Siedlce is a county town within the area of Województwo Mazowieckie, located around 100 km east of Warsaw, on the main road from Berling through Warsaw to Minsk and Moscow. Siedlce was and still is a major intersection for railways leading fron south and west towards the north and the east. Just before WW-II there were around 40,000 citizens in Siedlce, from whom about 40% were Jews, living mainly in the city center.
The beginning of the Jewish settlement
There are two versions describing the beginning of the settlement. According to one Siedlce was established in the late 13th century by settlers from Lita along
The Jewish settlement until the end of the 19th century
According to church sources Jews inhabited Siedlce as early as 1577. During the prohibitions of T’H T”T (1648-1649) the entire community died out by Chmielnicki’s gangs, although the chronicles
Just before World War I
A few years before the outbreak of the First World War, a large influx of Jews to the city of Siedlce has occurred, and the
During World War I
When World War I broke out, the Russian military command of the area headed by General Danielov was located in Siedlce. The Russians were about to deport the
After World War I
Towards the end of the First World War, when Polish Legions organized struggle for Polish independence led by Pilsudski, Jewish volunteers from Siedlce joined one of these legions, which
Economy between two World Wars
In the period between the two world wars, there were no significant changes in the employment of the Jews of Siedlce, apart from the development
Public affairs between two World Wars
During the 30s the influence of the “Bund” strengthened among unions at the expense of the Communist Party. During this period, internal struggles among needle workers between
Education and culture between two World Wars
During 1924-1925 a dispute broke out between the Jewish community and the city authorities regarding the education of Jewish children. Aiming to increase the Polishization in education
The war period until December 1939
Siedlce was occupied by German troops on October 11th 1939. Prior to World War II about half of the 30,000 residents of the city were Jewish. A few
During the war: The Ghettos
In April 1940 the Germans have carried out the registration of all Jewish men aged 16 to 60, and in November 1940 a census was
Deportation and Extermination of the Ghetto
On August 22nd 1942, Saturday, T. Elul Ts”b, at midnight Germans, Ukrainians and Polish police have surrounded the ghetto. In the morning, all Jews were
The post-war period
These words, describing a visit to Siedlce after the war, are excerpts from M. Tzanin’s book, “Tel Olam: a journey through 100 destroyed communities.” Translated from Hebrew by Mr.