Turzec

The first Jews appear to have settled in Turzec in the late Middle Ages, but an organized community did not emerge there until around 1566. In the 19th Century, local Jews made their living primarily from petty trade (including trade in liquor) and basic crafts. The 1897 census listed 737 Jews in Turzec, who made up 45.6 percent of the total population. Word War I and the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-20 caused many Jews to leave the town, and in 1921, when Turzec became part of the independent Polish Republic, it was home to a mere 453 Jews. Local Jewish social and cultural life in the interwar period was marked by the hegemony of Orthodox Judaism. The town had chapters of the Agudat Yisrael party and of its workers' branch, Poalei Agudat Yisrael. The local Zionist cells were small. However, in 1935 several young people from Turzec immigrated to the Land of Israel. In September 1939, World War II began, and Turzec was occupied by the Soviets. In June 1941, the Soviet-German War broke out, and the German army entered Turzec on June 27. By that time, there were about 500 Jews left in the town. In July-August 1941, they were required to wear a yellow patch on their clothing and subjected to a slew of prohibitions (on leaving the town, interacting with non-Jews, etc.). In late October 1941, the Germans, assisted by the local police, selected 50-55 young Jews and shot them at the local Jewish cemetery. On November 4-5, 1941, the Germans and local policemen murdered the remaining Jews of Turzec, about 400-450 people. Some 100 Jewish men were transferred to nearby Świerżeń Nowy, to work at a sawmill. Turzec was liberated by the Red Army on July 8, 1944.