The earliest mention of Jewish inhabitants of Błonie dates back to the 15^th century. A ban on Jewish settlement long remained in force in the town, due to which only one family of Jews lived there in 1827. Jewish merchants and stallholders from nearby localities would visit Błonie during biennial fairs.

The settlement ban was lifted in 1862. From that moment on, Jews were allowed to reside in Błonie and buy real estate in the town. This resulted in rapid growth of the local Jewish population. In 1808, the town had only 20 Jewish inhabitants, while in 1857, this number increased to 88, in 1862 – to 1,027, and in 1921 – to 1,262.

In the second half of the 19^th century and the first decades of the 20^th century, Błonie was home to a large Jewish community. We do not know the exact date of the establishment of an independent community and the local cemetery, but it most likely happened after the removal of the settlement ban. Most Jews of Błonie made a living from trade, including cereal and seeds. The local craftsmen dealt primarily with tailoring and shoemaking. Several Jews from the town fought in the January Uprising, including Aron Engelman – owner of an estate in Kampinoska Forest and later the caretaker of the mass grave of 78 insurgents in Zaborów.

The Jewish community of Błonie remained largely unchanged in the interwar period. The year 1926 saw the foundation of the Co-operative Interest-Free Credit Union, providing affordable loans to craftsmen and merchants. The political stage was dominated by Zionist and Orthodox circles. Among the political parties active in the town was the Zionist Organisation (General Zionists), Poale Zion – Jewish Social Democratic Workers’ Party, Mizrachi (Orthodox Zionists), Brit Hazohar (Revisionist Zionists), and the Orthodox Agudath. The winners of the 1924 election to the community board were Zionists: General Zionists, Mizrachi, Zionist Craftsmen, and Agudath won one seat each. In 1939, two Jews were elected to the Municipal Council.

The German army seized Błonie on 17 September 1939 and murdered 40 Jews on the very same day. Persecution and plunder of the Jewish community soon followed. The occupying forces used Jews as slave labourers. The local Judenrat was established in the autumn of 1939; it was dissolved on 17 February 1941, when all Jews from Błonie were displaced to Warsaw. The members of the Judenrat were: Awigdor Rozenberg, Lejb Rozenberg, Jakub Jasiński, Abram Gewer, and Wajselfisz from Nadarzyn. A group of ca. 900 refugees (including 150 children) resided in Błonie, among them people from Łódź, Kovel, Iłowo, Lubień, Konstantynów, and Aleksandrów Kujawski. They received aid from the Jewish Social Self-Help Committee founded by the American Joint Distribution Committee in Warsaw. A folk kitchen was opened in the town; it handed out 360 meals a day. In March 1940, the members of the Committee were: Izrael Wajcberg – chairman, Dawid Kirszenbaum – warehouse manager, Berek Herc – treasurer, Izrael Wajselfisz – treasurer, Moszek Wajsapel, Abram Gewer, and Rafał Knaster.

The Germans established a ghetto in Błonie in November 1941. Its population amounted to ca. 2,100 people. It was liquidated on 17–19 February 1941. All of its prisoners were deported to the Warsaw Ghetto and later sent to the Nazi death camp in Treblinka.

Bibliography

• Archive of the Jewish Historical Institute, Relacje. Zeznania ocalałych Żydów, ref. no. 301/4444.
• Jewish Historical Institute, Documentation Department, P. Rytka, Błonie.