NOVY-DVOR:

By: Herman Rosenthal, George D. Rosenthal

Village in the district of Grodno. In the sixteenth century Novy-Dvor had a well-organized Jewish community, some of whose members owned farms. There are several documents to show that the Jews of Novy-Dvor came in conflict, at times, with the local priests, particularly in connection with the administration of the oath which the Jews were required to take in legal suits. Thus in 1540 the Jew Khatzka appealed from the decision of the priest Clement, who desired him to take the solemn oath in the synagogue, instead of the common oath, which, in the opinion of Khatzka, the case called for. From the course of the proceedings it appears that Khatzka's son Simon was able to read the Russian documents, and that the case was referred to Queen Bona because of the inability of the common courts to reach a decision in the matter. A census of the inhabitants of Novy-Dvor taken in 1558 shows that the Jews held considerable property on the streets Bazarnaya, Dvortzovaya, and Zhidovskaya, much of the land being devoted to gardening. The Jewish population of Novy-Dvor in 1897 was 500 in a total population of 1,282.

H. R. G. D. R.