JEWS IN THE CITY BOOKS OF COURT AND JURY USING THE EXAMPLE OF ZOLKIEW IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES (Zydzi w ksiegach miejskich sadu wójtowsko-lawniczego na przykladzie Zólkwi w XVII i XVIII wieku)

The article presents one of the sources for the study of the history of Jews on pre-1795 Poland, namely the city books of the court and jury, using the example of preserved volumes coming from the archives of the private town of Zólkiew (now Zhovkva in Ukraine) from the 17th and 18th centuries, the bulk of which have been deposited in the Library of the Ivan Franko Institute in Lviv. These materials constitute an invaluable treasury of knowledge about the organization of the Jewish community, members of its board and its activity and the real estate held by it (including the synagogue, cemetery or hospital). They also contain information concerning onomastics, Jewish trades and guilds, taxes paid and debts incurred by Jews, customs and Christian-Jewish relations. However, when using this source one should remember that next to various benefits, one can come across certain risks inherent in its specific nature, which makes it indispensable to subject such content to scientific scrutiny.