The Jewish community in Bielawy emerged in the 18th century. It was a small group engaged in trade and crafts, coexisting with its agricultural surroundings. In 1857, there were 176 Jews living here and as many as 569 in 1880 (data for the community).

Interestingly, the 1921 census does not mention Jews in Bielawy at all and attributes all those present in the community to the town of Sobota [1.1]. This may indicate a (temporary?) decline in the community. Its numbers had certainly declined, as the records in the Yad Vashem archives mention only six people residing in Bielawy before the German invasion in 1939; these are members of the Lewinsztajn and Szpiwak (Śpiewak?) families, as well as Brendl Mendelmil (b. 1904). The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust states that in early 1941, all the Jews present in the town were deported by the Germans to the Warsaw Ghetto, where they shared the fate of its other victims.

Bibliography

• “Bielawy”, in: S. Spector, G. Wigoder (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, vol. 1, New York 2001, p. 143.
• “Bielawy 1”, in: F. Sulimierski, B. Chlebowski, W. Walewski (eds.), Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Warszawa 1880, vol. 1, pp. 209–210.