The town of Strzelno, as property of the Norbertine convent, remained closed to Jews until the 18th century. At the same time, the Norbertine convent maintained active financial cooperation with Jews from Inowrocław. In the 18th century, the provost Józef Łuczycki lent large sums of money to the local Jewish community. 

Jews who settled in Strzelno had to convert. The first to settle there was Wojciech Bardziński, who abandoned Judaism around 1726. Next was Franciszek Chęciński, baptized in 1747, and his son, who was baptized in 1748. Interestingly enough, his wife did not abandon Judaism. In 1753, Antoni Charzyński and his two children were baptized. The organized settlement did not begin until after Strzelno was incorporated into Prussia in 1773. The town remained a free royal town. Representatives of various nationalities and religions, including Jews, began moving there. 

Most likely, the first group of Jews moved to Strzelno following a fire in Inowrocław that consumed the whole Jewish quarter in 1775. In 1774, no Jews lived in Strzelno. By 1779, there were 29 (5 families).

At first, the Jews in Strzelno belonged to the Jewish community in Inowrocław. In the 1820s, they began forming the basic infrastructure elements for their own community. During the times when Strzelno was part of the Duchy of Warsaw, Hillel was the rabbi in the community. In 1826, a building was erected or adapted into a synagogue.  A much larger synagogue was built in 1844 on present-day Inowrocławska Street (former Poststrasse). It was a building of rectangular plan of 12 by 20 metres. At that time, rabbinical duties were performed by Sandberg (until 1851). He introduced some reforms in the spirit of Haskalah – sermons in German, a choir (beginning in 1847) – into the synagogue’s rituals. His successors were the rabbis: Jochim Stern (died in 1895), M. Pulvermann, T. Rawitscher. The statutes of the Jewish community were approved on 31 August 1834. In 1854, the community was headed by M. Schlamm, P. Gembicki, Spritny and R. Schwerin. In 1871, Aron Hirsch, Simon Gembitzky, Neuman Salomon, Adolph Lesser, Abraham Jacob were at the helm.

In 1833 a two-room school was created on Lipowa Street. In the early 20th century, 41 pupils were enrolled. Destler was the teacher, followed by Munter. In 1909, some Jewish youths began attending a co-educational secondary school. On Yom Kippur of 1878, part of the ceiling and roof of the synagogue collapsed and crashed onto the female choir and the centre aisle. Dozens of people were hurt. 

After Strzelno was incorporated into Poland in 1919, most of its Jews left the town. In 1921, the community was headed by A. Lesser, L. Eilenberg, R. Ruben, and deputies L. Lippman, J. Lesser. During the interwar period, there was no rabbi. The shochet Abraham Dawidowicz travelled from Inowrocław to Strzelno once a week. He settled in Strzelno in 1930. From that moment on, he also took on the post of chazan. During the holidays, services were conducted by an assistant chazan from Inowrocław; general religious service was provided by the Inowrocław rabbi Stanislaw Simon from 1935. In August 1930, the community went into administration. Jerzy Lesser was appointed administrator.  He organized an election, most likely held in the autumn of 1932. The elections resulted in Georg Lesser, Leo Lippmann, Ludwik Lipmann joining the administration. 

In 1932, the Strzelno community was dissolved and incorporated, along with the communities of Gębice, Gniewkowo, Kruszwica, Mogilno, Pakość and Trzemeszno into the Jewish community in Inowrocław. The Strzelno community’s estate, comprised of the synagogue and 0.7 hectares of land it stood on (with an estimated value of 19,200 zlotys), a residential house on Lipowa 1 with 0.43 hectares of land (10,000 zlotys), the cemetery and a residential house (6,000 zlotys), 10-hectare meadow (300 zlotys), was handed over by representatives of the Strzelno community, Georg Lesser and Ludwid Lippmann, to the representatives of the Inowrocław community.  During the interwar period, the existing Jewish organizations were not active. 

In 1939, the local Jews, like most of the inhabitants of the Mogilno County, were arrested and murdered (mainly men) in the first weeks of the war or displaced (women and children). The synagogue and cemetery were destroyed[1.1].

Bibliography

• T. Kawski, Gminy żydowskie pogranicza Wielkopolski, Mazowsza i Pomorza w latach 1918–1942, Toruń (2007);
• T. Kawski, “Społeczność żydowska na pograniczu kujawsko-wielkopolskim w XX wieku”, in: D. Karczewski (ed.), Z dziejów pogranicza kujawsko-wielkopolskiego. Zbiór Studiów, Strzelno (2007), pp. 161–187

• Sech, “Strzeleńscy Żydzi w XIX i XX wieku”, in: D. Kurzawa (ed.), Albert Abraham Michelson noblista z Kujaw. Studia i materiały, Strzelno (2007), pp. 58–61.