Holocaust

The Destruction of the Izbica Kujawska Jewish Community

The destruction of the IK Jewish community is described as follows*: (for More details: Holocaust)

After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, the Jewish population was subjected to various persecutions. In November, the Germans organised mass burning of books, during which the rabbi was probably forced to jump to his death from the roof of the beth midrash. The synagogue was converted into a granary in September 1939. In early 1940, a part of the Jewish population of Izbica was moved to the ghettos in Babiak and Nowiny Brdowskie. In May 1940, young people were taken to the labour camp in Mogilno. On 24 June 1941, all Jewish men were arrested. A selection was carried out, with 225 people sent to the labour camps in Inowrocław and Poznań.

In January 1941, a ghetto wad formed at Garbarska Street. Its population comprised ca. 1,000 people. On 9 March 1941, a transport of Jews from Rżgów was brought to the ghetto; they were sent to the death camp in Chełmno (Kulmhof) on 12 January 1942. In January 1941, two Jews were sentenced to death for unlawful possession of a radio receiver and spreading information broadcast by radio stations based in London.

The Izbica Ghetto was liquidated on 14–15 January 1942. The operation started with mass execution of the members of the Judenrat in the nearby forest. Some 100 people were killed on the spot during the process of deporting 900–1,000 Jews to the death camp in Chełmno. At the beginning of January 1942, a group of 15 Jews from Izbica was brought to Babiak and then sent to Chełmno. One of the people who managed to escape from the camp in Chełmno was Szlamek (Szlama Ber Winer) from Izbica – he was the first person to inform the inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto of the mass genocide of Jews.[1.4]

The first Survivors returned to Izbica in the second half of 1945 and established a branch of the Central Committee of Polish Jews in the town. In January 1946, it had 15 members, and in late 1946 – 25 (including nine women). In 1947, the number of Jews registered in the branch fluctuated between 22 and 25. There were still 22 Jewish people in Izbica in 1948, but they were migrating from the town one by one. When the committee branch was dissolved in December 1949, only one Jew still lived in Izbica.[1.5]

*Source: www.sztetl.org.pl