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Introduction
YehoshuaOzjaszThonwasacentralandimportantpersonalityinmodern
JewishhistoryinPoland.Sincetheturnofthetwentiethcentury,hewas
acentralfigureforKrakówJewryasarabbiandapreacher,aneducator,
aphilosopherandsociologist,amanofletters,athinker,andasocialleader.
IninterwarPolandhewasanessentialandsignificantpersonforthewhole
JewishpopulationinPolandasanintellectual,apublicist,apolitician,
adeputytothePolishSejm,andaZionisttheoreticianandactivist.During
hislifeandafterhisdeathhewaswell-knownandwasperceivedasacentral
actorintheintellectual,social,andpoliticallifeoftheJewsinPoland.1
Nevertheless,inourdaysheisneglectedandforgotten.Ibelievethatthis
fascinatingthinkershouldberescuedfromoblivion.Thepurposeofthis
bookistobringbackthememoryofthiscomplexpersonality,toportray
hismulti-facetedthinking,andtoshedlightonhisideaswhichwerethe
foundationforhiswidespreadactivityinaverycrucialtimeinthehistory
1ManyentriesindifferentJewishencyclopedias,lexicons,andmemorieshaveentries
aboutThon.ThisfactshowsthathewasimportantinJewishlifeinPoland.Forinstance:
GershonBader,Medinave’ha’khameha,(NewYork:1934),106-108;AzrielCarlebach,Sefer
hadmuyot,(Tel-Aviv:Modi’in:1959),212-215;EncyclopaediaJudaica,CD-romEdition;
NathanMichaelGelber,“Dr.YehoshuaThon,”in:SeferKroke:irva’embe’Israel,ed.by
AryehBauminger,etal,(Jerusalem:MosadHaravKuk,1959),355-357;GershonHanokh,
Bidmeyhasa’ar:Mivharktavim,(Jerusalem:Hasokhnuthayehudit,1962),207-208;Me’ir
Henish,Miba’iytumihuts:pirkeyzikhronot,(TelAviv:1961),236-238;GershonDavidHundert
ed.,YivoEncyclopediaofJewsinEasternEurope,vol.2(NewHaven:YaleUniversityPress,
2008),1880-1881;GetzelKressel,Leksykonhasafrutha’ivritbadorotha’ahronim,(Merhavia:
SifriyatHapoalim,1967),7-8;IsaacLandmaned.TheUniversalJewishEncyclopedia,(New
York,1943),vol.10,247-248;RabbiBinyamin,Knesetha’khamim,(Jerusalem:1961),
30-31;GeoffreyWigoder,ed.,NewEncyclopediaofZionismandIsrael,(USA:Associated
UniversityPress:1994),1270-1271;S.Winingered.,GrosseJüdischeNational-Biographie,
(Netherland:KrausReprint,1979),107-108.