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Jews in Lowicz

The beginnings of Jewish settlement in Łowicz are dating back to the 16th century. The city, under reign of archbishop of Gniezno, had privilegia de non tolerandis Judaeis. The law forbidding Jewish people to settle within the city limits was corroborated by archbishop Jan Łaski in 1526, when he ordered to expel all Jews from the city. The ban excluded fairs, during which they could stay in the city. As soon as the fair was finished they had to leave. It is known from the complaints written by local craftsmen that often they didn’t. Łowicz laying on a busy trade route was very attractive for Jews and they often tried to evade the ban, what led to the growth of illegal settlement. The result of growing number of complaints was that archbishop Teodor Potocki promulgated new law that allowed Jews to stay in the city for no longer than three days during the fair. In 1738 Potocki limited Jews’ right to stay in the city to only one day in a year - St. Matthew’s day and to be engaged solely in the wholesale trade.

During the partitions the city and the whole Duchy of Łowicz got under the reign of Prussia, all properties owned by archbishops were secularized. At the same time Jews tried to get permission to settle on the area of the city. According to Władysław Tarczyński, historian from Łowicz, in 1797 such permissions were granted to Boroski, Cukier, Pinkus and Plamka. When king Frederick William III came to the city in 1802, he were asked by Jewish community to confirm previously granted laws. Simultaneously, Christian citizens exhorted quite the contrary. After proclamation of the royal decree from 6 February 1802 all privileges allowing Jews to settle in the city were abolished.

The beginning of the 19th century brought many Jewish families to the city. In 1819 there were 189 families (7.1% of the whole city population) in 1820 - 370 (11.6%) and in 1825 - 396 (11.4%). Although Christian citizens did not stop their efforts to move Jews out of the city the following years brought intensive development of the Jewish culture in Łowicz.

In 1841 there were 940 Jews in Łowicz (21,9%) and in 1857 - 1161 (21,2%). They were working mainly in trade (35,8%) and in artisanship (38,9%). Although the Jewish community lived and developed quite separated, by the end of 19th century the first symptoms of friendly relationship between Jews and Poles could be observed. Jewish citizens started to identify themselves with the city and the whole country. In 1861 they took part in the patriotic manifestation, and in the January Uprising in 1863. Some of the Jewish tailors from Łowicz, Głowno, Brzeziny and Zgierz were fined for sewing uniforms for Polish soldiers fighting in the uprising.

For the next fifty years the assimilation was progressing. Jewish names could be found in the fire brigade, theatre group, graduates from the local schools. But the most of the Jews were separated by their culture, language and religion. They had to face openly manifested aversion and hostility. In 1893 Jewish population came to 3067 (34 %) and in 1909 - 5517 (38,5 %). The wave of emigration at the turn of the centuries to the United States, Argentina and England did not change the Łowicz Jews very much. The new thing was that rich Jews started to take part in shaping local industry. To the pioneers we can include Wacław Rosenblum, Moszek Żelechowski, Izaak Żelechowski, Anatol Wekstein and others. Jews were generally rejected by Christian-owned guilds so they established their own. They were engaged in retail and wholesale trade. Meat, for example, was supplied solely by Jewish butchers and the only slaughter-house was Jewish. Jews lived mainly in the area of streets: Zduńska, Bielawska, Podrzeczna, Glinka.

From the end of 18th century Łowicz Jews had no local organization connected with church. They were under the authority of Sochaczew’s kehilla. In 1829 the first local church authorities were appointed. In 1830 duke Constantine assigned small amount of land near Zagórze (today - Łęczycka street) to establish Jewish cemetery. The parish had also prayer house situated on Zduńska street. At the end of 19th century the new synagogue made of stone replaced the old wooden one.

The Jewish parish started 20th century as a well organized and developed unit. The World War I brought poverty to the whole Łowicz community. People were starving, the economy almost completely stopped. The industry and artisanship were deprived of resources and fuel. In 1915 there were 17 500 inhabitants in the city, approximately 6000 (33%) were Jewish. In 1917, after the election to self-government, city council was created. The council had 18 members, 6 of them were Jews and 12 Poles. After long period of partitions representatives of Polish majority and Jewish minority sat together. The cooperation was rather fruitful and complaisant. For instance, from March 1917 city council sessions were not held at Friday’s evenings and Saturdays - because of Shabbat.

In 1917 Jewish Folk House was created. It had its own library and reading-room. In the city there was theatre group Hazomir that organized plays in Yiddish language. There were three Jewish bookshops, additionally sport organization - Bar Kochba was very active at that time. Almost all important Jewish political parties were present in the life of Łowicz, from communists to orthodox right wing.

Among ten elementary schools in the city there were two solely for Jewish children. Jewish teachers (but not only) were working there. In 1917/1918 school year 233 children were going to both schools. They were mainly girls, boys according to religion were taught in cheders. In 1918, 343 male students were going to junior high schools in Łowicz - 22 of them were Jewish, among 215 girls - 39 were of Jewish origin.

Jewish community entered to independent Poland well organized and with well developed structures - social and occupational. Its representatives were active participants of local politics as members of city council. They were able to rebuilt their material wealth injured by the World War I.

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Between the First and the Second World War the number of Jews in Łowicz oscillated from 5758 (33,6%) to approximately 4300 (24,3%) in 1939. Apart from trade and artisanship they were present in local industry and other professions. They were still active in the political life of the city, in 1919 they had 8 representatives in city council, in 1923 - 6, in 1927 - 5, in 1934 - 4, and in 1939 - 7. In the city there were present local branches of national Jewish parties such as: Agudas Isroel with the local department of orthodox Jewish organization Szlomej Emunej Isroel, General Zionists Organization, Orthodox Zionosts Hitathduth ha Mizrachi.

Jewish children attended elementary school at Browarna street. Adolescents learnt in local junior high school and school of economics. The city had also public and private schools (e.g. Tarbut) and cheders. Those who learnt at high schools were supported by local branch of organization helping Jewish students. Since 1936 to the outbreak of World War II weekly in Yiddish language - „Mazowszer Wochenblat” was coming out. Cultural heritage was supported by Jewish Literary Society and Die Jidisze Bime - Jewish theatrical organization. In 1922, Makabi - Jewish Sport Society was established.

Jewish parish was led by Board consisting of previously chosen representatives. Their goal was to meet the religious needs of Jewish community. They ran synagogue, prayer house, ritual bath, cemetery, cheder and Talmud Tora. Rabbis of the city were successively Becaleł Biderman (to 1921) and Abram Kolbe (between 1923 - 1941). The parish was also engaged in charity, helped the old and sick, supported Jewish school and other organizations. Poor people could count for help from Funeral Brotherhood, that was taking care of cemetery.

After the First World War the relations between Łowicz Jews and other citizens deteriorated. Acts of violence became present in the economical and social life e.g. Jewish shops were blocked. The peak point were anti-Semitic events from November 15, 1931 which resulted in serious damage of Jewish properties on Zduńska, Browarna and Bielawska streets. Several Jews were severely beaten up but there were no lethal casualties. The events were widely commented in local and national press and seriously worsened mutual relationship. Up to the outbreak of World War II both communities lived not together but rather next to each other.

In September 1939 Jews were active participants in fighting with German aggressor, many Jewish soldiers died protecting the city, for example in the Battle of the Bzura. After German entrance to the city the wave of humiliation and persecution began. Many times Jews were ordered to gather at New Town Market Place and were kept as hostages in synagogue. They were forced to serve the troops and clear the ruins of the city. As the time passed, new interdictions and regulations appeared: obligation of registering property, wearing David’s star, forced labour, travel ban and curfew.

November 10 at night the fire started in synagogue on Zduńska street. Germans did not allow to extinguish the fire. People could only water neighbouring Jewish houses, not to spread the fire. The building was burning to the evening of November 12. Only ashes remained.

The next step of the oppression was creation of the ghetto covering Zduńska, Bielawska, Browarna, Ciemna and Ciasna streets. It was only a part of the area previously resided by Jews. The ghetto was walled off by wooden fence, barbed wire and from place to place brick wall built from the remains of the old synagogue. In autumn 1940 after excluding Bielawska and Stanisławkski streets the area of Jewish district was reduced. Ghetto’s gates were guarded from the outside by Polish „Blue Police” assisted by Germans, from the inside by Jewish guard duty. From 6000 to 8000 people were imprisoned in the ghetto, among them there were Jews from the vicinity and refugees. The situation was worsened by lack of food and other daily necessities. Jews were forced to work in Labour House in Bratkowice and in the labour camps in Kapituła and Małszyce.

According to the data form Jewish Social Assistance by the end of February 1941 there were 6050 Jews in Łowicz, 3750 were residents and 3200 - refugees. On February 22, 1941 German soldier brought to the Judenrat’s office in Łowicz eviction order. Every day 300 Jews were to leave, so that on March 19 made the city „judenrein”. To that day most of the Łowicz Jews were moved from the city to the Warsaw’s ghetto. Only 70 workers of the Forced Labour House, some of the clerks form Judenrat and Jewish policemen stayed. After liquidation of the ghetto, Germans started to render it usable for their need. Most of the Jewish houses were taken by Christians. The fence and barbed wire were wound up. The remains of the synagogue’s ruin were sold to the building contractors.

Some of the refugees escaped and tried to hide on the „Aryan side” of their home town. It was extremely difficult, because in the case of capture both, the refugee and the one hiding him could be killed. Despite that, there were cases when extraordinary devotion and solidarity were present. The examples of such acts were Maria Kutkowska and Zofia Sadowska, both honoured with the title of Righteous among the Nations.

Jews carried away to the Warsaw ghetto got into very difficult situation - without daily necessities, packed into small rooms they had to live in terrible conditions. They were helped by their fellow-countrymen from Łowicz. Thank to them we know how the situation looked like. They gathered the data for underground archive of Warsaw’s ghetto organized by E. Ringelblum. Among over 400 000 Jews evicted from Warsaw there were couple of thousands Łowicz Jews. They died in gas chambers in Treblinka.

Only about 100 Łowicz Jews (2% of the population) survived the war. Some of them returned to the city trying to reconstruct Jewish life in Łowicz. In 1946 they established Jewish Congregation. But in 1948, fomented by anti-Semitism and emigration of all member county office noted down no activity of the congregation.

Hiding behind „Aryan papers” for the name Krajewski rich pre-war investor Anatol Wekstein survived. In 1945 he visited Łowicz and paid for taking out from Bzura River couple of hundreds gravestones used in regulating the river. Only 36 of them were successfully put on their old places. The rest was placed on the spare spots, because it was not possible to recreate the old order. Anatol Wekstein and his wife were buried on the Jewish cemetery in Łowicz. It was the last interment in this necropolis. In 1947 city mayor ordered to take out remaining gravestones from Bzura River. They were used as a material for building the monument of gratitude and friendship with Soviets placed on the Old Town Market Place. In that way communists showed scorn to the victims of Extermination and put them in one box with Germans. The monument was dismantled in 1991 and the gravestones returned to their original places. Two of the them are presented on the exhibition. Ruined synagogue was took to pieces during the German occupation. In its place, on Zduńska street there is the shopping centre now. The building of the 19th century wooden prayer house on Browarna street was taken apart in 1995. Many other places were taken over by Poles. Jewish Łowicz disappeared. The only mementos are traces after mezuzahs in the door-frames on Zduńska street and the street’s merchant characteristics.

The Jews of Łowicz who survived emigrated to Israel and Australia and kept the memories about their city alive. As a sign of homage and nostalgia for killed fellow-countrymen they published a book in 1957, edited by G. Szajaka. The book titled „Lowicz a sztot in Mazowsze” - „Lowicz a city of Masovia” was published in Yiddish language and was kind of tribute to exterminated community.

Łowicz for many years forgot about Jews. Slaughtered by Germans, died in the memory of citizens of Łowicz as well. Today, thanks to the monument devoted to the memory of Poles, Jews and soviet prisoners, the victims of Nazi terror, killed between 1939 and 1945 in forced-labour camps in Małszyce and Kapituła and the Chamber of Memory commemorating Jews of Łowicz we would like to pay homage and save from falling into oblivion everything what remained after Łowicz Jews.

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