“Lira” Literary and Music Society and Perec Willenberg’s Painting School

Established in 1907 by Zionist activists Moshe Zandsztajn and Leib Kopiński, “Lira” primarily used Polish and Hebrew, with Yiddish viewed unfavorably, attracting a small group of Hebraists and assimilationists. Soon after, a branch of the Petersburg Literary Society was founded in Częstochowa, gathering young enthusiasts of art and literature in Yiddish. In 1911, members from the dissolved Petersburg Society joined “Lira,” which was located on the building’s upper floor at Aleja NMP 13. Perec Willenberg’s painting school also used these rooms before later moving to Fabryczna Street (now Mielczarskiego Street) in the artist’s residence.