In 1808, there were four Jews in the town (0.2% of the total population), in 1812 – 99 (4.9%), in 1820 – 218 (6.6%), in 1829 – 411 (9.2%), in 1837 – 612 (13.3%), in 1852 – 1,170 (18.6%), in 1877 – 2,515 (19.6%), in 1890 – 3,623 (18%), in 1909 – 6,831 (20.5%), in 1920 – 10,684 (24.8%), in 1931 – 10,209 (18.2%), in 1933 – 11,996 (20.2%), in 1937 – 11,976 (18.3%), and finally, in mid-1939, around 13,000 (ca. 19%).

Initially, the Jews of Włocławek belonged to the synagogue community in Brześć Kujawski, but in the 1830s they gained administrative independence. In the interwar period, the area of the community in Włocławek encompassed the town’s boundaries and Szpetal Dolny, a town located on the right bank of Vistula.

In the early 20th century, the Russian authorities allowed for the activities of several Jewish self-help and cultural-educational organisations. However, initiatives of this kind truly started to flourish at the end of World War I and after 1918, in reborn Poland. Several dozen professional organisations were established, a dozen cooperatives, craftsmen's banks, credit and savings unions, mutual credit societies, and labour cooperatives. Many cultural and educational organisations had their local branches in Włocławek (e.g. “WIZO,” “Agroid,” “Fraiheit,” “Shul Kult,” “Moriah,” “Tarbut,” “Sfos Emes,” “Hatechia,” “Auxilium Academiccum Judaicum,” Society of Friends of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Society of Friends of the Yiddish Scientific Institute, Union of Jewish Schools, I.L. Peretz Association, “ORT”). The town boasted numerous charitable organisations (including “Linas Hacholim” Society for the Aid to Poor and Sick Jews, Night Nursing Volunteer Society, “Linas Hatsedek” Society in Support of Sick and Old Jews, Society for the Support of Poor Jews of the Town of Włocławek, “Moshav Zkenim” Old People's Home Society, “Chevra Kadisha” and “Bikur Cholim” Funeral and Last Service Society, “Hachnasas Kalo,” Maurycy Szenfeld Orphans' Home and Crèche for Jewish Children, “Cestondz” Central Society for the Care of Jewish Children and Orphans, “Polinfernat” Society, “Beth-Am” Jewish Soup Kitchen, Jewish Sabbath Kitchen, Summer Camps for Jewish Children Society). The poor used the services of several lodging houses.

There were various Zionist groups in Włocławek. They ran a plethora of organisations and initiatives, such as the “Aliyah Bet” (Emigrant’s House), “Yeas” Central Emigration Society, League for Aid to Working Palestine, “Keren Hayesod,” “Keren Kayemet LeYisrael.” General Zionists and “Hashomer Hatzair” co-founded an artisan kibbutz at 18 Brzeska Street. Followers of the “Al HaMishmar” group established “HeHalutz HaKlal Tzioni” and “Hanoar Hatzioni.” “Hashomer Hatzair” and “Betar” would co-organise summer camps. There were also numerous sports, paramilitary, and tourist organisations: “Maccabi” Gymnastics and Sports Society, “Kraft-Strength” Jewish Gymnastic Society, Jewish Sport Club, “Jutrznia” Workers' Physical Education Society, “Star” (“Shtern”) Workers' Physical Education Society, Ze’ev Jabotinsky “HaHayal” Association of Reservists of the Polish Army, the Association of Jews, Participants in the Fights for the Independence of the Polish State, and Club of Jewish Veterans, “HeHalutz Pioneer” and “Young HeHalutz Pioneer.” The “Hashomer Hatzair” founded the “Shomriah” sports organisation. The Jewish Tourist Society was active in promoting tourism.

Włocławek was one of the largest publishing centres of Jewish press in interwar Poland. The recipients of the local newspapers were Jews from Włocławek and the neighbouring towns. They could choose between Unzer Rayon Tsaytung, Włocławker Shtime, Włocławker Trybune, Włocławker Wort, Włocławker Wochenblat, Włocławker Weker. Some if the titles were also distributed in Greater Poland and Pomerania (Włocławker Leben), Kutno and Płock (Włocławker Shtime included a supplement called Kutner Shtime). Monthly magazines were published sporadically: Unzer Ruf, Włocławker Trybune, Shalheweth, Włocławker Shtime, Z Ławy Szkolnej, Kfir, Hatsefirah. A significant number of single-issue magazines were also published. Libraries played an important role in cultural life. There were over a dozen of them in Włocławek, as well as several bookstores and second-hand bookshops.

Włocławek’s branches of Jewish parties with numerous youth groups and affiliations represented the full spectrum of political life – from the Orthodox Agudath and the religious Zionist Mizrachi to the socialist Bund. Jews were also active in the Communist Party of Poland, Young Communist League of Poland, International Red Aid, and "Kombund." These parties were opposed by branches of the Zionist Organisation, the Union of Revisionist Democrats, the Revisionist Zionist Organisation, Tseirei Zion, Poale Zion-Right, Poale Zion-Left, etc.

Private religious education was provided by the "Beit Yaakov" school for girls, the "Yesodei Torah" Common Religious School, the "Mizrachi" – "Cheder Metukan" Reform Private Jewish School, and Talmud-Torah. Secular education was represented by the I. L. Peretz Jewish People’s School, Gericke Jewish School, Jewish General School (the so-called "szabasówka" [school for Jewish children in which classes were held on Sundays instead of Saturdays – editor’s note]), the six-grade Private General School of the Jewish Religious Community, the Private Coeducational Junior High School of the Jewish Community in Włocławek.

Jews traditionally lived in the streets which in the 19th century had been part of the so-called the Jewish District. Over 88% of the Jewish population of Włocławek lived in just ten streets – Żabia 6.5%, Kaliska 7.5%, Piekarska 10.1%, Tumska 5.3%, Kościuszki 4.3%, Plac Dąbrowskiego 6.1%, 3 Maja 26.3%, Łęgska 6.4%, Cygancka 8.4%, Królewiecka 7.5%. It was also where the community institutions were located: synagogue at 14 Żabia Street (built in 1847–1854), another synagogue at 17 Królewiecka Street (built in 1908–1910), Talmud-Torah (5 Królewiecka Street), mikveh (4 Królewiecka Street), orphanage (5 Królewiecka Street), old people’s home (35 Stodólna Street), houses of prayer. Only the cemetery at 25 Nowomiejska Street and the prayer house in Szpetal Dolny were located on the outskirts of the town. The total value of the community property, excluding the private shtiebel of Hasidim from Góra Kalwaria (2 Kowalska Street) and a dozen or so houses of prayer (2 Kowalska, 33 and 38 Królewiecka, 8 and 18 Piekarska, 6 Zapiecek, 5 Żabia, 20 Szpichlerna, 64 Stodólna, 7 Kaliska, 15 Piekarska, Dąbrowskiego Square, Kokoszka), amounted to some 349,000–475,150 zlotys in the years 1938–1939.

After the outbreak of the war in 1939, many Jews from Włocławek fled the town. From among those who stayed, a part had been deported to the General Government by February 1940 (they were sent to Warsaw, Włoszczowa, Siedlce, Zamość, and Tarnów, and other localities). The rest were enclosed in the ghetto set up by the Germans in the autumn of 1940. Its prisoners were deported to labour camps for Jews in Reichsgau Wartheland (Poznań, Poznań-Żabikowo, Poznań-Krzyżowniki, and more), others to the ghetto in Łódź. Besides the local Jews, the population of the Włocławek ghetto comprised people displaced from Toruń and the Lipno District in 1939, as well as from the neighbouring towns, such as Kowal and Brześć Kujawski. The ghetto existed until the end of April 1942. Its last prisoners were transported by the Germans to the Łódź ghetto or to the Nazi German Kulmhof (Chełmno) extermination camp.

Jews began to return to Włocławek in the spring of 1945, after the retreat of the German army. They established the Jewish Committee, which soon transformed into a branch of the Central Committee of Jews in Poland (CKŻP). In mid-June 1945, the District Committee of the CKŻP (including Włocławek and a dozen nearby towns) had 297 members, in January 1946 – 592, in January 1947 – 864, in December 1947 – 815, in March 1949 – 756. In January 1946, 200 people were registered with the Local (Municipal) Committee in Włocławek, in June 1947 – 775, in December 1948 – 656, in December 1949 – 291. In 1950, the CKŻP was replaced by local branch of the Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland. In 1961, it had 108 members. Despite the dwindling membership over the following years, especially after the events of March 1968, the Association structures remained active in the town until the second half of the 1980s. For some time after the war, until the end of the 1940s, there was also the Congregation of the Jewish Faith in Włocławek and several other organisations.

The Description

The new Jewish cemetery in Włocławek at 3/5 Chopina Avenue is in fact a section of the local municipal cemetery, marked as quarter no. 114. It was established in 1954 after the cemetery at Nowomiejska Street was closed. A small funeral home was constructed on the premises. The burial area covers ca. 0.06 ha (17 × 20 m). It is fenced with a brick wall and has two entrances – from Chopina Street and from the side of cemetery administrative buildings. Apart from the tombstones brought from the old cemetery, there are 26 post-war tombstones, the oldest one from 1949 and the newest from 2009. Fragments of tombstones from the old cemetery have been laid in a pile in the corner. The remains exhumed from the mass grave in the old cemetery have been reburied in the same spot. On 7 September 2017, the remains recovered from the Jewish cemetery in Dobrzyń nad Wisłą were also buried in the necropolis.

Graves in the new Jewish cemetery in Włocławek cover approximately 25% of its area. It is the only active Jewish cemetery in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province. This is because the Jewish community in Włocławek, reconstituted after World War II, has survived to our times, albeit only residually.

Author of the note: Tomasz Kawski

Bibliography

• Byli wśród nas. Żydzi we Włocławku oraz na Kujawach wschodnich i w ziemi dobrzyńskiej, M. Krajewski (ed.), Włocławek 2001.
• K. Urban, Cmentarze żydowskie, synagogi i domy modlitwy w Polsce w latach 1944–1966 (wybór materiałów), Kraków 2006, pp. 446–447.
• T. Kawski, Gminy żydowskie pogranicza Wielkopolski, Mazowsza i Pomorza w latach 1918–1942, Toruń 2007.
• T. Kawski, “Inwentarze gmin żydowskich z Pomorza i Wielkopolski wschodniej w okresie międzywojennym (1918/20–1939),” Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej 2006, no. 1.
• T. Kawski, Kujawsko-dobrzyńscy Żydzi w latach 1918–1950, Toruń 2006.
• T. Kawski, “Małomiasteczkowe judaica z Kujaw (XVIII–XX w.),” Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej 1999, no. 3–4, pp. 451–465.
• T. Kawski, “Mniejszość żydowska w województwie pomorskim (bydgoskim) w latach 1945–1956,” in: Kujawy i Pomorze w latach 1945–1956. Od zakończenia okupacji do przełomu październikowego, pp. 205–228.
• T. Kawski, Żydowskie gminy wyznaniowe w II Rzeczypospolitej. Studium historyczno-administracyjne, Bydgoszcz 2014.
• T. Kawski, “Żydzi z Kujaw, ziemi dobrzyńskiej i Bydgoszczy ocaleni z Shoah. Przyczynek do poznania struktury społeczno-zawodowej, zmian osadniczych oraz migracji ludności żydowskiej w Polsce po II wojnie światowej,” in: Wrzesień 1939 roku i jego konsekwencje dla ziem zachodnich i północnych Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej, Toruń–Bydgoszcz 2001, pp. 365–392.

Właściciel praw autorskich do opisu: Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN.