| Between the two World Wars, many
of the Szczuczyn residents worked as tailors, shoemakers and
artisans, and there some light industry as well that were
either owned by Jews or that employed Jews.
As suffered many in Europe during this
difficult economic period between the wars, the Jews
suffered greatly. Those who were Szczuczn's shopkeepers,
retail merchants and the like, who depended on the peasantry
who lived in and around Szczuczyn for their livelihood, now
derived less income from their businesses. This problem was
compounded when their businesses were boycotted by their
potential customers because they were Jewish..
These conditions did not stop the
Jewish populace of Szczuczyn from creating educational
institutions, and many Jews formed and became part of
various cultural, social and political organizations in
town.
At the beginning of World War II,
Szczuczyn was captured by the German army and held by them
for two weeks. After the Ribbentrop-Molotov agreement was
signed between the Germans and the Russians, Szczuczyn
became a Russian territory. During these times, Jews were
beaten and robbed and property was seized. Some were killed
by knife and axe-wielding rioters. Some Jews fled, some
returned; some were deported to Siberia.
Then in June of 1941, the Germans
and Russians went to war against each other and the Jews of
Szczuczyn felt the brunt of this conflict. Many Jews were
murdered by the Germans and a ghetto was established. In
November of 1942 when the ghetto was liquidated, the Jewish
residents of the ghetto were sent, like so many others, to
face their horrible fate at the concentration camps of
Treblinka and Auschwitz. |
