Tykocin From Its beginning Until World War I

Tykocin, which lies on the bank of the Narew River, was founded in the fifteenth century. In documents of that period, it is already described as an important town. Municipal status was granted to it by the Prince of Mazowia, Janosz I, in 1425. It remained the property of the Prince until 1542, when it became a royal property. The River Narew was then a natural boundary between Poland and Lithuania, and in 1568 a fortress was build on the frontier here, which made the town a fixture in the defenses against foreign invasion. The river was also a principal artery of communication and transport for the region, and Tykocin developed rapidly, becoming an important commercial, manufacturing, and agricultural center. Market days took place in Tykocin twice a week, and fairs were held eight times a year, drawing buyers from the surrounding area. In 1576 there were 237 houses in the town, four flour mills and several manufacturing enterprises.

Tykocin was hard hit by wars with Sweden in the 1650s and at the beginning of the 18th century, but in the course of time the city was rebuilt, and resumed its place as an important commercial center of the region. In the partition of Poland at the end of the 18th century, it passed to Prussian administration. In 1807 it was included in the Principality of Warsaw, and in 1815 in the Kingdom of Poland. The town prospered in the 19th century, its economy developing as its population grew, but at the turn of the century the first railroad line of the region was laid, running from Bialystok to Grajewo, and passing twelve kilometers from Tykocin. The town's distance from the highway and the rail line made Tykocin's subsquent economic decline inevitable. In World War I, Tykocin was conquered by the German Army, and remained subjugated from 1915 until the rebirth of Poland in 1918.

The first Jews arrived in Tykocin in 1522. The masters of the city invited at that time ten Jews from Grodno to settle in it and engage in trade; they were granted a charter defining their rights. In time, this charter was confirmed by the Kings of Poland, Stefan Batory in 1576 and Wladislaw IV in 1639. The Jewish community was also granted parcels of land on which to construct a synagogue and for a cemetery. The community prospered, most of its members being traders or artisans, while some leased estates in the vicinity or were involved in export trade. As in other Polish cities, there was in Tykocin to a tendency among the Polish burgers to take commerce into their own hands, at the expense of Jewish competitors. In Tykocin as early as the 17th century, guilds were organized by Christian tradesmen and artisans, and in response Jewish guilds arose as well. After a period of intense competition between these, compromise agreements were achieved; on one of these dating from 1646, the signature of the local priest appears, apparently in order to give it gravitas. Conflict between the Jews and the burgers continued for many years, and became very intense in the second half of the century. The opponents of the Jews even made use of the blood libel, first in 1657 in the nearby town of Rozany [this may be Rozanystok, as I do not see a Rozany near Tykocin — SG], in order to achieve advantage. The libel continued for three years, during which two of the leaders of the Rozany Jewish community were sentenced to death and executed. The serious situation in which the Tykocin ommunity found itself was discussed in sessions of the Council of the Four Lands, which was active in those times. Burgers of Tykocin made use of the blood libel as an excuse to organize riots against the Jews of the town, who were even threatened with expulsion from Tykocin, although this was not actually implemented.

The Jewish community of Tykocin rapidly achieved independence from its mother city, Grodno. Jews struck deep roots in their new home and organized their own community institutions even in the 16th century. In the 17th century, Tykocin became the regional center. After the departure of Lithuania from the Council of the Four Lands and the establishment of a separate committee for the main communities of Lithuania in 1623, each of the two committees tried to achieve control over the region of Tykocin. The city itself preferred to remain associated with the Council of the Four Lands, and so became a separate region, including the nearby towns. The Lithuanian Committee appealed this arrangement, and the disagreement persised for many years.

The Tykocin community also had a protracted disagreement with that of Grodno concerning control of several communities in the region. In particular, the community of Zabludow was contested, because it was the site of frequent fairs and of sessions of the Lithuanian Committee. These fairs were a substantial source of income to the community which controlled Zabludow. The conflict was the subject of many debates in sessions of the Council of the Four Lands, which at first decided in favor of Tykocin. In 1654 the sides arrived at a compromise, and authority over Zabludow was shared between the adversaries. But the conflict did not end with this, but persisted for decades. A similar disagreement about authority over the surrounding villages Miedziziec Podlaski and Smieticze, which wanted to achieve independence from the Tykocin community. In these cases too, the Council decided in favor of Tykocin.

The position of the Tykocin community in the Council of the Four Lands was strong, and it was recognized as a “magnificent, talented, and complete” community.

Until the end of the 18th century, the Bialystok community was much smaller than that of Tykocin, and was subject to the Tykocin Beit Din. Bialystok achieved municipal status in 1748, after which its rapid development began, quickly making it the largest town of the region. In 1771 Tykocin relinquished control over the surrounding villages to Bialystok, and consequently Bialystok displaced Tykocin as the most important community of the region.

The Tykocin synagogue was built in 1642, and it is considered one of the most beautiful of the synagogues of Poland, distinguished by its simplicity and the harmony of its elements. The cemetery was dedicated at the same time.

The importance of the Tykocin community is testified by the fact that it was, from its beginnings, served by famous rabbis of great reputation throughout Poland. Among these were Rabbis Shmuel Idels, Yehoshua ben Yosef, Shalom Rokeach, Yitzchak Chever, Yehoshua Shapiro, and many more who were recognized as Torah sages.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the lifestyle of the Tykocin community was traditional. Religious institutions were the center of the social and cultural life of the community. In the closing years of the 19th century, several institutions were founded, such as the Gemilut Hasadim, Bikur Holim, and Linat Zedek charitable funds (these are respectively the mutual-aid, care of the sick, and shelter for the poor societies — SG]; the community maintained a kosher kitchen for soldiers of the Russian garrison stationed in the town.

Tykocin's first Zionist organization was founded in 1904, to be joined a few years later by “haMizrachi” and “Po'alei Zion” groups, as well as the Bund. The first modern Jewish public library was opened in 1912.

The German conquest of Tykocin in 1915 brought the Jews new economic limitations and difficulties, but the period was characterized by social and political awakening. The activity of the community was concentrated on aid to those of its members who were in straitened conditions, and in raising money for the purpose from foreign sources. The rabbinical chair was occupied during this time by Rabbi Zvi Pinchas, who served from 1909 (having succeeded Rabbi Zvi Koslowicz, who had served from 1897 to 1908).
 

Between the Wars

In the period between the two World Wars, most of the Jews of Tykocin made their living as small traders and artisans. Most of the merchants were connected with Bialystok, and many of them were shopkeepers or operated stands in the bi-weekly market that took place in Tykocin. Tailors, shoemakers, and tinsmiths were prominent among the artisans; there were also a few small weaving mills, flour mills, breweries, and tanneries. The economic condition of the Jews of Tykocin was not of the best; most were poor.

During this period, there was activity by several economic and trade institutions that were intended to alleviate somewhat the process of impoverishment. An association of Jewish merchants was formed in 1925, and at about the same time a cooperative bank was founded. The Gmilut Hasadim mutual loan fund that had existed for many years augmented its activity, and assisted merchants and artisans with interest-free loans. The welfare institutions of the community extended their help to the poorest; Linat Tzedek expanded its activity to include also the provision of free medical aid.

In spite of the difficult material situation, the cultural and social life of the Jews of Tykocin blossomed in this period. The Zionist movement, which had been orgainized at the beginning of the century, and which was the most important between the wars, continued its activity. In the 1929 elections for the Zionist Congress, 356 persons voted in Tykocin, nearly half of them for the Mizrachi list; in the 1935 elections, about 700 voted, dividing their votes about equally between the various Zionist factions in the town: the General Zionists, Al haMishmar, haMizrachi, The League for Working Eretz-Yisrael, and the Revisionists. After the schism that took place at the end of the 1920s, nearly everyone joined Al-haMishmar, and the General Zionists had great influence. HaMizrachi, which was also well-established in the town and whose members were among the first Zionists in Tykocin, founded a chapter of haPoel haMizrachi in 1924. A chapter of Poalei Zion was founded at the end of the first World War, and later split into rightest and leftist movements, with the former being the more numerous. In 1929 a chapter of heHalutz was founded, and it established an agricultural training farm (“Hachsharah”). A chapter of haShomer haTza'ir had been organized in 1920, and it funtioned sporadically until the Shoah. In 1930 a chapter of Betar was founded, and by 1934 also a chapter of the Revisionist party. The Betar chapter also set up a Hachsharah farm in 1935, on which 25 members were being trained.

Agudat Yisrael was organized in Tykocin in 1921; most of its members were of the Gur Hasidim, who were numerous in the town. A group of Agudat Yisrael Youth was organized in 1923, and in 1926 a chapter of Poalei Agudat Yisrael which set up a library and a Gemilut Hassadim free loan society. This latter group had about 200 members, many of whom went through Hachsharah, of whom many emigrated to Eretz Yisrael A school for girls, called “Bet Ya'akov”, in which about 100 girls were enrolled, was founded in 1924, under the umbrella of Agutat Yisrael.

The Bund renewed its activity in Tykocin after the war. In the late 1920s, several organizations for cihldren and youth were organized within its framework.

Most of the youth organizations were independent clubs, each maintaining small libraries and reading rooms; the cultural life of Tykocin developed on their initiative. The Zionist organizations and the Bund held frequent lectures on various subjects; the lecturers were political and cultural figures, mostly from Warsaw.

The Community maintained a traditional Talmud Torah and, as mentioned, a Bet Ya'akov school for girls. There was also a seven-grade public school for the Jewish children, but few children, mostly girls, were enrolled in it.

Between the World Wars, the rabbis serving Tykocin were: Avraham Zvi Pinchas (who had begun his service in 1908, and continued until his death in 1927); his successor, Yisrael Ya'akov Lieder (1931), then Avraham Kalmanowicz (1932), and Abba Swiaticki (1937) who was the last rabbi of Tykocin, and who perrished in the Holocaust.

Antisemitic acts and boycott of Jewish merchants and artisans intensified during the 1930s. Anti-Jewish riots took place in 1936, and lasted several days; they recurred in 1938. Gangs of antisemitic youth stoned the synagogue and Jewish homes, causing damage such as broken windows.
 

During World War II

Units of the Wehrmacht entered Tykocin on 2 September 1939. On the first day of their presence, the Germans rounded up all the men in the town, both Jews and Poles, locked them up in the local church [“Holy Trinity” — SG], and kept them there for three days without food. During this interval, the German soldiers looted Jewish property. On Yom Kippur of 5700 (24 September 1939), they withdrew from the town, in accordance with the agreement between Germany and the USSR, and Tykocin became part of the Soviet area of occupation. As they left, German soldiers broke into the Jewish shops and emptied them.

During the Soviet occupation, the Jews of Tykocin attempted to come to terms with the new situation. Most worked in the workshop cooperatives that were formed, or in the Soviet offices and factories. Because Tykocin was close to the Soviet border, the town became a center for Jewish refugees from the towns under German occupation. In the Spring of 1940, many of these were exiled to the Soviet interior, because they had refused to accept Soviet internal passports [called colloquially “Pravozhitel'stvo”, the right to live — SG].

When the Wehrmacht invaded Soviet territory on 22 June 1941, the Soviet authorities abandoned Tykocin. The German Army, in its rapid advance, at first bypassed the town, and the local Poles, most of them of the Andak groups, exploited the absence of other authority to set up their own local government. Jan Pivik, an antisemite who had been mayor before the outbreak of war, was appointed mayor; a Polish police was established. For two days the rabble, locals and people from the surrounding villages, looted whatever was available to steal.

At the end of June 1941, a German military government arrived in the town. The Jews were ordered to wear a white armband with a Magen David on it. Many Jews were conscripted to forced labor in draining sewer channels, clearing weeds from the fields, etc., under the supervision of the local Polish police, who abused them as they pleased.

Although no ghetto was established in Tykocin, the Jews of Tykocin were nearly starved. The Polish police forbade any contact between Jews and Poles, so that it was impossible to purchase food. This situation became even more serious in July 1941, when refugees arrived from nearby Jedwabne and Wizna; these told of the murder of hundreds of Jews in these towns, at the hands of both Germans and Poles.

Five German gendarmes appeared in Tykocins on 16 August 1941, and pretended that they had come to protect the Jews from their Polish attackers. They even ordered the Poles to return the stolen property. Many of the Jewish community began to believe in the Germans when the Poles started to complain that the Germans had sold themselves to the Jews for bribes. But very shortly the Jews understood the gendarmes' game, when they learned that the Germans had ordered the digging of three large pits in the Lupochowo forest, about 15km from the town [actually, I measured the distance as 7 km — SG]. Jews were also forbidden from leaving the limits of the town. At this time, there were about 1400 Jews in Tykocin at this time, men, women, and children. On 24 August 1941 the Germans proclaimed that on the morrow, 25 August at 0600, Jews were to report to the market square. This caused much turmoil in the town, and only a few of the community were able to escape to the surrounding forest. The Germans and the Polish police surrounded the market square in which the Jews were assembled, and the Germans announced that they were conducting the Jews to the Bialystok ghetto, and that each might take along a package of as much as 25 kg. Four trucks arrived, bearing a Gestapo detachment. These escorted the men on foot to the village of Zawod where they were locked up in the local school, and later transported in the trucks to the pits in Lupochowo forest and murdered. The women and children were also taken to the pits in the Lupochowo forest on that day and murdered. On the same day, the Germans murdered the eight Jewish families living in the village of Zawod. On the following day, 26 August, the Germans rounded up the 700 Tykocin Jews that had not reported to the market square as ordered, including the elderly and sick, and took them to Lupochowo and murdered them there.

About 150 Jews succeeded in fleeing Tykocin before the liquidation of the community, but most of these were captured by peasants and handed over to the Germans, who murdered them. The fate of the escapees who made it to Bialystok was the same as that of the Bialystok Jews when the ghetto there was liquidated. Only seventeen of the Jews of Tykocin survived the Shoah.

The Germans converted the ancient synagogue of Tykocin to a storehouse for the household goods plundered from the local Jews. They also destroyed the Jewish cemetery, and took its headstones and stone fence for road construction, completing the destruction of Jewish Tykocin.