Younkers Inc. is an American online retailer and former department store chain founded as a family-run dry goods business in 1856 in Keokuk, Iowa . The retailer had evolved over more than 150 years to include a presence in locations throughout Iowa and bordering states in the Midwest region of the United States. Younkers became influential as it acquired several rivals throughout the 20th century both inside and outside of Iowa. The chain itself was sold by the late 1990s, with ownership transferring out of state, and its Des Moines-based headquarters closed by 2003 as a part of a corporate consolidation. Following its last sale in 2006, Younkers operated as a subsidiary of The Bon-Ton , with locations in seven Midwestern states, primarily in shopping malls . As of 2013 the chain operated more than fifty locations in the region. On August 29, 2018, Younkers closed its doors one last time.
163-693: The company was founded by three Polish Jewish immigrant brothers Lipman, Samuel, and Marcus Younker , who opened a general store in Keokuk , Iowa , in 1856. Herman Younker , a younger half-brother to the three founders, opened a dry goods store in Des Moines , Iowa, in 1874. Following Samuel's death in 1879, the Keokuk store was closed and the Des Moines location became the main store. The future novelist and newspaper editor Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd worked as
326-466: A $ 1.1 billion (~$ 1.6 billion in 2023) deal that was completed on March 6, 2006. On January 31, 2018, Bon-Ton announced that they were going to close 42 locations nationwide including 9 in the state of Wisconsin between February and April 2018. It was further announced on April 17, 2018 that Bon Ton Stores would be closing doors and began liquidating all 267 stores after two liquidators, Great American Group and Tiger Capital Group, won an auction for
489-539: A clerk at the Younkers store in Des Moines in 1889. In 1899 the Younker brothers' main store in downtown Des Moines was moved to 7th and Walnut Streets, and it operated at the same location for 106 years before closing on August 12, 2005. The downtown Des Moines store became known for its Tea Room restaurant, which opened in 1913 and closed shortly before the store did. It also installed Iowa 's first escalator , known as
652-521: A few African American freedmen, arrived in Wisconsin while it was under British control. Charles de Langlade is generally recognized as the first settler, establishing a trading post at Green Bay in 1745, and moving there permanently in 1764. Settlement began at Prairie du Chien around 1781. The French residents at the trading post in what is now Green Bay, referred to the town as "La Baye". However, British fur traders referred to it as "Green Bay", because
815-531: A great influence on the rise of Haredi Judaism all over the world, with a continuous influence through its many Hasidic dynasties including those of Chabad , Aleksander , Bobov , Ger , Nadvorna , among others. In 1742 most of Silesia was lost to Prussia . Further disorder and anarchy reigned supreme in Poland during the second half of the 18th century, from the accession to the throne of its last king, Stanislaus II Augustus Poniatowski in 1764. His election
978-783: A great wave of Jewish emigration to the United States. An even bloodier wave of pogroms broke out from 1903 to 1906, at least some of them believed to have been organized by the Tsarist Russian secret police, the Okhrana . They included the Białystok pogrom of 1906 in the Grodno Governorate of Russian Poland, in which at least 75 Jews were murdered by marauding soldiers and many more Jews were wounded. According to Jewish survivors, ethnic Poles did not participate in
1141-561: A large number of Jewish books, mainly of a religious character. The growth of Talmudic scholarship in Poland was coincident with the greater prosperity of the Polish Jews; and because of their communal autonomy educational development was wholly one-sided and along Talmudic lines. Exceptions are recorded, however, where Jewish youth sought secular instruction in the European universities. The learned rabbis became not merely expounders of
1304-452: A legend had a Jewish lover named Esterka from Opoczno was especially friendly to the Jews, and his reign is regarded as an era of great prosperity for Polish Jewry, and was nicknamed by his contemporaries "King of the serfs and Jews." Under penalty of death , he prohibited the kidnapping of Jewish children for the purpose of enforced Christian baptism . He inflicted heavy punishment for
1467-510: A more rational basis. The progressive elements in Polish society recognized the urgency of popular education as the first step toward reform. The famous Komisja Edukacji Narodowej ("Commission of National Education"), the first ministry of education in the world, was established in 1773 and founded numerous new schools and remodeled the old ones. One of the members of the commission, kanclerz Andrzej Zamoyski , along with others, demanded that
1630-577: A number of cities within the Pale. Settlers from outside the pale were forced to move to small towns, thus fostering the rise of the shtetls . Although the Jews were accorded slightly more rights with the Emancipation reform of 1861 by Alexander II , they were still restricted to the Pale of Settlement and subject to restrictions on ownership and profession. The existing status quo was shattered with
1793-562: A part of the Central Plain occupy the western part of the state, with lowlands stretching to the shore of Lake Michigan. Wisconsin is third to Ontario and Michigan in the length of its Great Lakes coastline. The northern portion of the state is home to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest . At the time of European contact, the area was inhabited by Algonquian and Siouan nations, and today it
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#17327941104141956-574: A part of the German Empire ). When Poland regained independence in the aftermath of World War I , it was still the center of the European Jewish world, with one of the world's largest Jewish communities of over 3 million. Antisemitism was a growing problem throughout Europe in those years, from both the political establishment and the general population. Throughout the interwar period , Poland supported Jewish emigration from Poland and
2119-520: A population of nearly 5.9 million. Its most populous city is Milwaukee , while its capital and second-most populous city is Madison . Other urban areas include Green Bay , Kenosha , Racine , Eau Claire , and the Fox Cities . Wisconsin's geography is diverse, shaped by Ice Age glaciers except for the Driftless Area . The Northern Highland and Western Upland along with
2282-592: A religion or spiritual tradition were approximately 75% of the state's population. 69% of Wisconsinites self-identified as Christian . Specifically, 25% of respondents identified as Mainline Protestant , 12% as Evangelical Protestant , 4% as other Protestants, and 27% as Catholic . Roughly 25% of the population were unaffiliated with any religious body. Small minorities of Jews (1%), Hindus (1%), Buddhists (1%), Jehovah's Witnesses (1%), Unitarian Universalists (1%), Muslims (<1%), Mormons (<1%), and other faiths exist according to this study. Christianity
2445-587: A series of false "Messianic" movements, most famously as Sabbatianism was succeeded by Frankism . In this time of mysticism and overly formal Rabbinism came the teachings of Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov , or BeShT , (1698–1760), which had a profound effect on the Jews of Eastern Europe and Poland in particular. His disciples taught and encouraged the new fervent brand of Judaism based on Kabbalah known as Hasidism . The rise of Hasidic Judaism within Poland's borders and beyond had
2608-514: A stake, extended to mean the area enclosed by a fence or boundary. With its large Catholic and Jewish populations, the Pale was acquired by the Russian Empire (which was a majority Russian Orthodox ) in a series of military conquests and diplomatic maneuvers between 1791 and 1835, and lasted until the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917. It comprised about 20% of the territory of European Russia and mostly corresponded to historical borders of
2771-580: A Żydowska (Jewish) street in Kraków in 1304. The tolerant situation was gradually altered by the Roman Catholic Church on the one hand, and by the neighboring German states on the other. There were, however, among the reigning princes some determined protectors of the Jewish inhabitants, who considered the presence of the latter most desirable as far as the economic development of the country
2934-599: Is Hmong , with significant communities in Milwaukee , Wausau , Green Bay , Sheboygan , Appleton , Madison , La Crosse , Eau Claire , Oshkosh , and Manitowoc . 61,629 people in Wisconsin, or around 1% of the population, identify as Hmong. Of the residents of Wisconsin, 71.7% were born in Wisconsin, 23.0% were born in a different US state, 0.7% were born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island areas, or born abroad to American parent(s), and 4.6% were foreign born. In 2018,
3097-599: Is a state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States . It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin is the 20th-largest state by population and 23rd-largest state by area . It is divided into 72 counties and as of the 2020 census had
3260-582: Is dominated by manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and agriculture—specifically dairy, cranberries , and ginseng . Tourism is also a major contributor to the state's economy. The gross domestic product in 2020 was $ 348 billion. Wisconsin is home to one UNESCO World Heritage Site , comprising two of the most significant buildings designed by Wisconsin-born architect Frank Lloyd Wright : his studio at Taliesin near Spring Green and his Jacobs I House in Madison. The Republican Party
3423-534: Is home to eleven federally recognized tribes . Originally part of the Northwest Territory , it was admitted as a state in 1848. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many European settlers entered the state, most of whom emigrated from Germany and Scandinavia . Wisconsin remains a center of German American and Scandinavian American culture, particularly in respect to its cuisine , with foods such as bratwurst and kringle . Wisconsin
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#17327941104143586-544: Is one of the nation's leading dairy producers and is known as "America's Dairyland"; it is particularly famous for its cheese . The state is also famous for its beer , particularly and historically in Milwaukee , most notably as the headquarters of the Miller Brewing Company . Wisconsin has some of the most permissive alcohol laws in the country and is known for its drinking culture . Its economy
3749-591: Is several times larger. The first Jews to visit Polish territory were traders, while permanent settlement began during the Crusades . Travelling along trade routes leading east to Kyiv and Bukhara , Jewish merchants, known as Radhanites , crossed Silesia . One of them, a diplomat and merchant from the Moorish town of Tortosa in Spanish Al-Andalus , known by his Arabic name, Ibrahim ibn Yaqub ,
3912-745: Is the largest inland lake, with over 137,700 acres (557 km ), and 88 miles (142 km) of shoreline. Along the two Great Lakes, Wisconsin has over 500 miles (800 km) of shoreline. Many of the named islands in Wisconsin are located in the Great Lakes; many surround the Door Peninsula in Lake Michigan or are part of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. The Mississippi River and inland lakes and rivers contain
4075-491: Is the only county in the eastern United States with a Native American majority. African Americans came to Milwaukee, especially from 1940 on. 86% of Wisconsin's African-American population live in four cities: Milwaukee , Racine , Beloit , Kenosha , with Milwaukee home to nearly three-fourths of the state's black Americans. In the Great Lakes region, only Detroit and Cleveland have a higher percentage of African-American residents. About 33% of Wisconsin's Asian population
4238-894: Is the predominant religion in Wisconsin. Per the Association of Religion Data Archives ' 2020 study, Catholicism was the single-largest denomination with 1,237,342 adherents, followed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with 316,245 members and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod with 209,788 adherents. 276,904 adhered to nondenominational Christianity . Statewide FBI Crime statistics for 2009 include 144 murders/non-negligent manslaughter; 1,108 rapes; 4,850 robberies; 8,431 aggravated assaults; and 147,486 property crimes. Wisconsin also publishes its own statistics through
4401-537: The Black Death led to additional 14th-century outbreaks of violence against the Jews in Kalisz , Kraków and Bochnia . Traders and artisans jealous of Jewish prosperity, and fearing their rivalry, supported the harassment. In 1423, the statute of Warka forbade Jews the granting of loans against letters of credit or mortgage and limited their operations exclusively to loans made on security of moveable property. In
4564-507: The Boaz mastodon , a prehistoric mastodon skeleton unearthed along with spear points in southwest Wisconsin. After the ice age ended around 8000 BCE, people in the subsequent Archaic period lived by hunting, fishing, and gathering food from wild plants. Agricultural societies emerged gradually over the Woodland period between 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. Toward the end of this period, Wisconsin was
4727-730: The Bund labor union which supported assimilation and the rights of labor . The Folkspartei (People's Party) advocated, for its part, cultural autonomy and resistance to assimilation. In 1912, Agudat Israel , a religious party, came into existence. Many Jews took part in the Polish insurrections, particularly against Russia (since the Tsars discriminated heavily against the Jews). The Kościuszko Insurrection (1794), November Insurrection (1830–31), January Insurrection (1863) and Revolutionary Movement of 1905 all saw significant Jewish involvement in
4890-671: The Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, Wisconsin is home to a wide variety of geographical features. The state is divided into five distinct regions. In the north, the Lake Superior Lowland occupies a belt of land along Lake Superior. Just to the south, the Northern Highland has massive mixed hardwood and coniferous forests including the 1,500,000-acre (610,000-hectare) Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest , as well as thousands of glacial lakes, and
5053-483: The Great Lakes in 1634, and it is traditionally assumed that he came ashore near Green Bay at Red Banks . Pierre Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers visited Green Bay again in 1654–1666 and Chequamegon Bay in 1659–1660, where they traded for fur with local Native Americans. In 1673, Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet became the first to record a journey on the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway all
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5216-589: The Jedwabne pogrom . Collaboration by non-Jewish Polish citizens in the Holocaust was sporadic, but incidents of hostility against Jews are well documented and have been a subject of renewed scholarly interest during the 21st century. In the post-war period, many of the approximately 200,000 Jewish survivors registered at the Central Committee of Polish Jews or CKŻP (of whom 136,000 arrived from
5379-549: The Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, as well as from Austria , Hungary and Germany , thus stimulating Jewish immigration to the much more accessible Poland. Indeed, with the expulsion of the Jews from Spain , Poland became the recognized haven for exiles from Western Europe; and the resulting accession to the ranks of Polish Jewry made it the cultural and spiritual center of the Jewish people. The most prosperous period for Polish Jews began following this new influx of Jews with
5542-810: The Magnesian Escarpment . In the southwest, the Western Upland is a rugged landscape with a mix of forest and farmland, including many bluffs on the Mississippi River, and the Baraboo Range . This region is part of the Driftless Area , which also includes portions of Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. Overall, 46% of Wisconsin's land area is covered by forest. Wisconsin has geologic formations and deposits that vary in age from over three billion years to several thousand years, with most rocks being millions of years old. The oldest geologic formations were created over 600 million years ago during
5705-566: The Menominee at the time of European contact. Other Native American groups living in Wisconsin when Europeans first settled included the Ojibwa , Sauk , Fox , Kickapoo , and Pottawatomie , who migrated to Wisconsin from the east between 1500 and 1700. The first European to visit what became Wisconsin was probably the French explorer Jean Nicolet . He canoed west from Georgian Bay through
5868-953: The NASDAQ on April 22, 1992, Younkers purchased the 22 stores of the H.C. Prange chain in Wisconsin and Michigan . After a hostile takeover bid by Carson Pirie Scott was rejected in 1995, Younkers' shareholders agreed to a friendly merger by Proffitt's , Inc., of Knoxville, Tennessee . The merger was completed in December 1996. Proffitt's would later acquire Carson Pirie Scott, and in 1998 Proffitt's acquired Saks Fifth Avenue to form Saks Incorporated . In 2003, Saks closed Younkers' headquarters in Des Moines and merged its operations with those of Carson Pirie Scott in Milwaukee, Wisconsin . Saks sold Younkers and its other Northern Department Store Group stores ( Carson Pirie Scott , Bergner's , Boston Store , and Herberger's ) to Bon-Ton Stores in
6031-650: The New England states. The Erie Canal facilitated the travel of both Yankee settlers and European immigrants to Wisconsin Territory. Yankees from New England and upstate New York seized a dominant position in law and politics, enacting policies that marginalized the region's earlier Native American and French-Canadian residents. Yankees also speculated in real estate, platted towns such as Racine, Beloit, Burlington, and Janesville, and established schools, civic institutions, and Congregationalist churches. At
6194-507: The Ottoman Empire . Arabic-speaking Mizrahi Jews and Persian Jews also migrated to Poland during this time. Jewish religious life thrived in many Polish communities. In 1503, the Polish monarchy appointed Rabbi Jacob Pollak the first official Rabbi of Poland. By 1551, Jews were given permission to choose their own Chief Rabbi. The Chief Rabbinate held power over law and finance, appointing judges and other officials. Some power
6357-781: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . The worldwide Jewish population at that time was estimated at 1.2 million. In 1768, the Koliivshchyna , a rebellion in Right-bank Ukraine west of the Dnieper in Volhynia , led to ferocious murders of Polish noblemen, Catholic priests and thousands of Jews by haydamaks . Four years later, in 1772, the military Partitions of Poland had begun between Russia, Prussia and Austria. The culture and intellectual output of
6520-768: The Precambrian , with the majority being below the glacial deposits. Much of the Baraboo Range consists of Baraboo Quartzite , and other Precambrian metamorphic rock . This area was not covered by glaciers during the most recent ice age, the Wisconsin Glaciation . Langlade County has a soil rarely found outside the county called Antigo silt loam . The state has more than 12,000 named rivers and streams, totaling 84,000 miles (135,000 km) in length. It has over 15,000 named lakes, totaling about 1 million acres (4,000 km ). Lake Winnebago
6683-573: The UW-Extension system at this time. Later, UW economics professors John R. Commons and Harold Groves helped Wisconsin create the first unemployment compensation program in the United States in 1932. Other Wisconsin Idea scholars at the university generated the plan that became the New Deal's Social Security Act of 1935, with Wisconsin expert Arthur J. Altmeyer playing the key role. In
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6846-463: The University of Wisconsin , helped the state build a reputation as "America's Dairyland". Meanwhile, conservationists including Aldo Leopold helped re-establish the state's forests during the early 20th century, paving the way for a more renewable lumber and paper milling industry as well as promoting recreational tourism in the northern woodlands. Manufacturing also boomed in Wisconsin during
7009-477: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources . The Division of Forestry manages a further 471,329 acres (1,907.40 km ) in Wisconsin's state forests . Most of Wisconsin is classified as warm-summer humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ), while southern and southwestern portions are classified as hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa ). The highest temperature ever recorded in
7172-464: The annexations of 1772 , and even more of its peoples. Jews were most numerous in the territories that fell under the military control of Austria and Russia. The permanent council established at the instance of the Russian government (1773–1788) served as the highest administrative tribunal, and occupied itself with the elaboration of a plan that would make practicable the reorganization of Poland on
7335-469: The assassination of Alexander in 1881 – an act falsely blamed upon the Jews. The assassination prompted a large-scale wave of anti-Jewish riots, called pogroms (Russian: погро́м ;) throughout 1881–1884. In the 1881 outbreak, pogroms were primarily limited to Russia, although in a riot in Warsaw two Jews were killed, 24 others were wounded, women were raped and over two million rubles worth of property
7498-414: The brewing industry . The harshest measures designed to compel Jews to merge into society at large called for their expulsion from small villages, forcing them to move into towns. Once the resettlement began, thousands of Jews lost their only source of income and turned to Qahal for support. Their living conditions in the Pale began to dramatically worsen. During the reign of Tsar Nicolas I , known by
7661-521: The fall of communism in Poland , there has been a renewed interest in Jewish culture, featuring an annual Jewish Culture Festival , new study programs at Polish secondary schools and universities, and the opening of Warsaw 's Museum of the History of Polish Jews . From the founding of the Kingdom of Poland in 1025 until the early years of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth created in 1569 , Poland
7824-545: The "electric stairs," in 1939. A series of additions, enlargements, and mergers resulted in the company changing its name to Younkers Incorporated. The department store in downtown Des Moines was purchased in 1912. The company started growing in the 1920s by acquiring other department stores throughout Iowa, including Wilkins Department Stores (1923), Harris-Emery (1927), and J. Mandelbaum and Sons (1928). The Iowa-based retailers Brintnall's of Marshalltown and Davidson's of Sioux City were acquired in 1948 and Yetters of Iowa City
7987-452: The 14th and 15th centuries, rich Jewish merchants and moneylenders leased the royal mint, salt mines and the collecting of customs and tolls. The most famous of them were Jordan and his son Lewko of Kraków in the 14th century and Jakub Slomkowicz of Łuck , Wolczko of Drohobycz , Natko of Lviv , Samson of Zydaczow , Josko of Hrubieszów and Szania of Belz in the 15th century. For example, Wolczko of Drohobycz, King Ladislaus Jagiełło's broker,
8150-577: The 16th century, established his yeshiva in Kraków . In addition to being a renowned Talmudic and legal scholar , Isserles was also learned in Kabbalah , and studied history, astronomy, and philosophy. He is considered the " Maimonides of Polish Jewry." The Remuh Synagogue was built for him in 1557. Rema (רמ״א) is the Hebrew acronym for his name. After the childless death of Sigismund II Augustus ,
8313-520: The 19th century. By the late 19th century, Haskalah and the debates it caused created a growing number of political movements within the Jewish community itself, covering a wide range of views and vying for votes in local and regional elections. Zionism became very popular with the advent of the Poale Zion socialist party as well as the religious Polish Mizrahi , and the increasingly popular General Zionists . Jews also took up socialism , forming
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#17327941104148476-497: The 20th century, a number of African Americans and Mexicans settled in Milwaukee ; and after the end of the Vietnam War came an influx of Hmongs . The various ethnic groups settled in different areas of the state. Although German immigrants settled throughout the state, the largest concentration was in Milwaukee. Norwegian immigrants settled in lumbering and farming areas in the north and west. Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants settled primarily in urban areas. Menominee County
8639-584: The 20th century, as heavy industry and manufacturing declined in favor of a service economy based on medicine, education, agribusiness, and tourism. In 2011, Wisconsin became the focus of some controversy when newly elected governor Scott Walker proposed and then successfully passed and enacted 2011 Wisconsin Act 10 , which made large changes in the areas of collective bargaining, compensation, retirement, health insurance, and sick leave of public sector employees, among other changes. A series of major protests by union supporters took place that year in protest to
8802-500: The 3,000,000 Polish Jews murdered in the Holocaust, who constituted 90% of Polish Jewry, made up half of all Poles killed during the war. While the Holocaust occurred largely in German-occupied Poland , it was orchestrated and perpetrated by the Nazis. Polish attitudes to the Holocaust varied widely, from actively risking death in order to save Jewish lives , and passive refusal to inform on them, to indifference, blackmail, and in extreme cases, committing premeditated murders such as in
8965-467: The Christian population (fur making, tanning, tailoring). In 1454 anti-Jewish riots flared up in Bohemia 's ethnically-German Wrocław and other Silesian cities, inspired by a Franciscan friar, John of Capistrano , who accused Jews of profaning the Christian religion. As a result, Jews were banished from Lower Silesia. Zbigniew Olesnicki then invited John to conduct a similar campaign in Kraków and several other cities, to lesser effect. The decline in
9128-413: The Crown hetman Stefan Czarniecki of the Ruthenian and Jewish population. He defeated the Swedes in 1660 and was equally successful in his battles against the Russians. Meanwhile, the horrors of the war were aggravated by pestilence . Many Jews along with the townsfolk of Kalisz , Kraków, Poznań , Piotrków and Lublin fell victim to recurring epidemics. As soon as the disturbances had ceased,
9291-460: The Fat of Legnica in 1290–95, and Bolko III the Generous of Legnica and Wrocław in 1295. Article 31 of the Statute of Kalisz tried to rein in the Catholic Church from disseminating blood libels against the Jews, by stating: "Accusing Jews of drinking Christian blood is expressly prohibited. If despite this a Jew should be accused of murdering a Christian child, such charge must be sustained by testimony of three Christians and three Jews." During
9454-457: The French and Indian War, taking control of Green Bay in 1761 and gaining control of all of Wisconsin in 1763. Like the French, the British were interested in little but the fur trade. One notable event in the fur trading industry in Wisconsin occurred in 1791, when two free African Americans set up a fur trading post among the Menominee at present-day Marinette . The first permanent settlers, mostly French Canadians , some Anglo- New Englanders and
9617-478: The Jewish community in Poland had a profound impact on Judaism as a whole. Some Jewish historians have recounted that the word Poland is pronounced as Polania or Polin in Hebrew , and as transliterated into Hebrew, these names for Poland were interpreted as "good omens" because Polania can be broken down into three Hebrew words: po ("here"), lan ("dwells"), ya (" God "), and Polin into two words of: po ("here") lin ("[you should] dwell"). The "message"
9780-408: The Jews as " Haman the Second", hundreds of new anti-Jewish measures were enacted. The 1827 decree by Nicolas – while lifting the traditional double taxation on Jews in lieu of army service – made Jews subject to general military recruitment laws that required Jewish communities to provide 7 recruits per each 1000 "souls" every 4 years. Unlike the general population that had to provide recruits between
9943-512: The Jews began to return and to rebuild their destroyed homes; and while it is true that the Jewish population of Poland had decreased, it still was more numerous than that of the Jewish colonies in Western Europe. Poland continued to be the spiritual center of Judaism. Through 1698, the Polish kings generally remained supportive of the Jews. Although Jewish losses in those events were high, the Commonwealth lost one-third of its population – approximately three million of its citizens. The environment of
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#173279411041410106-423: The Jews of his benevolence on the basis of "the principle of tolerance which in conformity with God's laws obliged him to protect them". The policy of the government toward the Jews of Poland oscillated under Casimir's sons and successors, John I Albert (1492–1501) and Alexander Jagiellon (1501–1506). In 1495, Jews were ordered out of the center of Kraków and allowed to settle in the "Jewish town" of Kazimierz. In
10269-459: The Jews to emigrate to Poland was the Magdeburg rights (or Magdeburg Law), a charter given to Jews, among others, that specifically outlined the rights and privileges that Jews had in Poland. For example, they could maintain communal autonomy, and live according to their own laws. This made it very attractive for Jewish communities to pick up and move to Poland. The first mention of Jewish settlers in Płock dates from 1237, in Kalisz from 1287 and
10432-439: The Khmelnytsky Uprising until after the Deluge (1648–1658) left a deep and lasting impression not only on the social life of the Polish–Lithuanian Jews, but on their spiritual life as well. The intellectual output of the Jews of Poland was reduced. The Talmudic learning which up to that period had been the common possession of the majority of the people became accessible to a limited number of students only. What religious study there
10595-499: The Lake Superior snowbelt each year. Wisconsin has three types of municipality: cities, villages, and towns. Cities and villages are incorporated urban areas. Towns are unincorporated minor civil divisions of counties with limited self-government. Over two-thirds of Wisconsin residents live in urban areas. Milwaukee , in southeastern Wisconsin, is the state's most populous city, with approximately 580,000 people. The Milwaukee metropolitan area accounts for 1.57 million of
10758-405: The Law, but also spiritual advisers, teachers, judges, and legislators; and their authority compelled the communal leaders to make themselves familiar with the abstruse questions of Jewish law . Polish Jewry found its views of life shaped by the spirit of Talmudic and rabbinical literature, whose influence was felt in the home, in school, and in the synagogue. In the first half of the 16th century
10921-484: The November Insurrection of 1830–1831, the January Insurrection of 1863, as well as in the revolutionary movement of 1905. Many Polish Jews were enlisted in the Polish Legions , which fought for the Polish independence, achieved in 1918 when the occupying forces disintegrated following World War I. Official Russian policy would eventually prove to be substantially harsher to the Jews than that under independent Polish rule. The lands that had once been Poland were to remain
11084-520: The Polish Commonwealth, according to Hundert, profoundly affected Jews due to genuinely positive encounter with the Christian culture across the many cities and towns owned by the Polish aristocracy. There was no isolation. The Jewish dress resembled that of their Polish neighbor. "Reports of romances, of drinking together in taverns, and of intellectual conversations are quite abundant." Wealthy Jews had Polish noblemen at their table, and served meals on silver plates. By 1764, there were about 750,000 Jews in
11247-453: The Soviet Union) left the Polish People’s Republic for the nascent State of Israel or the Americas . Their departure was hastened by the destruction of Jewish institutions, post-war anti-Jewish violence , and the hostility of the Communist Party to both religion and private enterprise, but also because in 1946–1947 Poland was the only Eastern Bloc country to allow free Jewish aliyah to Israel, without visas or exit permits. Most of
11410-427: The Tall and Władysław III Spindleshanks . Jews enjoyed undisturbed peace and prosperity in the many principalities into which the country was then divided; they formed the middle class in a country where the general population consisted of landlords (developing into szlachta , the unique Polish nobility) and peasants, and they were instrumental in promoting the commercial interests of the land. Another factor for
11573-405: The U.S. resulted in a net decrease of 72,006 people. According to HUD 's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report , there were an estimated 4,775 homeless people in Wisconsin. (of any race) In 2022, the five largest European ancestry groups were: German (36%), Irish (10.2%), Polish (7.9%), English (6.7%), and Norwegian (6.3%). German is the most common ancestry in every county in
11736-631: The United States in 1783 after the American Revolutionary War . In 1787, it became part of the Northwest Territory . As territorial boundaries subsequently developed, it was then part of Indiana Territory from 1800 to 1809, Illinois Territory from 1809 to 1818, and Michigan Territory from 1818 to 1836. However, the British remained in control until after the War of 1812 , the outcome of which finally established an American presence in
11899-446: The acquired assets of Bon-Ton to New York-based BrandX.com in a private sale. In May 2022 BrandX.com announced that Younkers would reopen with a physical location in 2023. Polish Jewish The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture , because of
12062-667: The aftermath of these events. During the Civil War , around 91,000 troops from Wisconsin fought for the Union . Wisconsin's economy also diversified during the early years of statehood. While lead mining diminished, agriculture became a principal occupation in the southern half of the state. Railroads were built across the state to help transport grains to market, and industries like J.I. Case & Company in Racine were founded to build agricultural equipment. Wisconsin briefly became one of
12225-540: The ages of 18 and 35, Jews had to provide recruits between the ages of 12 and 25, at the qahal 's discretion. Thus between 1827 and 1857 over 30,000 children were placed in the so-called Cantonist schools, where they were pressured to convert. "Many children were smuggled to Poland, where the conscription of Jews did not take effect until 1844." The Pale of Settlement ( Russian : Черта́ осе́длости , chertá osédlosti , Yiddish : תּחום-המושבֿ , tkhum-ha-moyshəv , Hebrew : תְּחוּם הַמּוֹשָב , tḥùm ha-mosháv )
12388-473: The area. Under American control, the economy of the territory shifted from fur trading to lead mining. The prospect of easy mineral wealth drew immigrants from throughout the U.S. and Europe to the lead deposits located at Mineral Point , Dodgeville , and nearby areas. Some miners found shelter in the holes they had dug, and earned the nickname "badgers", leading to Wisconsin's identity as the "Badger State". The sudden influx of white miners prompted tension with
12551-513: The authority of both was recognized by the Jews throughout Europe. Heated religious disputations were common, and Jewish scholars participated in them. At the same time, the Kabbalah had become entrenched under the protection of Rabbinism ; and such scholars as Mordecai Jaffe and Yoel Sirkis devoted themselves to its study. This period of great Rabbinical scholarship was interrupted by the [Khmelnytsky Uprising and The Deluge. The decade from
12714-569: The capital of the Polish kingdom of the Piast dynasty . Among the first Jews to arrive in Poland in 1097 or 1098 were those banished from Prague . The first permanent Jewish community is mentioned in 1085 by a Jewish scholar Jehuda ha-Kohen in the city of Przemyśl . As elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe , the principal activity of Jews in medieval Poland was commerce and trade, including
12877-642: The cause of Polish independence. During the Second Polish Republic period, there were several prominent Jewish politicians in the Polish Sejm, such as Apolinary Hartglas and Yitzhak Gruenbaum . Many Jewish political parties were active, representing a wide ideological spectrum, from the Zionists, to the socialists to the anti-Zionists. One of the largest of these parties was the Bund, which
13040-549: The changes, and Walker survived a recall election held the next year , becoming the first governor in United States history to do so. Wisconsin is located in the Midwestern United States and is part of both the Great Lakes region and Upper Midwest . The state has a total area of 65,496 square miles (169,630 km ). Wisconsin is bordered by the Montreal River ; Lake Superior and Michigan to
13203-499: The company. The bid was estimated to be worth $ 775.5 million. This included all remaining Younkers locations after 162 years of operation. According to national retail reporter Mitch Nolen, stores closed within 10 to 12 weeks. On August 29, 2018, Younkers closed its doors and shut down. On September 10, 2018, of Merrillville, Indiana-based CSG Generation acquired all trademark and intellectual property assets of The Bon-Ton (York, Pa.). Subsequently, in early 2021, CSC Generation sold all
13366-681: The cooperation of the Polish princes for enforcement, which was generally not forthcoming, due to the profits which the Jews' economic activity yielded to the princes. In 1332, King Casimir III the Great (1303–1370) amplified and expanded Bolesław's old charter with the Wiślicki Statute . Under his reign, streams of Jewish immigrants headed east to Poland and Jewish settlements are first mentioned as existing in Lvov (1356), Sandomierz (1367), and Kazimierz near Kraków (1386). Casimir, who according to
13529-536: The countries of origin for Wisconsin's immigrants came from Mexico, India, China, Laos and the Philippines . Note: Births in table add to over 100%, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number. Religious self-identification, per Public Religion Research Institute 's 2022 American Values Survey According to Public Religion Research Institute 's 2022 American Values Survey , those identifying with
13692-572: The creation of a Jewish state in Palestine . The Polish state also supported Jewish paramilitary groups such as the Haganah , Betar , and Irgun , providing them with weapons and training. In 1939, at the start of World War II, Poland was partitioned between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union (see Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact ). One-fifth of the Polish population perished during World War II;
13855-528: The current spelling official in 1845. The Algonquian word for Wisconsin and its original meaning have both grown obscure. While interpretations vary, most implicate the river and the red sandstone that lines its banks. One leading theory holds that the name originated from the Miami word Meskonsing , meaning ' it lies red ' , a reference to the setting of the Wisconsin River as it flows through
14018-642: The desecration of Jewish cemeteries . Nevertheless, while the Jews of Poland enjoyed tranquility for the greater part of Casimir's reign, toward its close they were subjected to persecution on account of the Black Death . In 1348, the first blood libel accusation against Jews in Poland was recorded, and in 1367 the first pogrom took place in Poznań . Compared with the pitiless destruction of their co-religionists in Western Europe , however, Polish Jews did not fare badly; and Jewish refugees from Germany fled to
14181-444: The direction of the rabbis, in the more prominent communities. Such schools were officially known as gymnasia , and their rabbi principals as rectors . Important yeshivot existed in Kraków, Poznań, and other cities. Jewish printing establishments came into existence in the first quarter of the 16th century. In 1530 a Torah was printed in Kraków; and at the end of the century the Jewish printing houses of that city and Lublin issued
14344-572: The dogmatic clergy pushed for less official tolerance, pressured by the Synod of Constance . In 1349 pogroms took place in many towns in Silesia. There were accusations of blood libel by the priests, and new riots against the Jews in Poznań in 1399. Accusations of blood libel by another fanatic priest led to the riots in Kraków in 1407, although the royal guard hastened to the rescue. Hysteria caused by
14507-481: The early 20th century, driven by an immense immigrant workforce arriving from Europe. Industries in cities like Milwaukee ranged from brewing and food processing to heavy machine production and tool-making, leading Wisconsin to rank 8th among U.S. states in total product value by 1910. The early 20th century was also notable for the emergence of progressive politics championed by Robert M. La Follette . Between 1901 and 1914, Progressive Republicans in Wisconsin created
14670-424: The eastern and southern areas of Polish-occupied Ukraine. The precise number of dead is not known, but the decrease of the Jewish population during this period is estimated at 100,000 to 200,000, which also includes emigration, deaths from diseases and jasyr (captivity in the Ottoman Empire ). The Jewish community suffered greatly during the 1648 Ukrainian Cossack uprising which had been directed primarily against
14833-507: The ethical problems of antisemitism and persecution, one form of which was the Musar movement . Polish Jews generally were less influenced by Haskalah , rather focusing on a strong continuation of their religious lives based on Halakha ("rabbis's law") following primarily Orthodox Judaism , Hasidic Judaism , and also adapting to the new Religious Zionism of the Mizrachi movement later in
14996-553: The export and import of goods such as cloth, linen, furs, hides, wax, metal objects, and slaves. The first extensive Jewish migration from Western Europe to Poland occurred at the time of the First Crusade in 1098. Under Bolesław III (1102–1139), Jews, encouraged by the tolerant regime of this ruler, settled throughout Poland, including over the border in Lithuanian territory as far as Kyiv . Bolesław III recognized
15159-608: The fire and was demolished; the western 1909 Wilkins Department Store building, that Younker's had expanded into in 1924, was still standing as of 2016 and undergoing renovation. Younkers was operated by the Equitable of Iowa insurance company from 1979 to 1992 after being a publicly traded company since 1948. Under Equitable's ownership, Younkers acquired all 11 locations of the Omaha-based Brandeis department store chain in 1987. After returning to public ownership on
15322-597: The first governor of Wisconsin , was a Democrat . Dewey oversaw the transition from the territorial to the new state government. He encouraged the development of the state's infrastructure, particularly the construction of new roads, railroads, canals, and harbors, as well as the improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers . During his administration, the State Board of Public Works was organized. Dewey, an abolitionist ,
15485-497: The first half of the 19th century some semblance of a vastly smaller Polish state was preserved, especially in the form of the Congress Poland (1815–1831). Under foreign rule many Jews inhabiting formerly Polish lands were indifferent to Polish aspirations for independence. However, most Polonized Jews supported the revolutionary activities of Polish patriots and participated in national uprisings. Polish Jews took part in
15648-536: The following century. Shachna's son Israel became rabbi of Lublin on the death of his father, and Shachna's pupil Moses Isserles (known as the ReMA ) (1520–1572) achieved an international reputation among the Jews as the co-author of the Shulkhan Arukh , (the "Code of Jewish Law"). His contemporary and correspondent Solomon Luria (1510–1573) of Lublin also enjoyed a wide reputation among his co-religionists; and
15811-623: The former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ; it covered much of present-day Lithuania , Belarus , Poland , Moldova , Ukraine , and parts of western Russia . From 1791 to 1835, and until 1917, there were differing reconfigurations of the boundaries of the Pale, such that certain areas were variously open or shut to Jewish residency, such as the Caucasus . At times, Jews were forbidden to live in agricultural communities, or certain cities, as in Kyiv , Sevastopol and Yalta , excluded from residency at
15974-466: The heartland of the " Effigy Mound culture", which built thousands of animal-shaped mounds across the landscape. Later, between 1000 and 1500 CE, the Mississippian and Oneota cultures built substantial settlements including the fortified village at Aztalan in southeast Wisconsin. The Oneota may be the ancestors of the modern Ioway and Ho-Chunk nations who shared the Wisconsin region with
16137-515: The home of many Jews, as, in 1772, Catherine II , the Tzarina of Russia, instituted the Pale of Settlement , restricting Jews to the western parts of the empire, which would eventually include much of Poland, although it excluded some areas in which Jews had previously lived. By the late 19th century, over four million Jews would live in the Pale. Tsarist policy towards the Jews of Poland alternated between harsh rules, and inducements meant to break
16300-657: The immediate aftermath of World War II , citizens of Wisconsin were divided over issues such as creation of the United Nations , support for the European recovery, and the growth of the Soviet Union 's power. However, when Europe divided into Communist and capitalist camps and the Chinese Communist Revolution succeeded in 1949, public opinion began to move towards support for the protection of democracy and capitalism against Communist expansion. Wisconsin took part in several political extremes in
16463-460: The inviolability of their persons and property should be guaranteed and that religious toleration should be to a certain extent granted them; but he insisted that Jews living in the cities should be separated from the Christians, that those of them having no definite occupation should be banished from the kingdom, and that even those engaged in agriculture should not be allowed to possess land. On
16626-618: The king to grant them that privilege. After the Union of Brest in 1595–1596, the Orthodox church was outlawed in Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth and that caused massive religious, social and political tensions in Ruthenia . In part it was also caused due to mass migration of the Jews to Ruthenia and their role perceived by local population and in turn led to multiple Cossack uprisings. The largest one of them started in 1648 and
16789-652: The last king of the Jagiellon dynasty , nobles ( szlachta ) gathered at Warsaw in 1573 and signed a document in which representatives of all major religions pledged mutual support and tolerance. The following eight or nine decades of material prosperity and relative security experienced by Polish Jews – wrote Professor Gershon Hundert – witnessed the appearance of "a virtual galaxy of sparkling intellectual figures." Jewish academies were established in Lublin, Kraków, Brześć (Brisk), Lwów, Ostróg and other towns. Poland-Lithuania
16952-571: The local Native American population. The Winnebago War of 1827 and the Black Hawk War of 1832 culminated in the forced removal of Native Americans from most parts of the state. Following these conflicts, Wisconsin Territory was created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1836. By fall of that year, the best prairie groves of the counties surrounding what is now Milwaukee were occupied by farmers from
17115-633: The long period of statutory religious tolerance and social autonomy which ended after the Partitions of Poland in the 18th century. During World War II there was a nearly complete genocidal destruction of the Polish Jewish community by Nazi Germany and its collaborators of various nationalities, during the German occupation of Poland between 1939 and 1945, called the Holocaust . Since
17278-438: The metro area. Other metropolitan cities in the state include Appleton , Racine , Oshkosh , Eau Claire , Janesville , Wausau , La Crosse , Sheboygan , and Fond du Lac . Furthermore, another 12 cities function as centers of micropolitan statistical areas which typically anchor a network of working farms surrounding them. As of 2011, there were 12 cities in Wisconsin with a population of 50,000 or more, accounting for 73% of
17441-517: The mid to late 20th century, ranging from the anti-communist crusades of Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s to the radical antiwar protests at UW-Madison that culminated in the Sterling Hall bombing in August 1970. The state undertook welfare reform under Republican Governor Tommy Thompson during the 1990s. The state's economy also underwent further transformations towards the close of
17604-490: The more hospitable cities in Poland. As a result of the marriage of Władysław II Jagiełło to Jadwiga , daughter of Louis I of Hungary , Lithuania was united with the kingdom of Poland . In 1388–1389 , broad privileges were extended to Lithuanian Jews including freedom of religion and commerce on equal terms with the Christians. Under the rule of Władysław II, Polish Jews had increased in numbers and attained prosperity. However, religious persecution gradually increased, as
17767-470: The most devastating fire in Des Moines ' history, and destroyed the original Younkers at the mall. It is also the third deadliest department store fire in US history. The fire was caused by faulty wiring. In the early hours of March 29, 2014, a fire ravaged the former Younker Brothers Department Store in downtown Des Moines while it was under renovation. The eastern, original 1899 building partially collapsed in
17930-482: The nation's first comprehensive statewide primary election system, the first effective workplace injury compensation law, and the first state income tax , making taxation proportional to actual earnings. During World War I , due to the neutrality of Wisconsin and many Wisconsin Republicans , progressives , and German immigrants which made up 30 to 40 percent of the state population, Wisconsin would gain
18093-421: The nation's leading producers of wheat during the 1860s. Meanwhile, the lumber industry dominated in the heavily forested northern sections of Wisconsin, and sawmills sprang up in cities like La Crosse , Eau Claire , and Wausau . These economic activities had dire environmental consequences. By the close of the 19th century, intensive agriculture had devastated soil fertility, and lumbering had deforested most of
18256-491: The next hundred years, the Church pushed for the persecution of Jews while the rulers of Poland usually protected them. The Councils of Wrocław (1267), Buda (1279), and Łęczyca (1285) each segregated Jews, ordered them to wear a special emblem, banned them from holding offices where Christians would be subordinated to them, and forbade them from building more than one prayer house in each town. However, those church decrees required
18419-517: The nickname "Traitor State" which was used by many "hyper patriots". As the war raged on in Europe, Robert M. La Follette , leader of the anti-war movement in Wisconsin. led a group of progressive senators in blocking a bill by president Woodrow Wilson which would have armed merchant ships with guns. Many Wisconsin politicians such as Emanuel L. Philipp and Irvine Lenroot were accused of having divided loyalties. Even with outspoken opponents to
18582-559: The nobility). Sigismund II Augustus (1548–1572), mainly followed his father's tolerant policy and also granted communal-administration autonomy to the Jews and laid the foundation for the power of the Qahal , or autonomous Jewish community. According to some sources, about three-quarters of all Jews lived in Poland by the middle of the 16th century. In the 16h and 17th centuries, Poland welcomed Jewish immigrants from Italy , as well as Sephardi Jews and Romaniote Jews migrating there from
18745-731: The nobles, purgatory for the townspeople, hell for the peasants, and paradise for the Jews". Despite the Warsaw Confederation agreement, it did not last for long due to beginning of Counter-Reformation in the Commonwealth and growing influence of the Jesuits. By 1590s there were anti-Semitic outbreaks in Poznań , Lublin , Kraków , Vilnius and Kyiv . In Lwów alone mass attacks of Jews started in 1572 and then repeated in 1592, 1613, 1618, and from 1638 every year with Jesuit students being responsible for many of them. At
18908-534: The north; by Lake Michigan to the east; by Illinois to the south; and by Iowa to the southwest and Minnesota to the northwest. A border dispute with Michigan was settled by two cases, both Wisconsin v. Michigan , in 1934 and 1935. The state's boundaries include the Mississippi River and St. Croix River in the west, and the Menominee River in the northeast. With its location between
19071-497: The other hand, some szlachta and intellectuals proposed a national system of government, of the civil and political equality of the Jews. This was the only example in modern Europe before the French Revolution of tolerance and broadmindedness in dealing with the Jewish question. But all these reforms were too late: a Russian army soon invaded Poland, and soon after a Prussian one followed. A second partition of Poland
19234-515: The period of French fur traders, the next wave of settlers were miners, many of whom were Cornish , who settled the southwestern area of the state. The next wave was dominated by "Yankees", migrants of English descent from New England and upstate New York ; in the early years of statehood, they dominated the state's heavy industry, finance, politics, and education. Between 1850 and 1900, the immigrants were mostly Germans , Scandinavians (the largest group being Norwegian ), Irish , and Poles . In
19397-461: The pogrom and instead sheltered Jewish families. The Jewish Enlightenment, Haskalah , began to take hold in Poland during the 19th century, stressing secular ideas and values. Champions of Haskalah , the Maskilim , pushed for assimilation and integration into Russian culture. At the same time, there was another school of Jewish thought that emphasized traditional study and a Jewish response to
19560-520: The recurring invasions of the Russians, Crimean Tatars and Ottomans , became the scene of even more atrocities. Charles X of Sweden , at the head of his victorious army, overran the cities of Kraków and Warsaw. The amount of destruction, pillage and methodical plunder during the Siege of Kraków (1657) was so enormous that parts the city never again recovered. Which was later followed by the massacres of
19723-553: The reddish sandstone of the Wisconsin Dells . Other theories include claims that the name originated from one of a variety of Ojibwa words meaning ' red stone place ' , ' where the waters gather ' , or ' great rock ' . Wisconsin has been home to a wide variety of cultures over the past 14,000 years. The first people arrived around 10,000 BCE during the Wisconsin Glaciation . These early inhabitants, called Paleo-Indians , hunted now-extinct ice age animals such as
19886-446: The region licenses for fur trading had been issued scarcely and only to select groups of traders, whereas the British, in an effort to make as much money as possible from the region, issued licenses for fur trading freely, both to British and to French residents. The fur trade in what is now Wisconsin reached its height under British rule, and the first self-sustaining farms in the state were established as well. From 1763 to 1780, Green Bay
20049-523: The reign of Sigismund I the Old (1506–1548), who protected the Jews in his realm. During his reign, in 1538, the Polish Sejm passed a law making illegal the leasing of royal perogatives, such as salt mines, the mint, and customs to Jews. While these so-called "great arenda " became one of the protected privileges of the szlachta , in the 16th and 17th centuries, Jews were the primary administrators of agricultural arenda (administrating landed estates leased from
20212-498: The remaining Jews left Poland in late 1968 as the result of the "anti-Zionist" campaign . After the fall of the Communist regime in 1989, the situation of Polish Jews became normalized and those who were Polish citizens before World War II were allowed to renew Polish citizenship . The contemporary Polish Jewish community is estimated to have between 10,000 and 20,000 members. The number of people with Jewish heritage of any sort
20375-525: The resistance to large-scale conversion. In 1804, Alexander I of Russia issued a "Statute Concerning Jews", meant to accelerate the process of assimilation of the Empire's new Jewish population. The Polish Jews were allowed to establish schools with Russian, German or Polish curricula. However, they were also restricted from leasing property, teaching in Yiddish, and from entering Russia. They were banned from
20538-816: The rest of the islands of Wisconsin. Areas under the protection of the National Park Service include the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore , Ice Age National Scenic Trail , and portions of the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway and North Country National Scenic Trail . There are an additional 18 National Natural Landmarks in the state that include dune and swales, swamps, bogs, and old-growth forests. Wisconsin has 50 state park units , covering more than 60,570 acres (245.1 km ) in state parks and state recreation areas maintained by
20701-448: The river Meskousing (likely ᒣᔅᑯᐤᓯᣙ meskowsin ) in his journal. Subsequent French writers changed the spelling from Meskousing to Ouisconsin , and over time this became the name for both the Wisconsin River and the surrounding lands. English speakers anglicized the spelling from Ouisconsin to Wisconsin when they began to arrive in large numbers during the early 19th century. The legislature of Wisconsin Territory made
20864-517: The same time Privilegium de non tolerandis Judaeis and Privilegium de non tolerandis Christianis were introduced to limit Jews living in the Christian cities, which intensified their migration to the Eastern parts of the country where they were invited by the magnates to their private towns . By the end of the 18th century two-thirds of the royal towns and cities in the Commonwealth had pressed
21027-699: The same time, many Germans , Irish, Norwegians , and other immigrants also settled in towns and farms across the territory, establishing Catholic and Lutheran institutions. The growing population allowed Wisconsin to gain statehood on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state. Between 1840 and 1850, Wisconsin's non-Indian population had swollen from 31,000 to 305,000. More than a third of residents (110,500) were foreign born, including 38,000 Germans, 28,000 British immigrants from England, Scotland, and Wales, and 21,000 Irish. Another third (103,000) were Yankees from New England and western New York state. Only about 63,000 residents in 1850 had been born in Wisconsin. Nelson Dewey ,
21190-529: The same year, Alexander, when he was the Grand Duke of Lithuania , followed the 1492 example of Spanish rulers and banished Jews from Lithuania. For several years they took shelter in Poland until he reversed his decision eight years later in 1503 after becoming King of Poland and allowed them back to Lithuania. The next year he issued a proclamation in which he stated that a policy of tolerance befitted "kings and rulers". Poland became more tolerant just as
21353-455: The seeds of Talmudic learning had been transplanted to Poland from Bohemia , particularly from the school of Jacob Pollak , the creator of Pilpul ("sharp reasoning"). Shalom Shachna (c. 1500–1558), a pupil of Pollak, is counted among the pioneers of Talmudic learning in Poland. He lived and died in Lublin , where he was the head of the yeshivah which produced the rabbinical celebrities of
21516-495: The state was in the Wisconsin Dells, on July 13, 1936, where it reached 114 °F (46 °C). The lowest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin was in the village of Couderay , where it reached −55 °F (−48 °C) on both February 2 and 4, 1996. Wisconsin also receives a large amount of regular snowfall averaging around 40 inches (100 cm) in the southern portions with up to 160 inches (410 cm) annually in
21679-447: The state's employment. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Wisconsin was 5,822,434 on July 1, 2019, a 2.4% increase since the 2010 United States census . This includes a natural increase since the last census of 150,659 people (i.e., 614,771 births minus 464,112 deaths) and a decrease due to net migration of 12,755 people. Immigration resulted in a net increase of 59,251 people, and migration from within
21842-602: The state's highest point, Timms Hill . In the middle of the state, the Central Plain has some unique sandstone formations like the Dells of the Wisconsin River in addition to rich farmland. The Eastern Ridges and Lowlands region in the southeast is home to many of Wisconsin's largest cities. The ridges include the Niagara Escarpment that stretches from New York, the Black River Escarpment and
22005-446: The state's residents. With a population of nearly 280,000, the state capital of Madison is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in both the state and country and is the fastest-growing city in Wisconsin. The Madison metropolitan area in southern Wisconsin has about 680,000 residents. Medium-size cities dot the state. The largest of these is Green Bay in northeastern Wisconsin, with approximately 320,000 people in
22168-533: The state, except Menominee, Trempealeau, and Vernon. Wisconsin has the highest percentage of residents of Polish ancestry of any state. According to the 2022 American Community Survey , 7.6% of Wisconsin's population were of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race). The largest Hispanic ancestry groups were Mexican (5.1%), Puerto Rican (1.1%), Central American (0.4%), and Cuban (0.1%), with 0.9% reporting other Hispanic or Latino origins. Since its founding, Wisconsin has been ethnically heterogeneous. Following
22331-402: The state. These conditions forced both wheat agriculture and the lumber industry into a precipitous decline. Beginning in the 1890s, farmers in Wisconsin shifted from wheat to dairy production to make more sustainable and profitable use of their land. Many immigrants carried cheese-making traditions that, combined with the state's suitable geography and dairy research led by Stephen Babcock at
22494-487: The status of the Jews was briefly checked by Casimir IV Jagiellon (1447–1492), but soon the nobility forced him to issue the Statute of Nieszawa , which, among other things, abolished the ancient privileges of the Jews "as contrary to divine right and the law of the land." Nevertheless, the king continued to offer his protection to the Jews. Two years later Casimir issued another document announcing that he could not deprive
22657-462: The utility of Jews in the development of the commercial interests of his country. Jews came to form the backbone of the Polish economy. Mieszko III employed Jews in his mint as engravers and technical supervisors, and the coins minted during that period even bear Hebraic markings . Jews worked on commission for the mints of other contemporary Polish princes, including Casimir the Just , Bolesław I
22820-459: The war, at the onset of the war many Wisconsinites would abandon neutrality. Businesses, labor and farms all enjoyed prosperity from the war. With over 118,000 going into military service, Wisconsin was the first state to report for the national drafts conducted by the U.S. military . The progressive Wisconsin Idea also promoted the statewide expansion of the University of Wisconsin through
22983-410: The water and the shore assumed green tints in early spring. The old French title was gradually dropped, and the British name of "Green Bay" eventually stuck. The region coming under British rule had virtually no adverse effect on the French residents as the British needed the cooperation of the French fur traders and the French fur traders needed the goodwill of the British. During the French occupation of
23146-653: The way to the Mississippi River near Prairie du Chien . Frenchmen like Nicholas Perrot continued to ply the fur trade across Wisconsin through the 17th and 18th centuries, but the French made no permanent settlements in Wisconsin before Great Britain won control of the region following the French and Indian War in 1763. Even so, French traders continued to work in the region after the war, and some, beginning with Charles de Langlade in 1764, settled in Wisconsin permanently, rather than returning to British-controlled Canada. The British gradually took over Wisconsin during
23309-563: The weakening of the Commonwealth and growing religious strife (due to the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation ), Poland's traditional tolerance began to wane from the 17th century. After the Partitions of Poland in 1795 and the destruction of Poland as a sovereign state , Polish Jews became subject to the laws of the partitioning powers, including the increasingly antisemitic Russian Empire , as well as Austria-Hungary and Kingdom of Prussia (later
23472-717: The wealthy nobility and landlords. The Jews, perceived as allies of the Poles, were also victims of the revolt, during which about 20% of them were killed. Ruled by the elected kings of the House of Vasa since 1587, the embattled Commonwealth was invaded by the Swedish Empire in 1655 in what became known as the Deluge . Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth which had already suffered from the Khmelnytsky Uprising and from
23635-405: Was a prosperous community which produced its own foodstuff, built graceful cottages and held dances and festivities. Joseph Roi built the Tank Cottage in Green Bay in 1776. Located in Heritage Hill State Historical Park , it is the oldest standing building from Wisconsin's early years and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Wisconsin became a territorial possession of
23798-401: Was acquired in 1949. Younkers began expanding outside of Iowa during the 1950s and opened its first shopping mall store in Omaha, Nebraska , in 1955. (It acquired another Omaha department store, Kilpatrick's, in 1961.) By 1978 Younkers had 28 stores in five states. In November 1978, a fire broke out in the Younkers store in the Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines, killing 11 people. To date, it is
23961-409: Was became overly formalized, some rabbis busied themselves with quibbles concerning religious laws; others wrote commentaries on different parts of the Talmud in which hair-splitting arguments were raised and discussed; and at times these arguments dealt with matters which were of no practical importance. At the same time, many miracle-workers made their appearance among the Jews of Poland, culminating in
24124-487: Was bought by Catherine the Great for 2.5 million rubles, with the Russian army stationing only 5 kilometres (3 mi) away from Warsaw. Eight years later, triggered by the Confederation of Bar against Russian influence and the pro-Russian king, the outlying provinces of Poland were overrun from all sides by different military forces and divided for the first time by the three neighboring empires, Russia, Austria , and Prussia . The Commonwealth lost 30% of its land during
24287-507: Was concerned. Prominent among such rulers was Bolesław the Pious of Kalisz , Prince of Great Poland . With the consent of the class representatives and higher officials, in 1264 he issued a General Charter of Jewish Liberties (commonly called the Statute of Kalisz ), which granted all Jews the freedom to worship, trade, and travel. Similar privileges were granted to the Silesian Jews by the local princes, Henryk IV Probus of Wrocław in 1273–90, Henryk III of Głogów in 1274 and 1299, Henryk V
24450-432: Was destroyed. The new czar, Alexander III , blamed the Jews for the riots and issued a series of harsh restrictions on Jewish movements. Pogroms continued until 1884, with at least tacit government approval. They proved a turning point in the history of the Jews in partitioned Poland and throughout the world. In 1884, 36 Jewish Zionist delegates met in Katowice , forming the Hovevei Zion movement. The pogroms prompted
24613-413: Was followed by several conflicts, in which the country lost over a third of its population (over three million people). The Jewish losses were counted in the hundreds of thousands. The first of these large-scale atrocities was the Khmelnytsky Uprising , in which the Cossacks of the Zaporozhian Host under Bohdan Khmelnytsky massacred tens of thousands of Jews as well as Catholic and Uniate population in
24776-410: Was founded in Wisconsin in 1854; in modern elections, it is considered a swing state . The word Wisconsin originates from the name given to the Wisconsin River by one of the Algonquian -speaking Native American groups living in the region at the time of European colonization . The French explorer Jacques Marquette was the first European to reach the Wisconsin River, arriving in 1673 and calling
24939-456: Was made on 17 July 1793. Jews, in a Jewish regiment led by Berek Joselewicz , took part in the Kościuszko Uprising the following year, when the Poles tried to again achieve independence, but were brutally put down. Following the revolt, the third and final partition of Poland took place in 1795. The territories which included the great bulk of the Jewish population was transferred to Russia, and thus they became subjects of that empire, although in
25102-444: Was shared with local councils. The Polish government permitted the Rabbinate to grow in power, to use it for tax collection purposes. Only 30% of the money raised by the Rabbinate served Jewish causes, the rest went to the Crown for protection. In this period Poland-Lithuania became the main center for Ashkenazi Jewry and its yeshivot achieved fame from the early 16th century. Moses Isserles (1520–1572), an eminent Talmudist of
25265-491: Was strongest in Warsaw and Lodz. In addition to the socialists, Zionist parties were also popular, in particular, the Marxist Poale Zion and the orthodox religious Polish Mizrahi. The General Zionist party became the most prominent Jewish party in the interwar period and in the 1919 elections to the first Polish Sejm since the partitions, gained 50% of the Jewish vote. Wisconsin Wisconsin ( / w ɪ ˈ s k ɒ n s ɪ n / wiss- CON -sin )
25428-439: Was taken into custody under the Federal Fugitive Slave Law , but a mob of abolitionists stormed the prison where Glover was held and helped him escape to Canada. In a trial stemming from the incident, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ultimately declared the Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional. The Republican Party , founded on March 20, 1854, by anti-slavery expansion activists in Ripon, Wisconsin , grew to dominate state politics in
25591-411: Was that Poland was meant to be a good place for the Jews. During the time from the rule of Sigismund I the Old until the Holocaust , Poland would be at the center of Jewish religious life. Many agreed with Rabbi David HaLevi Segal that Poland was a place where "most of the time the gentiles do no harm; on the contrary they do right by Israel" ( Divre David; 1689). Yeshivot were established, under
25754-402: Was the first chronicler to mention the Polish state ruled by Prince Mieszko I . In the summer of 965 or 966, Jacob made a trade and diplomatic journey from his native Toledo in Muslim Spain to the Holy Roman Empire and then to the Slavic countries. The first actual mention of Jews in Polish chronicles occurs in the 11th century, where it appears that Jews then lived in Gniezno , at that time
25917-429: Was the first of many Wisconsin governors to advocate against the spread of slavery into new states and territories. Politics in early Wisconsin were defined by the greater national debate over slavery. A free state from its foundation, Wisconsin became a center of northern abolitionism . The debate became especially intense in 1854 after Joshua Glover , a runaway slave from Missouri , was captured in Racine . Glover
26080-420: Was the most tolerant country in Europe. Historians have used the label paradisus iudaeorum ( Latin for " Paradise of the Jews"). Poland became a shelter for Jews persecuted and expelled from various European countries and the home to the world's largest Jewish community of the time. According to some sources, about three-quarters of the world's Jews lived in Poland by the middle of the 16th century. With
26243-426: Was the only country in Europe where the Jews cultivated their own farmer's fields. The central autonomous body that regulated Jewish life in Poland from the middle of the 16th to mid-18th century was known as the Council of Four Lands . It was during this period that a rueful pasquinade claiming that Poland was a "paradise for the Jews" gave birth to a proverb, which after subsequent extrapolations became "heaven for
26406-417: Was the owner of several villages in the Ruthenian voivodship and the soltys (administrator) of the village of Werbiz. Also, Jews from Grodno were in this period owners of villages, manors, meadows, fish ponds and mills. However, until the end of the 15th century, agriculture as a source of income played only a minor role among Jewish families. More important were crafts for the needs of both their fellow Jews and
26569-426: Was the term given to a region of Imperial Russia in which permanent residency by Jews was allowed and beyond which Jewish permanent residency was generally prohibited. It extended from the eastern pale , or demarcation line, to the western Russian border with the Kingdom of Prussia (later the German Empire ) and with Austria-Hungary . The archaic English term pale is derived from the Latin word palus ,
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