Chmielnik Jewish Community
The beginnings of the Jewish community in Chmielnik , a Polish town in the Powiat Kielecki of the Heiligkreuz Voivodeship , go back to the middle of the 16th century. The Jewish community was destroyed by the German occupiers during the Holocaust .
history
On April 18, 1630, the city lord Krzysztof Gołuchowski issued a privilege in which he allowed Jews to trade of any kind, to plant vineyards, to build inns and other buildings and to build a synagogue and schools. Further buildings of the Jewish community were built around the synagogue : the Talmud house, the rabbi's apartment , schools, etc. The old Jewish cemetery , of which there are no more traces today, adjoined the north facade of the synagogue. Due to the economic development of the city, a Jewish quarter was created, in which there were also Jewish shops and workshops as well as residential buildings.
Between 1747 and 1749, one hundred Jewish families lived in Chmielnik. The 1764 census recorded 1445 Jews. In 1787 there were only 782. In the 17th century, the Jews in Chmielnik mainly traded grain, cattle and timber. In the 18th century there was already a wide range of professions: ten warehouse workers, nine tailors, four hat makers, six butchers, four bakers, etc. In 1820, 632 Jews lived in Chmielnik and the Christian population numbered 590.
The first supporter of Hasidism to hold the office of rabbi in the community was Dawid Landau. In the first half of the 19th century, the Jewish community was dominated by the Hasidic supporters of Menachem Mendel Morgensztern from Kock . The tzaddik Menachem Mendel called on the Jews to participate in the November uprising.
In the second half of the 19th century, the Jewish population increased due to the influx from the Russian Empire . In 1860, 2,724 people of Jewish faith were already living in the city. In 1865 there were 254 buildings in Chmielnik, 190 of which belonged to Jewish citizens. The main source of income for the Jews in the second half of the 19th century was trade.
The craftsmen united in the guild of Jewish carpenters . There was also the guild of Jewish butchers as well as bakers and confectioners. The shoemakers , the shaft makers and the saddlers had also founded a common guild . The best-known Jewish businesses included the factory for agricultural machines of Eliasz Sztrauch and the soap factory of Pinkus Lewkowicz.
The Jewish community in Chmielnik was one of the so-called large communities. They elected a council and a board. In 1938 Chmielnik had 6670 Jewish residents.
In September 1939 , between 5,700 and 5,900 Jews lived in the city. A short time later, the number rose to 12,000 due to the large wave of refugees. During the German occupation , around 11,500 Jews were murdered by the Germans. Only 500 people remained alive.
rabbi
- Szymon Jakow Jekiel, in the 17th century
- Eliezer Jehuda, from 1701
- Dawid Szmelka
- Józef Landau
- Józef Ittinger, until the 1790s
- Dawid Landau
- Sylman Tobiasz, early 20th century
- Lejzor Szyja Epsztajn, from 1933
