The town of Tyczyn was founded in 1368 under the charter issued by the Chancellery of King Casimir the Great. The first documented evidence of Jewish inhabitants in the settlement dates back to 1428[1.1].

Jews appeared in Tyczyn before 1566. Records indicate the presence of four Jewish families that year. In 1627, Jews were accused of causing a fire that destroyed the town and the church. In 1765, there were 586 Jews in the Tyczyn kahal district. In 1790, the town had 375 Jewish residents out of a total population of nearly 1,352 inhabitants[1.2],  and an additional 150 Jews in the Tyczyn dominium. The Jewish community owned 18 houses out of a total of 177 in the town, making up 10.1%[1.3]. During that period, the Jewish community also had a hospital, i.e. a shelter for the poor. At the time, the Jewish population numbered at least 500, and was very diverse, with a distinct group of poor, sometimes homeless[1.4]. Jews were mainly engaged in petty trade and simple crafts. In the second half of the 18th century, the Jewish community in Tyczyn had a synagogue and a cemetery[1.5].

In 1799, 390 Jewish people lived in Tyczyn, in 1800 – 361, in 1815 – 363, 1820 – 306, 1824 – 316, 1880 –735. Based on data from the second half of the 18th century concerning the population structure, the highest number of Jews resided in Tyczyn (375 individuals – 27.7% of the total town population and 55.3% of Jews in the entire district). This trend remained unchanged until the time of the Second World War. The fact that Tyczyn became a centre of Jewish settlement was due to the rapid development the town experienced since its establishment, thanks to its successive owners. Moreover, the location on an important trade route connecting Kraków with Przemyśl and Lviv made the town a significant craft and trade centre. Favourable conditions for economic growth were an incentive for the Jewish population to settle in Tyczynj[1.6].

In 1880, the kahal maintained two synagogues and a cemetery and employed two rabbis. From 1893, there was a Credit Society in the town, whose chairman was Leon Bernfeld. By 1900, the number of Jews in the community increased to 1,430 people, however, the kahal did not employ a rabbi at that time. The Jewish religious community in Tyczyn comprised several other localities, as part of the Jewish vital records registration district: Biała, Błędowa Tyczyńska, Borek Nowy, Borek Stary, Brzezówka, Budziwój, Chmielnik, Dylągówka, Grzegożówka, Hadle, Hermanowa, Hucisko, Hyżne, Jawornik Miasteczko, Kielnarowa, Lecka, Lubenia, Lutoryż, Matysówka, Przedmieście Jawornickie, Siedliska, Słocina, Sołonka, Straszydle, Szklary, Tyczyn, Widaczów, Wola Rafałowska, Zabratówka, Zalesie[1.7].

On 5 May 1919, anti-Jewish riots occurred in the town, where peasants from nearby villages and urban commoners looted Jewish shops and homes . In 1921, there were 957 Jews living in Tyczyn, accounting for 30.9% of the total population.

During the early German occupation, 140 Jews from Łódź and Kalisz were resettled in Tyczyn. In March 1942, Jews from surrounding villages were also brought there[1.8]. Between 25-27 June 1942, approximately 1,200 of them were transported by Germans to the Rzeszów ghetto and later deported for execution to the German Nazi extermination camp in Bełżec. Simultaneously, the synagogue was destroyed, the Jewish cemetery  desecrated, and many Jewish homes were vandalised. After the war, Jews did not return to Tyczyn.

References

• Kiryk F., Żydzi w Małopolsce, Przemyśl 1991
• Krochmal J., Cmentarze i bożnice żydowskie na terenie rzymskokatolickiej diecezji przemyskiej w połowie XVIII wieku, Studia przemyskie, Przemyśl 2004.
• Michalewicz J., Żydowskie okręgi metrykalne i żydowskie gminy wyznaniowe w Galicji doby autonomicznej, Kraków 1995, p.148.]].
• Sochacka M., Społeczność żydowska w Tyczynie w świetle akt metrykalnych w latach 1877-1941, Prace Historyczno-Archiwalne, vol. XII, Rzeszów 2002.