The earliest preserved source mentioning Jews in Kamionka dates back to 1598.[1.1]

Throughout the 17^th century, only a few Jews lived in the town. They all died in epidemics and their houses were destroyed in fires. However, after the wars of the 17^th century, the Jewish community started to dominate in the local trade and crafts.[1.2]

The size of the Jewish population grew in the 18^th century. In the years 1719–1722, Duke Michał Puzyna leased out all breweries and inns to Jews. In 1787, Kamionka had 935 citizens, including 46 Jews (5%).

An independent Jewish community was founded in the town at the end of the 18^th century[1.1.1] or in the first half of the 19^th century. In 1855, a new synagogue was erected in Kamionka.[1.1.1] Towards the end of the 19^th century, the functions of the local rabbi were briefly performed by Abraham-Rachmil Bromberg.[1.3]

In 1860, Kamionka had 1,553 residents, including 231 Jews (14%). The Jewish population lived mostly in the vicinity of the Market Square. At the time, only 21 local Jews made a living from cultivating land.

In 1921, the town had a population of 2,257,[1.4] including 556 Jews (24%). The rabbi of the town in 1930 was Dawid Farbiarz, while Dawid Zajdonwerg was the cantor. The community board managed a synagogue, house of prayer, mikveh, ritual slaughterhouse, and Jewish cemetery.[1.5] The Chevra Kadisha burial society was founded in Kamionka in 1930 or earlier.[1.6] Many local Jews worked as tailors. The craftsmen produced cheap clothes and sold them in their own shops. In 1939, Kamionka had 434 Jewish residents.

Kamionka was seized by the Wehrmacht in September 1939. Local Jews were viciously persecuted by Germans and killed in mass executions, some of which were held at the old Jewish cemetery in Lubartów. In 1942, a ghetto was established in Kamionka. It had a population of ca. 650 people, including Jews from Mława, France, and Slovakia. M. Rajs was the president of the Judenrat.

In 1942, Jews from Kamionka were transported to the ghetto in Lubartów and then to the concentration camp in Bełżec. As emphasised by The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, there are disparities between various sources, with some claiming that Jews from Kamionka were sent to Treblinka, having been deported from the town on 8 September 1942 or in October of the same year.[1.7]

The entry has been supplemented on the basis of materials provided by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage.

Bibliography

• “Kamionka,” [in:] International Jewish Cemetery Project [online] www.iajgscemetery.org/eastern-europe/poland/kamionka [Accessed on: 26 Sep 2020]].
• “Kamionka (III),” [in:] The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, vol. 2, eds. S. Spector, G. Wigoder, New York 2001, pp. 592–593.
• Kubiszyn M., “Kamionka,” [in:] Śladami Żydów. Lubelszczyzna, Lublin 2011, pp. 162–163.
• “Historia miasta Kamionki (od połowy XV wieku do roku 1869),” Lubartów i ziemia lubartowska 1993.