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The city belonged to Poland until 1742, and to Germany from that time until January 1922.

The bounties of nature and the location of Mysłowice on the banks of the Przemsza River on the border between Germany, Austria, and Russia led to it becoming a center of industry and commerce already during the 18^th century. There were several iron and zinc foundries, as well as coal mines in the city and its nearby surroundings. There was also a beer brewery, a sawmill, a flourmill, and a tax office. Lumber, planks, and coal were floated down the Przemsza. Mysłowice was also a center of trade of cattle and horses, which were being shipped from Russia and Poland to Czechia, Austria, and Germany. There was a large market in the city, especially for the livestock trade. It also had one of the largest slaughterhouses in Poland.

The government of Prussia established a foundry in the city in 1802. Mysłowice was connected to the railway network in 1846-1847, connecting it to Berlin and Kraków.

The first Jews came to Mysłowice at the beginning of the 17^th century. A Jew named Zelek (Zelig), the owner of a beer brewery and liquor distillery is first mentioned in 1654. During the years 1655-1657, a Jew named Mordechai is noted as the owner of smithy (“Koznica Mordkowa”) near Mysłowice.

In 1657, we know of four Jews in Mysłowice: the lessee of the liquor distillery, the butcher, and two shopkeepers. Salomon Markowicz, the lessee of the beer brewery, a house owner in the center of the city, and the owner of an estate in the area, lived there at the end of the 17^th century. He was one of the notable residents of the city and was even appointed as one of the accounting auditors of the city council.

The Jews were deported from the villages adjacent to the Polish border in 1780, apparently for security reasons. Fourteen such families settled in Mysłowice in 1781. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Jews of Mysłowice paid an annual protection tax of the sum of one zloty per family head. The Jews who leased the income of the city owner were exempt from paying that tax.

During the 18^th century, Jews of Mysłowice were involved in the leasing of the inns of the city and the marketing of liquor and mead. They possessed the monopoly for tobacco sales. The rest of the Jewish merchants were occupied with the cattle, sheep, and hare skin trades. There were also shopkeepers, butchers, and a few tradespeople. Local Jewish businesses consolidated during the 19^th century.

The Jews of Mysłowice received the right to own houses and lots in the city already in the 17^th century. Several of them already took advantage of that right at that time, whereas others acquired houses and lots in the center of Mysłowice during the 18^th century and especially at the beginning of the 19^th century.

The first Jewish residents belonged to the community

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of Będzin. The Jewish community of Mysłowice was apparently established at the end of the 17th century or the beginning of the 18^th century. It would make sense that, at first, there was a partnership between the Jews of Mysłowice and Modrzejów, which was located on the other bank of the Przemsza River (Modrzejów already had a Jewish cemetery in 1714). We know that in 1747 a Jewish rabbinical court already existed in Mysłowice, to which the city council would approach in cases of arbitration between Jews. The community grew during the 18^th century, and Dąbrowa had authority over several Jewish settlements of the area (Brzezinka, Słupna, Roździeń, Dąbrowa, Bogucice, Katowice).

The community of Mysłowice declined when Katowice seceded from it in 1866. Nevertheless, there was a well-to-do community in Mysłowice until the First World War. (At the beginning of the 20^th century, there were 218 taxpayers there, and approximately fifteen wage earners were considered poor and were exempted from payment of that tax.)

The community's budget grew from about 21,000 marks in 1899 to 28,600 marks in 1913. Descendents of the most veteran families, such as the Koznicki family, were active on the communal council for many years.

The local Jews had a modest house of prayer in the 18^th century. By 1826, there was already a spacious synagogue, which had been built previously. The new synagogue of Mysłowice was dedicated in 1897. A new cemetery was consecrated in 1864 next to the cemetery that had existed there since 1722.

The first rabbi of Mysłowice was Rabbi Abraham Mozes (who served from 1767). In 1815, Rabbi Kohn served in Mysłowice. He apparently was followed by Rabbi [Nathan]^[1] Weissler who had served until 1837. From 1838-1846, Rabbi David Deutsch served, and from 1846 onward, Rabbi [Moses Aron]^[1] Bach. From 1851-1894, Rabbi Hirsch Jaffe, Ph.D. served as the rabbi. Dr. [Joseph] Nordman^[a] served as rabbi of Mysłowice from 1905 [until 1911]^[1], and from 1911 until 1914 (and possibly also during the war), Rabbi [David Alexander]^[1] Winter served.^[b]

In the 19th century, there were several wealthy Jews^[c] in the city who were members of the local council, and Loebel Danziger was their delegate for many years. During that period, Markus Bender was elected to the town council of Mysłowice.

The “Gemilut Chasadim” society was the first of the charitable organizations. It was founded through the initiative of Rabbi Deutsch at the end of the 1830s.

In 1882, two societies that had previously operated separately united, and a single “Bikur Cholim Chevra Kadisha” [Society for Visiting the Sick and Burial] was founded. By 1912, the society's income had reached 15,489 marks, and the expenses (of which 5,876 marks were for supporting the poor) reached 14,615 marks. In 1895, the “Chevrat Malbishei Arumim” [Society for providing clothing to those in need] was founded, and in 1899 the “Chevrat Ezra Laevyonim” [Aid Society for Indigents] was founded.

In 1888, and perhaps even earlier, the “Ladies Society” operated, and in 1899 it was replaced by the “Girls' Society,” which aimed to help its members support themselves.

After pogroms in Russia in the 1880s, Mysłowice became a transit point for hundreds of Jewish refugees on their way overseas. A “Committee for the Assistance of Russian Jews” was founded, which forged connections with similar organizations throughout Europe. The committee did a great deal for the immigrants during the 1890s. In 1892 alone, it aided in the immigration of six hundred Jews to the United States via Ireland. A representative of Y. K. A. [Jewish Colonialization Association] was also active locally on behalf of the refugees.

In the field of Jewish education, a Talmud Torah operated in Mysłowice, the charter of which was renewed in 1875, as well as an elementary school. In 1901, 95 students studied in the elementary school, in 1905 – 80 students, and in 1913 – 70 students.

The end of the 19^th century marked the beginning of modern political and cultural activity in Mysłowice. During the 1890s, a chapter of the “Ezra” organization (the society for developing agricultural settlements in Israel) operated there. In 1912, a chapter of the Zionist Organization of Western Galicia operated in the city. The youth also joined the Zionist movement. In 1911, a youth organization called Montefiore operated in Mysłowice, and in 1913, there was chapter of the Zionist Youth Organization.

During the first decade of the 20^th century, the society for the dissemination of the literature and history of the Jewish nation was established to disseminate Jewish knowledge.

In 1896, false rumors spread in the city that the teacher of the religion of Moses took down the crucifix in the government school. In the wake of that rumor, anti-Semitic agitation was ignited, and the opposition of the Christians to a joint school with Jews grew. In 1898, there were incidents where Jews were beaten in the outskirts of the city. The government did not react to such occurrences.

It is appropriate to note that the city resident Ezriel-Zelig Hausendorf^[2], who made aliya to the Land of Israel in 1847, settled in Jerusalem and was one of the founders of Batei Machase in the Old City and of the Misgav Ladach Hospital in Jerusalem. He participated in the acquisition of land to found Mikveh Yisrael, and collected money abroad for the needs of settling the Land.

During the First World War and immediately thereafter, most of the Jews of Mysłowice left their city for the interior of Germany. When Polish rule was renewed in Mysłowice by a plebiscite in 1921, Jews from all over Poland who were seeking livelihood in the manufacturing sectors of Silesia came to settle there. In the communal institutions, they took the place of the residents who formerly formed most of the community, that is Jews of German extraction. The economic situation of the community of Mysłowice continually declined during that time period, and only a few of the residents were wealthy.

Zionist activity was renewed in Mysłowice at the end of the First World War. The chapter of the Zionist organization was among the most active in the area. There was also wide-branched activity of ”Hanoar Haivri” (later “HaNoar HaTzioni”^[d]). The Zionist organizations sponsored evening courses to the study the Hebrew Language.

Mysłowice was conquered by the German Army already during the first days

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of the Second World War. The conquerors set fire to the synagogue in the autumn of 1939. The Germans forced the Jews to gather the burnt bricks, and tormented them as they were doing so. Jewish businesses were expropriated and transferred to the “faithful” ones of the residents. In November 1939, a portion of the Jews of Mysłowice were deported to Chrzanów, where a significant portion of Upper Silesian Jewry was concentrated at that time.

According to one testimony that was unconfirmed from other sources, a labor camp for Jews was set up in Mysłowice. That camp had about 1,800 Jews from the cities of Zagłębie, who worked at building a large enterprise for military manufacturing. At the end of November 1941, the Jews (or only a portion of them) were transferred to work in loading wagons and sorting the Soviet weapons that were taken as loot by the German Army. A group of Jews who were employed in loading the weapons, headed by Freund of Będzin, sabotaged the weapons and even bombed the weapons in the storehouses several times. Numerous Germans were killed during the bombing. These sabotage efforts were investigated in 1943, and several Jews who were involved were shot to death. All the Jews were liquidated from the place and sent to other labor camps.

In the summer of 1943, there was a labor camp for Jews in the “Hans” mine of Mysłowice. Most of the prisoners of the camp were from the General Gouvernement, and several hundred were from northern France. The prisoners worked in the coal mines of the area. The living and work conditions in the camp led to a high death rate amongst the prisoners.

After liberation in February 1945, several Jewish residents returned, and they were joined by several tens of Jews, primarily from areas of Poland that had been annexed to the Soviet Union. There were 82 Jews in the city in September 1945. They too left Mysłowice during the wave of emigration of Jews from Poland to the lands of western Europe, the United States, and Israel.

Bibliography

Yad Vashem Archives: M-1/Q 1395/155, M2/241, 016/1715, 016/1762.
Amt'y: PL/Ka 15b(1), PL/Ka 15(2), PL/My1, PL/My 3, PI/My 4(1), PL/My 4(2), PL/My 5, PL/My 8, PL/My 12.
Central Zionist Archives Z-3/820, Z-4, 234B.
M. Sh. Geshuri, “By the Rivers of Dąbrowa Zagłębie” Tel Aviv, 1972, pp. 28-32.
“Book of Sosnowiec and its Region in Zagłębie” Tel Aviv 1973, pp. 110, 111, 113, 435-438.
B. Ajzensztajn, “Ruch podziemny w ghettach i obozach,” Warszawa 1946, pp 171-173.
M. Brann, “Geschichte des Landsrabinats Schlesien,” Breslau 1887, p. 422.
J. Lustig, “Geschichte der Stadt Mysłowice,” 1867.
“Einikeit” October 9, 1945.
“Hamagid” June 23, 1898.
“Hanoar Haiwri” maj 1931.
“Nowy Dziennik” April 25, 1930, December 3, 1930.

Translator's Footnotes:

1. The first names and some dates in square brackets were provided from reference: Wilke, Carsten (ed.), Biographisches Handbuch der Rabbiner, Teil 1: Die Rabbiner der Emanzipationszeit in den deutschen, böhmischen und großpolnischen Ländern, 1781–1871. München, 2004. Return
2. Generally known as Hausdorf. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azriel_Zelig_Hausdorf Return

Coordinator's Footnotes:

1. Joseph Norden (1870-1943) served in Mysłowice from Sept 1899 to Aug 1907. Source: Jansen, Katrin Nele [Ed.], Biographisches Handbuch der Rabbiner, Teil 2, Die Rabbiner im Deutsch Reich 1871-1945, Munich, 2009. Return
2. Dr. David Alexander Winter (1878-1953) served in Mysłowice 1907-1913. Source: Ibid. Return
3. J. Lustig states “On August 17, 1854, the new community councils were introduced. They were composed of the following members: Löbel Danziger, Maier Hamburger, and Heim. Kuznitzki, representatives: Markus Bänder, Melchior Bloch, Moritz Danziger, Salom Silbermann, Mor. Jac. Schäfer, Abr. Kuznitzki, JS Silberberg, Joseph Hausdorff, Moses Weißler.” Source: Lustig, Jakob, Geschichte der Stadt Mysłowice, Mysłowice, 1867. Return
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HaNoar_HaTzioni Return

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