The Jewish communities of Miechów–Charsznica were founded around 1865. Together with the more ancient community in Książ, they created small businesses, industries, and shops, and engaged in logging, milling, banking, and construction. All three towns had secular and religious schools, aid societies, professional associations, youth groups and political parties, with strong support for the growing Jewish community in Palestine. Almost from the first, the Jews faced periodic harassment and pogroms from local governments, neighboring farmers, and soldiers of the newly created Polish army.

The towns were overrun by the Germans in September 1939, and the Jews soon put to forced labor. In 1941, a ghetto was created near the market place in Miechów. Deportations also began—either to the Plaszow labor camp or the Belzec death camp. Many times Jews were simply shot. During a transport of Jews from Charsznicy-Miechowa-Chodówkach, the first 24 people were shot together; during a second transport, 70 more were shot. On November 18, 1942, some 500 Jews from the ghetto were taken to Belzec. On the next day, in Chodówkach, 360 or 380 were murdered.

By 1943, all of these Jewish communities had been destroyed.

This book contains many first-hand accounts and personal remembrances of the survivors and emigrees from these towns and serves at a fitting memorial to these destroyed Jewish communities and in addition bears witness to their destruction. For the researchers, this book contains a wealth of both genealogical and cultural information that can provide us with a picture of the environment our ancestors left when they left the town.