Overview
History of Klodawa’s Jewish Community
Source: Pinkas Hakehillot Polin-Klodawa
The community of Klodawa was first mentioned in a document from 1365. It was granted town rights in 1383 and again in 1430. The first indications of the presence of Jews in Klodawa go back to 1487. In 1856, Rabbi Benjamin Wolf presided over the religious life of the community. Rabbi Ephraim Engelman served as rabbi of Klodawa from 1865 until the 1890’s. In the 1860s the old wooden synagogue that stood in the Jadowice neighborhood was replaced by a stone building. The Jewish population at the end of the 19th century was 847 out of a total population of just under 3000. In 1939, prior to the outbreak of WW2, there were 1350 Jews out of a total population of 4000. According to eye witnesses, the Germans entered the town on Yom Kippur, 1939. Many Jews managed to flee after that time. On January 2, 1942, 46 members of the community were murdered in the forests near Kazimierz Biskupi. Between January 9-12 1942, all remaining Jews in the town were sent to Chelmno. About 100 Jews survived the Holocaust. READ MORE
Photos
Resources
- CLICK HERE TO VIEW JUDY MURATORE’S TRIBUTE TO KLODAWA WEBSITE
- JRI-Poland Town Page for Klodawa
- “Klodawa Remembers” from ADJCP President Marysia Galbraith’s Uncovering Jewish Heritage blog
ADJCP 