History of Brześć Kujawski’s Jewish Community
Overview
Sources: Pinkas Hakehillot Polin: Brześć Kujawski and Virtual Shtetl
The settlement Brzesc Kujawski is first mentioned in documents from the beginning of the 13th century. The earliest sources of information about the town’s Jews are from the 15th century. The Jewish population played a dominant role in the economy of Brześć until the Second World War. Most Jews made a living from small trade and handicrafts. The community life revolved around the synagogue on Krakowska Street which was erected at the end of the 18th or at the beginning of the 19th century. The Germans occupied Brześć Kujawski in early September 1939. As they did in other towns, they forced the Jews to set the synagogue on fire, plundered their property and press-ganged them for forced labor. Between January-October 1941, Jews were sent to labor camps near Poznan, and the Lodz ghetto. About 300 who remained in the town, mostly women, were sent to Chelmno in early April 1942. Roughly 34 Jews were known to have survived. READ MORE from Pinkas Hakehillot Polin: Brześć Kujawski, and READ MORE from VIRTUAL SHTETL.
Resources
- JRI-Poland Town Page for Brzesc Kujawski
- “Brzesc Kujawski Focuses On Its History” from ADJCP President Marysia Galbraith’s Uncovering Jewish Heritage blog
ADJCP 