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[Page 545]

One must admit that no great accomplishments were in evidence in Zawiercie in the area of communal institutions as well as of economic [institutions].

The reason is simple: Despite the inaccurate opinions of many Zawierciers, Zawiercie was in a condition of stagnation and decline from the time of the first revolution in 1905. The situation in the years 1910-1912 was particularly difficult during the boycott under the slogan swój do swego [yours to yours]. Jewish Zawiercie “lived from miracles.” This impression can be elicited when reading the personal memories of our Zawiercier, Reb Itshe Erlich, fragments of which we publish in this book, as well from conversations with older Zawierciers such as: Y.D. Erlichman, Sh. Fridman, Chaim Yeshaya Drezner and so on. A. Litwin tells the same thing in his reporting. Warnenska tells about the stagnation and general economic life in Zawiercie in her pamphlet about Zawiercie (we provide the essence of her pamphlet in this book).

Zawiercie did not expand at all for a time before the war.

Therefore, there were very few financial and economic institutions at that time. Shmuel Sakia created a sort of gmiles-khesed [interest-free loan] fund, a kind of bank. Yehiel Windman created a large bank, run by his wife. The directors of T.O.Z. [Towarzystwo Ochrony Zdrowia Ludności Żydowskiej – Society to Protect the Health of the Jews] created a Kredytowi Bank Spółdzielczy [Cooperative Credit Bank] and Bank Kupiecki [Merchant Bank] on a large scale, apparently with money from the factory. The money was not from Zawiercie Jews, but the clients were Zawiercier Jews. Later, during the years of the boycott, the Jewish directors of T.O.Z., because they had not been elected to the managing committee of the general financial institutions, created two parallel Jewish institutions, mainly with their own money or with T.O.Z. money.

[Page 546]

Perhaps there were a few other small funds before the war and during the war.

After the war, in independent Poland, the young generation began to organize and renew certain economic enterprises. Hygiena, a cooperative bakery, was created. Founded on the 28^th of January 1929, everyone taking part was supposed to deposit 300 zlotes. Dovid Genedelman and Leibish Piekacz were on the managing committee. Representative: Moshe Hercberg. The location was Lenszna 17. However, on the 30^th of April 1930, we heard about the liquidation of the Piekarska Spółdzielnia [Baker's Cooperative]. Dovid Genedelman was the liquidator on the part of the shareholders. On behalf of the county court, Giberman from Sosnowiec. On the 24th of August 1937, the county court in Sosnowiec announced the liquidation of the Kredytowi Bank Spółdzielczy [Credit Cooperative Bank]. Liquidators were: Henrikh Rabinowicz, Avraham Yitzhak Krajcer, Yehiel Yitzhak Szwarc. In two later cases, the liquidator for the authorities was the same I. Giberman.

In addition, we find in the records that a Powszechna Kredytowa – Spółdzielnia [Universal Credit Cooperative] was created on the 10^th of December 1928 with a location at Marszalkowska 7. On the managing committee were Josef Sobelman, Bernard Helman, Wolf Hamermesing. Representatives: Borukh Rechtman and Elihu Bochenek, Avraham Koniecpolski, and then, Benyamin Moshe Landau.

The liquidation of the above-mentioned institutions continued for a long time, until the outbreak of the [Second World] War.

Then, alas, everything was liquidated. Jewish Zawiercie and the few institutions it possessed were leveled to the ungrateful Polish earth.

It is no wonder that Zawiercie did not create massive communal and economic social institutions, even in new Poland, when there already were all kinds of political and communal organizations. If the condition of Jewish trade and artisanship increased considerably in Poland, in general, Zawiercie was at the worst level.

The impoverishment of Jewish trade in Zawiercie was particularly difficult. According to economic-statistical research that was published

[Page 547]

in the booklet, Yidishe Ekonomik [Jewish Economics] (Editor: Yakov Leszczinksi), Zawiercie was at the head of 46 Polish cities in the decline of business from 1918 to 1932. Jewish trade in Zawiercie fell 60 percent. If this was not enough, between 1932 and 1937, Jewish trade in Zawiercie fell even more. If there were 214 shops in Zawiercie in 1932, 161 of which were Jewish (75.2 percent of the shops were Jewish), in 1937 there were 348 shops in Zawiercie, of which only 150 were Jewish (43.1 percent of all shops). That is: not only did the number of Jewish shops not catch up with the general growth of shops in Zawiercie, but there was an absolute decline – from 160 in 1932 to 150 in 1937. Thus the decline about 1932 was 57.3 percent. Further, outside Zawiercie, there was only a decline of 34-36 percent. Such shtetlekh [towns] as Łaskarzew, Liszkowice, Rembertów, Stryków, Ujazd, and Sulejów were used to compare to Zawiercie. The same in business.

In such a situation, there was strong competition among the traders and artisans. Everyone struggled for their bare survival and tore the food from each other's mouths. It was difficult in such an atmosphere to create a suitable cooperative. It is clear that there also were personal reasons for why the institutions failed. However, the main reason was the difficult struggle for bare survival and the surrounding atmosphere.

Let us record that a Bank Spółdzielczy [Cooperative Bank] was registered on the 12^th of July 1929 (managing committee: Diamant, Majtlis, Wajntraub). There was also a Krawice [tailor] Artisans' Cooperative (registered on the 14^th of February 1930). Managing committee: Snopkowski, Meirowicz. Representative: Sztajn.

In Żarki-Zharuk there was: Spółdzielnia Kredytowa [Credit Cooperative] (managing committee: Herszlikowicz, Zurkowski, Dauman, Fajfkop. Representatives: Klajman, Enzlowicz), as well as a Bank Spółdzielczy (managing committee: Y. Szidlowski; F. Bornsztajn. Representative: Malus, Jurista, Fiszer, Zelcer).

After a few years of existence, these institutions also were liquidated.

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