SZYK'S
STATUTE 4 45 STATUTE OF KALISZ
OF KALISZ

rtur Szyk began The cover of the Statute of Kalisz
working on the bearing an depiction of the Polish
eagle with the coat of arms
AStatute of Kalisz – the of Lithuania (Pogoń) and Russia
work of his life – in late 1926 in (Archangel Michael)
Paris. "The impulse to create the
Statute was May Coup d'État.
I felt that I had to show the world Casimir the Great in 1334,
a document demonstrating the Casimir Jagiello in 1453,
glory of Poland", said the artist in Sigismund the Old in 1539.
an interview. "To the best of my Also other Polish kings
possibility, I was trying to maintained the privilege, or
contribute to the ideal of peaceful even extended the rights of Jews,
coexistance of Poles and Jews as thus regulating the relations
the children of their common between Poles and Jews.
great homeland." Artur Szyk realized the significance of the
document and wanted to show it to the world:
What was the Statute of Kalisz? "In the Statute of Kalisz, I glorify one of the
finest acts of Polish liberalism in the history of
It was a document issued in 1264 in Kalisz by Europe," the author emphasized. Miniatures
the Polish Duke Boleslaus the Pious, consisting of showcasing the Polish tolerance were created in
36 articles. It specified the legal status of Jews in the Paris in 1920s, when Poland was criticized for
Great Poland, which was later extended to other anti−Semitic restrictions.
lands as well. It excluded Jews from city jurisdiction "This Polish−Jewish conflict pained me greatly, as
and made them direct subjects of the duke's court. it was largely provoked by alien factors. I was
It established and guaranteed Jewish courts of law. outraged by the enemies' slanderous attacks against
It provided Jews with personal freedom and safety, Poland which they called a country of oppression
including freedom of faith, travel and trade. It was and pogroms," he explained his motives.
a privilege without precedence in Europe of that Showing his Statute of Kalisz, Szyk reminded
time. Professor Majer Bałaban called the Statute a that Poland was a country which sheltered Jews,
Magna Carta of Jewish freedom in Poland. giving them care and granting privileges, while the
The stipulations of the Statute of Kalisz were later citizens of many countries of Western Europe
confirmed by successive Polish kings, including persecuted and exiled Jews at that time.