A Song on the Jews of Ashkenaz and Poland

This anonymous Yiddish poem, which was printed in Prague in an undated edition, is written in the form of an argument between a German Jew and his Polish counterpart. Although scholars agree that it was composed after the Khmel’nyts’kyi massacres (1648–1649) caused masses of Polish Jews to flee to Germany, they disagree as to the origins of its author. The poem begins with an introduction by the narrator, following which the Pole outlines his grievances against German Jewry (perhaps suggesting that the author was of Polish origin). He complains about their stinginess, inhospitable nature, dress, habits, lack of Torah scholarship, and more. The German Jew responds, alleging that Polish Jews are thieves and vagrants and attacking their poor behavior and arrogance. Later verses also introduce a Jew from Prague who is criticized for swindling and greed. This poem reveals that, by the mid- to late seventeenth century, the identities of Ashkenazic subgroups had begun to crystallize and relations between them were fraught with tensions, which, according to the poet, could be resolved only by the coming of the Messiah.