The region long held privileges prohibiting Jews from settling in royal towns (de non tolerandis Judaeis), with the restrictions only abolished by the Sejm during the reign of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. This is probably why the Jewish community of Przasnysz emerged relatively late, in the second half of the 18th century. The local kehilla was founded at the end of the 18th century or in the early 19th century, after the Third Partition of Poland and annexation of the region by Prussia. In 1808, over 300 Jews lived in the town (22% of the total population).

The Jews of Przasnysz traditionally made a living from trade and crafts. There were particularly many tailors, bakers, butchers, and owners of market stalls. In 1822, the authorities of the Kingdom of Poland (Congress Kingdom) established a Jewish district in Przasnysz, which included the Horse Market (Polish: Końskie Targowisko) and the streets Błonie, Zduńska, Mała Warszawska, Kacza. When it became overcrowded, its area was enlarged to include more streets – Świętokrzyska and Makowska. In 1857, the Jewish community (formally operating as a synagogue supervision since the 1920s) had almost 1,900 members. It reached its peak size at the end of the 1880s with 4,500 members, which accounted for over 52% of the total population of Przasnysz. This was largely due to the influx of the so-called Litvakes, i.e. economically active Russified Jews from the western governorates of Russia. Their arrival exacerbated the internal divisions of the community and external conflicts with the Polish population. After the January Uprising, Przasnysz Jews continued to draw significant profits from providing supplies and services to the local Russian garrison.

The first synagogue was probably erected in Przasnysz in the second half of the 18th century. The wooden building was located in erstwhile Bydlęca Street (now Berka Joselewicza Street). It was rebuilt in brick in 1886, at the order of the Russian authorities. In 1860, the community commenced construction works on a beth midrash on the bank of the Węgierka River, right next to the synagogue. This coincided with the erection of a new mikveh which replaced the former bathhouse built in 1824. As the Jewish population grew, more and more Jewish schools were opened in the town. These were initially traditional chadarim, including those run by the Talmud-Torah Association. In the mid-19th century, the traditionally Orthodox community dominated by Misnagdim started to sway towards Hasidism, particularly influenced by Tzaddik Chanokh Heynekh HaKohen Levin. The end of the century saw intensified emigration of Przasnysz Jews, especially young people, mainly to the United States and the United Kingdom.

Przasnysz suffered considerable damages during World War I (with 70% of the town's buildings burnt down), and the armed conflict drove many local Jews to flee into inner regions of Russia. Having returned to the town, they started to rebuild the local infrastructure. In the interwar period, the Jewish community owned a cemetery, an almshouse, a ritual bath, and a soup kitchen. It also began to reconstruct the synagogue (destroyed by retreating Russian Cossacks), with the works concluded in 1928.

In reborn Poland, the share of Jews in the population of Przasnysz was systematically decreasing. The census of 1921 showed that the town was inhabited by 2,100 Jews, constituting 36% of all residents. A decade later, they made up only 28% of the 8,000 inhabitants of Przasnysz. Orthodox Jews were the dominant force in the community, represented both by followers of traditional Judaism and by Hasidim from Góra Kalwaria (Ger) and Aleksandrów (Aleksander). The strongest political group in the town was the Orthodox Agudath, which had ca. 200 members and financed the activities of the Talmud-Torah Association. Their political opponents were activists of various subdivisions of the Zionist movement and socialists from the Bund. The community boasted various educational, cultural, and sporting organisations, most of which were founded in the period of the German occupation and later (1915–1918).

In September 1939, Przasnysz was invaded by the Germans, who immediately started to persecute the local Jewish population. They set fire to the synagogue, houses of prayer, and the rabbi’s flat and later demolished the ruined buildings. A group of 2,600 Jews were expelled from the town in the autumn of 1939. They were sent to the ghetto in Maków Mazowiecki and towns in the General Government, mainly Radzymin and Warsaw. They shared the tragic fate of the local Jewish population, dying in Treblinka and other German extermination camps. Incorporated into the Third Reich (Regierungsbezirk Zichenau in East Prussia), Przasnysz became officially judenfrei, although the last local Jews remained in the town until 1943. Some members of the community escaped to the territories occupied by the Soviets.

The Description

The Jewish cemetery in Przasnysz is situated in Leszno Street, on a plot sloping slightly to the north, towards the Węgierka River. Nowadays, it covers an area of 1.35 hectare. The cemetery was established in the 18th century. It was destroyed by the Germans during World War II, with the tombstones torn out and used in construction works carried out in the town. Devastated and neglected, the site continued to fall into decline after the war. Its south-eastern part was taken over by the Municipal Services Department. The local government was planning to create a park on the remaining area. For many years, it was used by the local residents as a playing field. It was only in 1986 that the cemetery premises were cleaned up thanks to the cooperation between the municipal authorities, the Society of Friends of the Land of Przasnysz (Polish: Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Ziemi Przasnyskiej), and the Regional Museum in Przasnysz (Polish: Muzeum Okręgowe w Przasnyszu). A lapidarium was established at the site. Designed by Wojciech Ciesielski and Czesław Zelmański, it has the shape of two large matzevot with embedded surviving fragments of tombstones. The stones gathered in the lapidarium come not only from Przasnysz but also from nearby localities: Chorzele and Maków Mazowiecki. The monument bears inscriptions in Polish and Hebrew. Only 27 tombstones have survived in the cemetery.

In 2019, a meeting was held between the local authorities of Przasnysz and representatives of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, also attended by Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich. It was agreed that the area of the necropolis would be cleaned up and a new fence would be erected around its perimeter.

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