(page 233)

Translated by Shalom Bronstein

Population Figures

Table of Contents

The Jewish Community Until 1918

At this time, Koniecpol was an independent community. Including the small settlements in the area subject to her, there were 733 persons paying the community tax. It had a synagogue, a poorhouse, a cemetery with a preparation building and a building for the community council.

The first known rabbi was R. Avigdor Margoliot (died in 1741), who served until 1724. Afterwards he served in Checiny. At a later time, R. ^[2] Solomon, son of Benjamin Wolf (died in 1761) served as rabbi until becoming rabbi of Pinczow. For some time, R. Solomon Wolf was the scribe of the Council of the Four Lands. He was the author of Vayakhel Shlomo [Solomon Gathered] on the five books of the Torah (Livorno, 1785) and a book of sermonic material Beit Shlomo [House of Solomon], Jerusalem 1926. In the second half of the 18^th century, serving as rabbi were R. Moses, son of Zvi Hirsch (one of the disciples of the Besht {Ba'al Shem Tov} ?), R. Arieh Leibush, son of R. Eliezer Hakohen, the son-in-law of R. Solomon, son of Benjamin Wolf. In the beginning of the 19^th century, R. Isaac Lisak occupied the position and in the middle of the century, it was R. Abraham David (registered for the years 1852-1853). In the 70s and 80s, the rabbi of Koniecpol was R. Reuben Judah Leib (registered for the years 1877-1878). For some years, serving as rabbi was R. David Dov Ber Taub, who from 1880 served in Dobzhin [Dobrzyn]. He was the author of Binyan David [The House of David]. In the beginning of the 20^th century, the rabbi of Koniecpol was R. Eliezer.

Between the Two World Wars

Among the social-economic institutions, mention should be made of the Commercial Bank – a branch of the bank in Czestochowa, the Organization of Jewish Professional Tailors and the free loan fund they maintained. Some 20% of the Jews depended on assistance. The owners and leaseholders of the firms mentioned above liberally aided those in need. In the area of health services, the TOZ^[3] and its clinics are noted. Koniecpol had only one Jewish physician.

Between the wars, the old cemetery was enlarged. The community had a large old synagogue built of stone, with a copper roof. Next door to it was a Beit Midrash. Koniecpol had many Shtiblach – including those of the Gerer, Radomsk and Alexander Hasidim. Serving as rabbis at this time were R. Hayim Asher Bornstein, R. David Kleinplatz, and after his death (1936 or 1937), his son, R. A. Kleinplatz. This order of rabbis serving the community is not definite. It is known that R. Hayim Asher Bornstein perished during World War II.

In the political life of Koniecpol, the Zionists were dominant. In 1924, the General Zionist Organization (Al-Hamishmar group) was founded. It had its own clubhouse and drama group and between 1928 and 1929 its own pioneer settler preparation group. From 1928, the Zionist Youth (Hanoar Hatzioni) was active with between 70 and 80 members and a library named [in honor of] Bialik. Close to 1928-1929, Betar was founded and it, too, had its own clubhouse. Poalei Zion did not have many followers in town and they did not set up a branch. Koniecpol also had a Brit Hayal [Soldier's Covenant]. In anticipation of the Zionist Congress elections, the following number of Shekalim were sold in Koniecpol: 1921 – 108; 1929 – 23; 1931 – 17; 1933 – 36; 1937 – 74 or 75 and in 1939 – about 110. In the elections, the General Zionists (Al Hamishmar) received most of the votes; in 1933, 24; in 1937, 54 votes and in 1939, 80 votes. In second place was the League for Working Eretz Yisrael; in 1933, 5 votes; in 1937, 20 votes and in 1939, 28 votes.

Men from various professional groups formed the leadership of the community, but the dominant influence was that of the General Zionists. They were followed [in influence] by Agudath Israel of the Radomsk Hasidim and the Organization of Professional Artisans. The chairman of the community was a Radomsk Hasid who was supported by the General Zionists because of his favorable disposition to Zionism. In the town council of Koniecpol, there were 3 Jews among the 11 members: 2 Zionists and 1 from Agudath Israel. In the two elected councils closest to World War II, a Jew served as deputy mayor.

The only Jewish schools in Koniecpol were the Hadarim. There was also a Yeshiva of the Gerer Hasidim. The only cultural institutions in Koniecpol were those connected with political movements.

Anti-Semitism affected Koniecpol's Jews in 1922: the owners of the estates organized to boycott the Jewish leaseholders and attempted to remove them from that aspect of economic activity. The growth of anti-Semitism increased in the 1930s, as in the rest of Poland's cities. In 1937, on one of the market days, a farmer provoked a Jewish youngster and a fight ensued. The Jew gained the upper hand. When that word was out, the anti-Semites inflamed the crowd against the Jews and they planned a pogrom against them for the market day of the following week. However, the Jewish youth of Koniecpol thwarted their plan: they appeared on the streets with any weapon they could acquire. Their adversaries had to abandon their plan to attack the Jews.

The Holocaust

Koniecpol's Jewish residents were assaulted several times by raids on their homes by local German police as well as occasional 'visits' by the Radomsko police, who would raid the town to attack and abuse the Jews by beatings, cutting beards, shooting their guns to terrorize the residents and other similar deeds. At the time of “The Fur Campaign,” Hayim Neufeld, among the distinguished citizens of Koniecpol, was shot after he was reported to the police and a fur was found in his house. Witnesses report on another killing in Koniecpol that claimed a young man and his entire family. The youth was shot outside the town for some 'violation.' His mother, sister and brothers had the audacity to have him buried in a Jewish ceremony. For this 'violation,' the Germans took them outside the town and shot them.

A Ghetto was not set up in the city. Many Jews did not wear the required identifying band in defiance of the order. Until the end of 1941, Jews had free access to all parts of the city. Carrying on trade with the Christian population was easy. With the remainder of their possessions, Jews bought foodstuffs, at reasonable prices, and therefore did not experience hunger. Many Jews who 'could pass' [because of their looks] used false documents and went on long forays to the areas of the Generalgouvernement, and did well by smuggling. The refugees and the displaced persons whose number was quite large were in difficult straits in Koniecpol, as in all other places. In May 1941, there were 518 refugees, the majority expelled from Plotsk [Plock], among the 1,182 Jewish residents of Koniecpol.

On orders from the government a Judenrat was set up in Koniecpol with Kornberg appointed as its head. The Judenrat followed the orders of the Germans. Its most important tasks were collecting punitive fines and providing workers for forced labor. Witnesses testify that it did no harm to the Jews. The situation began to deteriorate in the end of 1941 and in the beginning of 1942. As in all of the area of the Generalgouvernement, Koniecpol's Jews were forbidden to leave the town without an official permit and those caught violating the order were killed. In the summer of 1942, rumors spread to Koniecpol of expulsions and mass murders of Jews in the entire area. However, many people in Koniecpol did not believe this information, or they believed that a segment of the Jews whose work 'helped' the Germans would be permitted to stay in their places. As a result, everyone sought with great energy to secure a job in the copper factory or some other place, for example, the surrounding farms, or to obtain fictitious working papers.

In September 1942, the Germans liquidated the small Jewish communities in the surrounding villages of the Radomsko District (Psherov [Przyrow], Olsztyn, Zloti Potok [Zloty Potok], Cieletniki, Lelov [Lelow], Janov [Janow]) and transported all their Jews to Koniecpol.

On October 6, 1942, German and Ukrainian guards surrounded the town. Some Jewish families who managed on payment of large bribes to get work on the surrounding estates were also returned to the town. On the command of the German authorities, the son of the head of the Judenrat went to all the Jewish houses and informed the residents that they were to gather at 6:00 AM at the city marketplace. On that day the remnants of the Jews of the area were brought to the Koniecpol train station. There were fatalities in this Aktzia . For example, 25 Jews remained in the village of Koniecpol-Maly. The Germans did not feel like marching them to the train station, a distance of 4 kilometers and they murdered them in the village. In the evening, the Germans shot a resident of Koniecpol, Zezak, for attempting to make contact with those expelled who were at the train station or perhaps for attempting to escape the surrounded city. The next morning all 1,600 Koniecpol Jews who gathered in the city square were brought to the train station where they were put on trains and sent to Treblinka. This train also carried a transport of Jews from Czestochowa. At the time of the Aktzia , many Jews managed to escape to the surrounding areas or to Polish acquaintances. With the help of these Poles, some of them spent the war, some of whom were aided by Aryan documents.

Of all the Jews of Koniecpol at the outbreak of World War II, 10 survived. Four of them returned to Koniecpol. They found the cemetery destroyed but the Jewish community buildings were in tact. Polish anti-Semites murdered one of these Jews, David Grushka, on the day of the Kielce Pogrom, July 4, 1946. He was shot in a train, or perhaps was thrown while still alive from one of the windows of the moving train in the area of Radomsko. The remaining three Jews quickly left Koniecpol.

Endnotes

1. In Hebrew Koniecpol was known as “Sadeh Hadash “ (new field). Return
   
   
2. Many times, the Hebrew letter Resh, 'R' appears before a man's name. While it may mean rabbi, it is most often equivalent to the English 'Mr.' and would be pronounced 'Reb' and not Rabbi. Return

3. TOZ --- The Polish initials for “Towarzystwo Ochrony Zdrowia” [Ludnosci Zydowskej]. It was a Jewish Health and Welfare Organization active in Poland between the two World Wars. Return

Sources

Central Zionist Archives – S.5 - 1706, 1714, 1773, 1774, 1801; Z.4 – 226/36, 231/46 ABC
Czestochowa Memorial Book, Jerusalem 1968, Volume II, pages 529-532.
Yad Vashem Archives – 03/2155, 03/2838, 03/2839; M-1/Q 282/285; E/87-2
“Trybuna Narodowa” – September 7, 1934.

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