The first Jews settled in Zolkiewka in the early 17th century. at the invitation of the owner of the estate - Stanislaw Zolkiewski.Initially, the small community is subject to the municipality of Turobin. In 1769-1775 or slightly later, a cemetery was established and a wooden synagogue was built.In 1775, the Parliament of the Four Lands allowed the Jews of Zolkiew to form an independent community. They lived mainly in the center of the town, where they owned most of the property.They made their living by trading in groceries, ironmongery and plating. In addition to numerous craftsmen (tailors, shoemakers and hat makers) in the second half of the 19th century. There were mills, small manufactories and factories established by Jewish entrepreneurs in Zolkiewka. After the fire of the wooden synagogue in 1852. Construction of a new brick synagogue began, completed in 1868.In 1899. A credit union was established, in 1911. while- a shelter for the poor. Since the beginning of the 20th century. political and cultural life was developing in the city - in 1904. Local branches of Poale Zion and the Bund were established. Since 1912. Jewish Public Library functioned.
The main sources of livelihood for the Jews of Zolkiew were crafts and petty trade.Employment was also provided by small textile mills and tanneries. In the 1930s, tourism became an important source of income - due to the influx of visitors, numerous Jewish stores and restaurants were established here, and guest rooms were made available. Youth annexes were active at local branches of the Zionist parties and organizations - Mizrachi, Poale Zion and the Zionist Organization. In 1923. a cell of the Agudah was established, and the Bund, which resumed its activities shortly after World War I, also enjoyed strong support. In addition to the three cheders and the community Talmud-Torah, there was a religious school for girls, Beit Yaakov, run by the Agudah. Jewish children also attended the Polish state school. Impoverished as a result of World War I, Jewish residents of Zolkiewka received a great deal of material assistance from the Joint and local institutions supporting the economic development of the settlement. Among other things, they operated here. Cooperative Credit Bank and Gemilut Chesed Bank, providing interest-free loans to poor merchants and artisans. The last rabbi of Zolkiewka was Symcha Felhendler, in office since 1911.
Holocaust - In early October 1939., after the Red Army withdrew from Zhovkva and before the Germans occupied it, a pogrom took place here, as a result of which 23 Jews died at the hands of Poles. The pretext for the attack was that some of the Jewish residents greeted with sympathy the Soviet troops entering the settlement. In January 1940. A Judenrat was established in German-occupied Zolkiewka, with the son of the local rabbi, Leib Felhendler, as chairman. At the Judenrat since April 1941. Jewish Social Self-Help operated, providing support to those in difficult financial situations, including. resettled here since 1940. By spring 1942. Jews from Kalisz, Kolo, Lublin and Krasnystaw.From August 1940. Jews from Zolkiewka were sent to labor camps, including. to Belzec (they built anti-tank fortifications on the border between the General Government and the Soviet Union), to Ruda near Chelm (they worked on regulating the Uherka River), to Augustowka. In Zolkiewka, a labor camp was established at. Lubelskaya.May 12-15, 1942. The first displacement action of Jews took place. After the initial selection, groups of Jews were rushed to Krasnystaw, from where, after the second selection, the able-bodied men were sent to the concentration camp at Majdanek, and the rest - i.e. ca. 1,000 people - were deported to the Sobibor extermination camp.After this action, a ghetto was established in Zolkiewka, where about 1,300 Jews were confined. As a result of the second displacement action on August 10, 1942. About 300 Jewish residents of Zolkiewka were deported to the Sobibor extermination camp. In October 1942. The ghetto was eventually liquidated.
In 1996. A matzeva-shaped monument was unveiled in the center of the town, with an inscription in Polish and Hebrew: "To the memory of the Jews of Zolkiewka murdered by the Nazis in 1939-1944. The monument stands in the park (corner of Hetmana Zolkiewskiego Street and Krótka Street). It was founded by the surviving Jews of Zolkiewka in 1996. - Chaim Zylberklang, Natan Irland and Mila Frydrich.
