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Jews began to settle in Brzesc during the Lithuanian rule, probably in the middle of the 14th century. On July 1, 1388, the Lithuanian Prince Vitovat (Vitoler )[?] gave Brzesc's Jews a written declaration permitting them to reside in his principality. Later, the permit included all the Jews residing in Lithuania. This document was approved by King Zigmund I on January 4, 1507 and reconfirmed by King Zigmund III on June 26, 1570. The declaration was based on similar declarations given to the Polish Jews by King Boleslav [?] from Kalish, and by King Casimir the Great. At that time, the document was adjusted to the conditions in the Principality of Lithuania. On August 4, 1447 King Casimir IV gave the Polish and Lithuanian Jews a document confirming all previous declarations of rights. In this document, Brzesc's Jewish community was mentioned as one of the most active communities of the time. Most of the economical and financial activities of the principality of Lita were managed by Brzesc's Jews. They served as the tax and custom collectors of the principality. They also controlled the commerce and owned estates and farms. Around 1470, Rabbi Yechiel Ben Aaron Luria took office as Brezsc chief Rabbi.
Deportation and Return, 1495
In 1495, Brzesc's Jews were deported, as were all of Lithuania's Jews, by order of Prince Alexander. Their homes were given to their Christians' neighbors and their synagogue became the Church of the Holy Ghost. In 1503, Lithuania's Jews were permitted to return. Their homes and their synagogue were given back to them. On September 25, 1511, King Zigmund I gave Brzesc's Jews permission to restore their synagogue and even gave them bricks and other building materials needed for the work. As a direct result of the deportation, a number of rich Jews decided to convert to Christianity.
A Prominent Family
One of the most prominent was Abraham Azophovitz[?] who later on received a royal title and served as the treasury minister of the Duchy of Lithuania. His brothers, Yitzchak and Michael, did not convert. After their return to Brzesc, they continued to run their extensive businesses. Michael was one of the major tax collectors and the owner of most of the customs stations in Lithuania.
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He was a successful, large-scale money-lender and a trader. Among his clients were members of the royal family and the aristocracy. Large sums of money accumulated in his hands. He was close to King Zigmond the First, and was admired by him. Under a royal decree from 27 February 1514, Michael was nominated to be the Leader of the Lithuanian Jews. He was given the authority to represent the Jews before the government, to collect taxes from them, judge them in court, and to enforce penalties on them. In addition, he was instructed to nominate a Rabbi, whose duty was to judge the Jews according to Jewish laws. But, from the way it looked, the decree was only a written piece of paper that was never put to use. Documents from later years do not mention the titles given to Michael. There is a possibility that the Jews refused to accept his nomination.
A Prominent Rabbi
A similar case was the king's nomination of Rabbi Mendel Frank in 1531 as Chief Rabbi of the Lithuanian Jews. The Jews refused to recognize his nomination, and did not want him to be their Rabbi. In 1525 Michael Azophbitz [?] received a royal title from King Zigmond the First, and therefore, was the first Jew to receive that sort of a title without converting to the Christian Church. In addition to the Azophbitz brothers, there were other well known Jewish tax collectors and merchants in Brzesc. Reb Abraham Deludtz[?], Reb Yitzchak Borodveka [?] and the brothers David and Lipman Ben Shemaria.
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