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52°42' / 21°41' & 52°41' / 21°42'
Written by Abraham Wein
Translation of
“Poreba Koceby” & “Poreba Srednia”
chapters from Pinkas Hakehillot Polin
Published by Yad Vashem
Published in Jerusalem
Project Coordinator
Ada Holtzman z”l
Our sincere appreciation to Yad Vashem
for permission to put this material on the JewishGen web site.
This is a translation from: Pinkas Hakehillot Polin:
Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities, Poland, Volume IV, page 345, published by Yad Vashem, Jerusalem
JewishGen, Inc. makes no representations regarding the accuracy of
the translation. The reader may wish to refer to the original material
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[Page 345]
An annual fair in Poreba was famous for its high quality linen textiles produced by the local villagers. The two medical practitioners of the village were Jewish. Other Jews were owners of agricultural fields and orchards.
The Jewish community in the 20th century was well organized. It had a spacious Beit Midrash (religious Jewish school) which used to accommodate also worshippers from the surrounding villages. Two Shtibels (small synagogues) existed which belonged to different movements. The community held a Shochet (ritual slaughterer) who was also a Hazan (cantor). A Mikve (Jewish bath) existed in Poreba. The Rabbi was R' Kalinshtein who later on moved to become dayyan (rabbinical judge) and teacher in nearby Wyszkow.
The Jewish children studies in two Cheders and in one of them taught a Melamed Dardaki, a teacher of beginners.
A library existed between the two World Wars which served also readers from the neighboring villages. Concerts and lectures took place from time to time in the library. Branch of “Hashomer Hatzair” (Young Guard) Youth Movement was established in the 30s. In one of the concerts organized by “Hashomer Hatzair”, there were fist fights with Jewish Communist youth.
The Jewish community in this remote village became, in the 30s, also target for Polish Endeks from the right wing party in Poland, together with local hooligans, for Anti Semitic attacks and commercial boycotts. On June 1938 about 50 Endeks hooligans that came back from a convention in Radzymin, threw stones and broke windows of all Jewish houses, destroyed Jewish properties and orchards. 4 of the hooligans were put to trial but released due to “insufficient evidence”
There are no clear details about the faith of the Poreba Jews in the Holocaust. Most probably their destiny was similar to the destiny of the others resided in the Ostrow Mazowiecki district. They suffered 2 weeks from the Germans which occupied the area on September 1939, then for the town was held by the Soviets until June 1941. After the Germans returned Poreba, the Jews were transferred to bigger Jewish communities imprisoned in ghettos - which have been but big forced labour camps - in the area, and finally murdered them and deported them to Extermination Camps.
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