At the beginning of the 18th century, the town of Starostów (later renamed Prosperów) was established near Zawichost. It was mostly inhabited by Jews. The settlement was built specifically for them by Prosper Jan Załuski to give a boost to the local economy. The privilege for eight fairs was granted to the settlement by King Stanisław August Poniatowski. In 1820, Prosperów was incorporated into Zawichost.

The situation of the Jewish community during the interwar period was described interestingly in his diary by Wojciech Lipowski, a doctor:

“They were mostly involved in trade and craft. Every house, every family had a small shop. There were over a hundred of these. (...) Most carried mixed goods. One could buy flour, cereals, sugar, salt, herrings, tea, coffee, soap, candles, shoe polish, school accessories and some other items. There were a number of larger specialist shops as well (…). Apart from running shops, the Jews were wandering through the countryside buying various goods from farmers, e.g. cattle, horses, poultry, feathers, fish (…). Another group of Jews was delivering white bread, bread rolls and challahs to farmers, which was a delicacy in the villages at that time, as peasants ate black, wholemeal bread every day (…). Wednesdays, the market days, were a common holiday and attraction for both the Catholic and Jewish populations. Stalls with a variety of goods were installed by Jewish people along the main street of the Main Square. The goods offered included a wide selection of products, ranging from ready-made clothes, shoes, caps and female attire (…) to ready-made furniture, such as wardrobes, tables, beds and chairs, etc. (…) Jewish people, as I mentioned before, were quick-tempered, perhaps even irascible and impetuous; some of them were prone to arguing. (…) Jewish children in poorer families went dirty, with tousled hair, especially girls.”[1.1]

Michał Starzyk, on the other hand, provides us with the following description of the town after 1926: “Zawichost was a town indeed, although, as it was the case of many similar places in this country, it did not look like one. (…) Zawichost consisted of two adjacent districts: the one located by the river, populated mostly by the Poles and commonly called ‘the Polish Town’, and the other one, located to the west, was called ‘the Jewish Town’ or ‘Prosperów’.”[1.2] The Jewish community populated mostly the outskirts of the Main Square and Ostrowiecka, Aszkenazego, Joselewicza, Gdańska and Rybna Streets. A synagogue, a public bath and a cheder were located there.

In 1921, the Zawichost population numbered 3,014, and in 1939 – 4,000, including 1,400 Jews. Preserved records show that Izaak Horowitz was appointed to the post of rabbi on 11 November 1924.[1.3] The management board of the community consisted of Szymon Zylberberg, Jankiel Birenbaum, Icek Milgram, Berek Ajzenberg, Alter Wajntraub, Mendel Goldfinger, Jankiel Grinwald, Tauchon Lutrynenbaum – two shoemakers and six merchants. As far as the parties represented in the board are concerned, three members of the board were Orthodox Jews, while all the others were independent[1.4]

In 1925, fees for slaughter were established: for slaughtering an ox or a cow – 3 zlotys, for a calf, goat or sheep – 1.50 zlotys and for a turkey – 0.40 zlotys.[1.5] The fees were fairly low. Izrarel Rajz, a shochet, earned 3,600 zlotys a year, while Eliasz Rajz – 2,400 zlotys. 

In 1927, the Jewish population of Zawichost amounted to 1,400, which translated into 305 families, with 207 families obliged to pay the commune fees; the remaining families, due to their poverty, were released from this duty. The income from the fees was estimated at 2,561 zlotys. The average fee amounted to 12 zlotys.[1.6].

According to the inspectors, “the board did not do its best”. They were reproached for keeping their office untidy, negligent bookkeeping and failing to collect the fees. Moreover, some community officers did not receive due remuneration.

After the election in 1928, Szymon Perelberg, Tomchem Cytrynbaum, Alter Wajnberg, Berek Ojzenberg and Izrael Horowicz, a rabbi, were appointed board members. The total revenue was estimated at 19,479.32 zlotys, including 13,690.75 zlotys from the slaughter and 3,676 zlotys from the fees. The salaries were to be paid as follows: 4,400 zlotys a year for the rabbi, 3,120 zlotys for Izrael Rajz, a shochet, 2,800 zlotys for Szmul Rajz, the other shochet, 280 zlotys for Majer Ronidl, a cantor, 900 zlotys for S. B. Adler, a collector, 1,300 zlotys for Z. Gutholz, a secretary, 100 zlotys for a gravedigger, and 260 zlotys for support the late lower rabbi C. Zylberberger’s widow.[1.7]. In addition, 1,000 zlotys was allocated for the maintenance of the mikveh, 100 zlotys for the synagogue’s refurbishment, 300 zlotys for the fencing of the cemetery, 500 zlotys for the renovation of the mikveh, 161.70 zlotys for the insurance against fire, and 587.10 zlotys for the Health Care Fund. 

The slaughter fees were as follows: 6.50 zlotys for an ox or a cow, 3 zlotys for a calf, 1 zloty for a turkey or a goose, 0.30–0.40 zlotys for a hen, 0.25 zlotys for a chicken and 0.15 for a pigeon. According to the post-inspection report, the synagogue, the house of prayer and the mikveh sanitation needed renovating. The district office ordered to obtain the money for the renovation works from the sale of a parcel of land.[1.8]

In 1929, the following amounts were calculated into the total revenue of 20,718 zlotys: 12,728 zlotys from the slaughter, 1,500 zlotys from the fees, 100 zlotys from the mikveh, 250 zlotys from burial fees and 200 zlotys from the tombstones. This time, 121 families were obliged to pay the fee, which fluctuated between 3 and 55 zlotys. In 1930, 125 families out of 1,402 commune members were appointed to pay the fee, which would give the projected revenue of 2,350 zlotys. 

As the inspection conducted in 1931 showed, the following numbers of animals were slaughtered: cattle – 300, heifers – 100, calves – 900, geese – 3,400, ducks – 300, hens – 7,000, chickens – 4,000.[1.9]. The revenue in that year was expected to amount to 22,141.79 zlotys, including 15,800 zlotys from the slaughter, 2,000 zlotys from the fees and 1,608.70 zlotys in outstanding fees. 

In 1932, the income was estimated at 22,546.75 zlotys, including 16,660 zlotys from the slaughter, 300 zlotys from the mikveh, and 20 zlotys in burial fees. The budget also included an income from outstanding fees, which amounted to 1,112.30 zlotys for 1930 and 1,989.00 zlotys for 1931.[1.10].

The expenses covered the following: three widow’s pensions – 1,140 zlotys for the lower rabbi Horowicz’s widow, 156 zlotys for the cantor Hendel’s widow and 260 zlotys for the lower rabbi Zylbercan’s widow. In addition, 100 zlotys were allocated for the poor, and 700 zlotys to settle mortgages. According to the post-inspection report of 7 October 932, the slaughter fee collector did not pass the cash he had obtained, the cases of outstanding fees were not submitted to the Treasury Chamber, and finally, neither the mortgage nor the insurance matters were settled[1.11].

In 1933, the Jewish population in Zawichost numbered 1,402. The amount expected from the fees was 3,601.70 zlotys, from the slaughter – 14,500 zlotys, and from the other sources – 1,825 zlotys, which would give the total revenue of 19,926.70 zlotys. The fees fluctuated between 6 zlotys and 61 zlotys. The basis of calculating them is unknown. The entrepreneur Izrael Zylberberg, the watchmaker Henoch Sztudent and the fisherman Abram Szyfman paid 5 zlotys a year. The expenses covered a rabbi’s salary – 2,420 zlotys, remuneration of the board members – 10,175 zlotys, other expenses – 10,176 zlotys, other fees – 1,530 zlotys, investments – 2,700 zlotys, charity – 254.91 zlotys, and unclassified expenses – 2,865.79 zlotys[1.12]. The community board consisted of Szymon Siberberg, Chaim Cytrynbaum, Hersz Pechman, Bajroch Binsztok, Bajroch Ajzenberg, Izrael Sztudent, Szloma Kochen and Chaskiel Ajzenberg[1.13].

In 1933, Moses Spiro, a Zionist married to Anna Taub, came to Zawichost to apply for the post of official rabbi. In order to do so, he had to take an exam proving his knowledge of the Polish language. He passed the exam in front of the representatives of the Administrative Department of the Province Office.[1.14]. However, this did not guarantee that he would take up this post, as the name of each candidate had to be on the official list. Although Spiro faced some problems with having his candidature approved, he finally succeeded. 

In 1937, there were 1406 Jews in the town, with 105 families obliged to pay the fee. The movable property had an estimated value of 5,089.50 zlotys, while the immovable property was assessed at 46,620 zlotys, and liabilities amounted to 5,225.50 zlotys. The board was dominated by Zionists and Orthodox Jews.

The German occupation of the town began on 9 September 1939. The Judenrat was established in early 1940. It was forced to supply people to the Germans for forced labour and to pay the “contributions”. In the summer of 1942, a ghetto was established, and soon, due to the arrival of displaced persons, about 5,000 people found themselves in it. In October 1942, all but the elderly and sick, who were murdered on the spot by the Germans, were sent to the extermination camp at Bełżec[1.15].

Bibliography

• M. Starzyk, Moje spojrzenie na dzieje Zawichostu, Zawichost 1994.
• “Zawichost”, in: Sh. Spector, G. Wigoder (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Jewish Life Before and During the Holocaust, vol. 3, New York 2001, p. 1494.