Nina Schwartz

Wyszkow Memorial Book: Translation of Sefer Wyszkow Nina Schwartz

This is the translation of the Memorial or Yizkor Book of the Jewish Community of Wyszków, Poland.

The town of WyszkoÌw, about 35 miles northeast of Warsaw, lies along the Bug River. Jewish people started to inhabit the town in the late 1700s and were en- gaged as merchants and craftsmen. In the 19th and 20th centuries, they began to engage with small trade. Before World War I, Jews owned various businesses such soda water factories, ice cream parlors, and a railway carriage production factory. Also, they were involved in processing forest products and established wood tar factories.

In the 19th century, the Hassidim began to play a greater role in the community and dominated it in the second half of the 19th century. The establishment of Yeshiva "Beis Yosef" in 1908 was an example of the influences of orthodox socie- ty.

After the town was invaded and occupied by the Germans in September 1939, the town commandant evicted all the Jews. Nearly 80 Jews and eight Poles were forced into a barn which was then set on fire. Everyone perished. During the first days of the occupation, the Germans rounded-up and killed approximately 1,000 Jews. As the war ensued, others were sent to death camps. Some Jew- ish residents of WyszkoÌw managed to escape. Some reached Polish territory which had been occupied by the Russians. Those who managed to survive relo- cated to many countries around the globe, mostly the United States of America and the State of Israel.

This Yizkor Book serves as a memorial to all the victims of the Shoah from WyszkoÌw and nearby towns.