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1 Killing site(s)
Wacław K., born in 1922: "Before the war, I lived in Jasionówka, a small willage located about 3km from Dąbrowa Białostocka. In Dąbrowa Białostocka lived a lot of Jews, but also Taras and some Orthodox families. I specifically recall some Jewish residents from Dąbrowa, such as George Zalzman and his brother, Aaron Zalzman. Just before the outbreak of the war, relations between the communities grew tense. The persecution of the Jewish population began immediately upon the arrival of the Germans in 1941. During the initial German assault, Dąbrowa was burned, leaving only a cinema and a mill (mikveh) intact. The Jews were rounded up and confined inside these two remaining structures. It was possible to approach the detainees with German permission, though I did not personally attempt to do so. Eventually, the confined Jewish residents were marched on foot toward Suchowola. They were permitted to carry a few belongings, and as far as I know, no one was shot when they left the town." (Witness N°YIU1147P, interviewed in Dąbrowa Białostocka, on September 19, 2020)
Dąbrowa Białostocka is a town located in Sokółka County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. Situated in the historic region of Podlasie, it lies approximately 64 km (40 mi) north of Białystok, the voivodeship’s capital.
The earliest records of Jews living in Dąbrowa date back to the beginning of the 18th century. At that time, an organized Jewish community already existed in the town, operating under the jurisdiction of the Grodno community. The population grew rapidly: by 1806, Jewish residents made up over half of Dąbrowa’s population, and eighty years later, that figure skyrocketed to 85%.
Economic, religious, and cultural life was centered around the town square. Jewish households and businesses dominated the town’s main streets, including Kościuszki Square, Szkolna Street, Kamieńska Street, and 3 Maja Street. Over time, two brick synagogues and several prayer houses were built in Dąbrowa. One of them, a brick synagogue erected by the river in 1874, was destroyed during World War II. A ritual bathhouse (mikveh) was also located north of the town square, near the riverbank.
In 1904, Dąbrowa recorded a population of 1,800 residents, 78.2% of whom were Jewish. This represented the highest percentage of Jewish inhabitants in the entire Grodno Governorate, and one of the highest, if not the highest, within the Russian Empire. The remaining groups—Poles (19.2%), Tatars (1.7%), and Russians (0.7%)—formed a distinct minority. Local residents gathered in large numbers in Dąbrowa for the three annual fairs and weekly markets. These events served as a hub for trading horses, cattle, pigs, grain, fruits, and vegetables, as well as dairy products and various handicraft goods essential for running a household and farm.
In 1921, there were 1,218 Jewish residents out of a total population of just over 3,000 in the entire Dąbrowa Białostocka municipality. However, within the town limits itself, they accounted for 90% of the population. Just before the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish community in the town numbered slightly fewer than 1,200 people. According to witnesses interviewed by Yahad-In Unum, before the war, apart from Catholics and Jews there were also Orthodox and Tatars living in Dąbrowa Białostocka. Wacław K., born in 1922, recalled that all the communities were treated equally. In the local school, children sat separated by group, and religion lessons were scheduled at the edges of the school day. Wacław recalled that controversy erupted when a Catholic priest broke convention by inviting Jewish students to his class, and ten accepted, provoking outrage among local adults holding traditional prejudices. In response, the Jewish children reciprocated by inviting their Catholic classmates to visit the synagogue, an invitation the witness accepted out of youthful curiosity. According to Wacław, just before the outbreak of the war, the atmosphere grew increasingly strained as economic nationalism began to fracture local coexistence. Young men from the Nationalist movement (Narodowcy) started staging boycotts outside Jewish-owned shops, actively blocking the entrances and urging Polish customers to take their business to Polish establishments instead. They openly spread hostile rhetoric about the Jewish community. Despite these rising political tensions and localized economic blockades, the town managed to avoid major outbreaks of physical violence during those final pre-war months.
In September 1939, the German occupation of the town lasted for less than two weeks before they withdrew, ceding control to the Red Army. German forces returned in late June 1941. In the very first days of their return, they accused the local Jews of killing a German officer and set the town on fire. Many Jews perished in the flames, while others fled to nearby towns, including Nowy Dwór, Sokółka, and Suchowola. About a week later, between 300 and 600 of them returned to their hometown. In early July, 27 young Jewish adults were supposedly murdered by the Germans outside the town.
German authorities most likely established an open ghetto in Dąbrowa Białostocka in September 1941, sealing its perimeter during the autumn or winter of that year. According to testimonies collected by Yahad-In Unum, the majority of the Jewish population was forced to shelter inside the local mikveh and cinema buildings, which had survived the fires that destroyed most of the town. Stanisław Z., born in 1933, recalled that Jewish residents were required to wear a yellow Star of David on both their chest and back, noting that non-compliance was punishable by death.
In May 1942, between 100 and 300 Jewish individuals deemed unfit for labor, mostly women, children, and the elderly, were transferred to the Suchowola ghetto. This relocation left approximately 200 Jewish residents in Dąbrowa. These remaining prisoners were subjected to forced labor, primarily widening the road linking Sokółka and Janów Podlaski.
The liquidation of the ghetto took place on November 2, 1942. The surviving Jews were forced on a march to the transit camp in Kiełbasina, located 28 km (17.4 mi) from Dąbrowa. Those who could not keep up the pace were shot. Upon arriving at Kiełbasin, the Jews from Dąbrowa were reunited with their relatives who had survived the Suchowola ghetto. They were among the 22,000 to 29,000 Jews gathered at the transit camp. On December 14, 1942, the German forces marched the Dąbrowa community from Kiełbasin to the Łasosna railway station, from where they were deported to the Treblinka killing center. The following day, upon their arrival at Treblinka, all but a single survivor, Sonia Grabińska-Lewkowicz, were murdered.
Following the deportation Aktion, isolated killings of Jewish residents continued in Dąbrowa Białostocka. Stanisław Z., born in 1933, witnessed the shooting of two Jewish men at the local Jewish cemetery, an event that likely occurred in 1943. He saw two German soldiers armed with rifles escort two captives, aged approximately 30, who were carrying shovels. Upon reaching the cemetery, the captives were forced to dig a pit. Once the digging was complete, the soldiers ordered them to stand at the edge of the pit and shot them, causing both victims to fall inside. Immediately following the shooting, the Germans instructed the village leader to bury the bodies.
Stanisław helped to identify the approximate location of the killing site of both victims within the cemetery grounds. Today, the cemetery perimeter is fenced and features a memorial monument commemorating the prewar Jewish community of Dąbrowa buried there, as well as those murdered in death camps between 1939 and 1945.
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