Antisemitism in Poland

The early Jewish immigrants into Poland were engaged chiefly in moneylending, and played an important role in the development of the country. The chief disseminator of antisemitism before the 14th century, was the Catholic Church, fearful of religious influence by Jews on the Christians. In the second half of the 14th century the Polish merchant class became strong enough to compete with Jews, and legal restrictions were placed on their activities as moneylenders