The earliest mention of Jews in Szydłowiec dates back to the end of the 16^th century. The first names of local Jews recorded in historical documents were Przasnisz and Abram Sowa. According to the scarce references in the municipal records, the Jewish community was small and did not develop until the mid-17^th century[1.1]. 

Poll tax registers from the years 1662–1676 do not mention any Jews residing in Szydłowiec[1.2]. A large influx of Jews took place at the end of the 17^th century. It was most likely associated with the proclamation issued by the owner of Szydłowiec, Dominik Mikołaj Radziwiłł. He wanted to attract new settlers to Szydłowiec as the town was experiencing rapid depopulation. He guaranteed the newcomers safety, permission to participate in the local trade and all other privileges pertinent to burghers. His initiative turned out to be successful, as many Jewish merchants and craftsmen settled in Szydłowiec. In 1716, there were already 20 Jewish homeowners and 25 tenants living in the town. It is estimated that a total of 270 Jews lived in Szydłowiec at that time[1.1.1], most of them in the area around Skałeczny Rynek. Radziwiłł represented the Jewish population before the Bishop of Krakow, asking for permission to build a synagogue in the town. It was erected in 1717. A Jewish cemetery was most likely established soon afterwards.

At the same time, a Jewish kehilla was formed. Initially, it was a small, municipal community, but as early as the 1780s it had jurisdiction not only over Jews living in Szydłowiec itself, but also in the villages of Jastrzębie, Skrzynno, Wierzbica, Zygmunt, Wąchock, and over 60 other localities.

In 1788, the owner of the town, Prince Mikołaj Radziwiłł, issued a decree prohibiting Jews from buying houses and plots in the area of the Catholic Market Square. This prohibition was strictly respected, and any Jewish attempts to settle in the area resulted in public outrage and expulsions. The division into Catholic and Jewish Szydłowiec lasted until 1862. In 1827, 2,049 Jews lived in Szydłowiec, constituting 64.8% of the total population. In 1862, the town had 2,961 Jewish inhabitants (73.6% of the population).

After the administrative reform of 1869, Szydłowiec retained the status of a town. The Jewish community grew steadily – up to 8,563 people (78.2% of the total population) in 1913[1.3]. The community was one of the largest in the Radom District. After 1861, the area it encompassed became smaller, as independent Jewish communities were established in Bodzentyn, Wąchock, Kamienna, and Wzdół.

Most of the Jewish inhabitants of Szydłowiec were poor. The community owned a synagogue, a cheder, a hospital house, a synagogue school, a ritual bath, and two cemeteries. It employed a rabbi, a lower rabbi, a teacher in the cheder, and a cashier, a census officer, and a communal scribe.

At the beginning of the 20^th century, first political groups emerged in Szydłowiec. They started to operate in a more organised way after 1918. The Orthodox Agudath enjoyed greatest popularity among the local population. After 1925, the Zionist movement gained a strong position in the town. The Bund was also very active.

In 1921, Jews constituted 76.1% of the total population of in Szydłowiec (5,501 out of 7,232 residents)[1.4]. Nearly half of the Jewish community earned their living from running small production plants, dealing mainly with crafts. Trade was the primary source of income for 17.1% of local Jews[1.5].

When World War II broke out, 6,976 Jews were living in Szydłowiec. During the war, their number systematically grew, reaching its peak with ca. 10,000 people in May 1941. Immediately after seizing the town (8 September 1939), Germans began persecuting the Jewish population. The Jewish community board was replaced with the Council of Elders. From the very beginning of the German occupation, Jews were forced to perform humiliating work. Many were deported to labour camps in Germany and the Lublin region. In Szydłowiec itself, Jews worked in the tannery and button workshop. A labour camp was opened in the quarries outside the town. Many Jews died of exhaustion and diseases.

In August 1942, Germans established a ghetto in Szydłowiec. Jews from Wolanów, Wierzbica, and Skaryszewo were also resettled there[1.6]. A total of 16,300 people lived in its very small area. On 23 September 1942, the ghetto was liquidated. Germans gathered all Jews at Plac Wolności and rushed them to the railway station in Sadek. From there, they were transported by train to Treblinka II death camp.

In November 1942, Germans established another ghetto in Szydłowiec. They proclaimed that the aim was to create a place where Jews could live and work in peace. By doing so, they sought to lure all people who had managed to escape from the previous ghetto, thus avoiding deportation. Ca. 5,000 people were gathered in Szydłowiec. Contrary to their previous claims, on 13 January 1943 Germans transported the inhabitants of the ghetto to Treblinka, where they were murdered in gas chambers.

Shortly after the liberation of the town in 1945, 106 Jewish people returned to Szydłowiec. A branch of the Committee to Aid Jews was established. In the summer of 1945, the number of Jews in Szydłowiec increased. However, they left the town the very same year for fear of losing their lives[1.7].

Bibliography:

• Penkalla A., Żydzi na terenie guberni radomskiej w latach 1815–1862, Radom 1991.
• Piątkowski S., “Żydzi w Szydłowcu w latach wojny i okupacji (1939–1945),” [in] Żydzi szydłowieccy. Materiały z sesji popularnonaukowej 22 lutego 1997 r., ed. J. Wijaczka, Szydłowiec 1997.
• Renz. R., “Życie codzienne żydów w Szydłowcu w latach 1918–1939,” [in] Żydzi szydłowieccy. Materiały z sesji popularnonaukowej 22 lutego 1997 r., ed. J. Wijaczka, Szydłowiec 1997.
• Studia z dziejów Szydłowca, eds. Z. Guldon, J. Wijaczka, Szydłowiec 1995.
• Wijaczka J., “Żydzi szydłowieccy do końca XVIII w.,” [in] Żydzi szydłowieccy. Materiały z sesji popularnonaukowej 22 lutego 1997 r., ed. J. Wijaczka, Szydłowiec 1997.