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1 Killing site(s)
Ryszard P., born in 1932: "Before the war, the town of Proszowice had about 2,000 Catholics and roughly 1,000 Jews. The Jewish community was very religious and carefully observed its traditions. During the holiday known as ‘Kuczki’ (Sukkot), they built small wooden booths in their courtyards, where they would pray and spend time during the celebration. They also strictly observed the Shabbat. The synagogue stood at the intersection on the road toward Słomniki, on Kościuszki Street in Proszowice. It was a wooden building and was burned down during the war. There was also a Jewish cemetery outside the town. Many Jews rented homes from Polish residents; only a small number owned their own houses. A large number were traders and shopkeepers. They traded in grain, and my father, who traded cattle, knew many of them well, although I no longer remember their names. Some were also craftsmen, such as tailors and shoemakers. Jewish children did not attend school with us. They were taught by a rabbi in a separate school." (Witness N°YIU1222P, interviewed in Proszowice, on December 15, 2020)
Archival Records: Proszowice (Kraków District)
PROSZOWICE /town/
· September 1, 1942 – During the deportation of Jews from Proszowice, 11 people were shot: Rywka Goldkorn (39), Izrael Abram Goldkorn (39), Zysla Goldkorn (12), Symcha Fiszel Goldkorn (11), Dawid Goldkorn (7), Josek Goldkorn (5), Abram Majer Rycht (45), Bajla Rycht (45), Adela Rycht (20), Zysla Rycht (14), and Ruchla Rycht (5).
· October 1942 – Gestapo officers executed 6 Jews on the square at Kościuszki Street: Gecech Pinczowski (53), Juda Pinczowski (25), Berek Pinczowski (24), Szmeria Pinczowski (20), Josek Pinczowski (17), and Lejzor Pinczowski (15). The bodies were buried on Icek Blumenfracht’s square.
o Źródło: AGK, ASG sygn. 9, k. 358.
· October 1942 – Gendarmes from Słomniki executed 22 Jews (including members of the Cymerman, Dancyger, Felman, Frydman, Gutman, Hamer, and Salsynger families, and Majer Wajnberg). The bodies were buried at the local Jewish cemetery.
o Źródło: AGK, ASG sygn. 9, k. 362; AGK, Ankieta GK "Represje na ludności żydowskiej", pow. Proszowice, woj. krakowskie.
· November 1942 – Gendarmes shot 2 Jews: Hersz Walersztajn (21) and his 8-year-old sister. The bodies were buried on Icek Blumenfracht’s square.
o Źródło: AGK, ASG sygn. 9, k. 356.
· December 1942 – During the second deportation, gendarmes executed 3 Jewish individuals: Jankiel Manel (8), Rajzla Mina Manel (11), and Ruchla Manel (33). They were buried in the Jewish cemetery in Proszowice.
o Źródło: Sąd Grodzki w Proszowicach, Zg 16/49.
· January 1943 – Gendarmes shot 2 Jews: Szloma Dziewięcki (68) and his wife. The bodies were buried in Stanisław Biernacki’s garden.
o Źródło: AGK, ASG sygn. 9, k. 357.
· September 1943 – Gendarmes executed 2 Jews: Wolf Ostry and his wife. The bodies were buried in Franciszek Wrona’s field on Rzeczna Street.
o Źródło: AGK, ASG sygn. 9, k. 359.
Proszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is the capital of Proszowice County, and the town is located some 24 km (15 mi) northeast of Kraków.
Jewish presence in Proszowice and its surroundings can be traced back to the 18th century. Although late 18th-century census materials described the town itself as lacking Jewish residents, several Jewish families lived in nearby villages such as Gniazdowice, Klimontów, Makocice, and Szczytniki, where they often leased taverns or breweries.
During the interwar period, the Jewish population represented a significant and well-established part of life in Proszowice. By 1921, the town had 3,297 inhabitants, of whom 1,307 were Jews, and by 1939 this number had risen slightly to about 1,323. The local Jewish community also included members living in nearby villages such as Klimontów, Koniusza, Luborzyca, Wierzbno, and Kowale, bringing the total community to around 1,450 people before the Second World War.
Jews participated actively in the town’s civic life. Economically, the community played an important role in trade and artisanal activities. Many Jews worked as tailors, bakers, butchers, shoemakers, or carpenters, while others ran shops or worked as travelling salesmen. Proszowice was also known for a local matzo factory whose products were distributed widely across Poland. Religious and communal life centered on institutions owned by the Jewish community, including a synagogue located near the Market Square, a cemetery, and a ritual slaughterhouse. A brick mikveh served the community until it was destroyed in a fire in 1929.
Proszowice was occupied by German Wehrmacht forces in early September 1939. Soon afterward, the occupation authorities imposed a system of Jewish self-administration, establishing a Judenrat (Jewish Council) and a Jewish police force. During the first months of occupation, Jewish residents were still able to maintain a semblance of their earlier daily life, although under increasing restrictions.
The Jewish population in Proszowice grew significantly as the occupation progressed. By May 1940, the town housed 1,700 Jews, including approximately 200 refugees. Over the following months, this number continued to rise, primarily driven by the arrival of Jewish residents expelled from Kraków. By May 1941, the population had reached 2,600, and by January 1942 it peaked at 3,008 people, more than half of whom were newcomers from surrounding communities. Additional Jews from the surrounding area were relocated there on July 15, 1942.
In the summer of 1942, numerous Jews from Proszowice were sent to labor camps. On June 22, 100 laborers were sent to Kraków, bringing the total number of Proszowice Jews working in the Kraków area to 350. An additional several hundred were dispatched there in mid-July. While many were sent away, approximately 50 Jews remained to perform forced labor within Proszowice itself. Yahad witness Ryszard P., born in 1932, recalls seeing these young Jewish men constructing the road leading toward nearby Słomniki.
In August 1942, the outskirts of Słomniki became a gathering point for Jews expelled from surrounding towns and villages, including Skała, Miechów, Charsznica, and Proszowice itself. At the end of the month, German forces surrounded Proszowice and ordered the entire Jewish population to assemble in the market square. During this process, numerous individuals, including children, the elderly, and those who attempted to flee or hide, were shot. Ryszard P. saw a German soldier shoot a Jewish woman and her child on Głowackiego Street in Proszowice. Their bodies were then buried at the town’s Jewish cemetery.
During the Aktion, between 50 and 100 Jews were selected and sent for forced labor at the Płaszów camp, while the remaining Jewish population faced immediate deportation. On approximately August 29, 1942, roughly 2,000 Jews were transported to Słomniki by requisitioned local residents. From there, most were eventually deported to the Bełżec killing center.
Following the deportation Aktion, between 100 and 200 Jews, including members of the Judenrat and the Jewish Police, remained in Proszowice in order to collect, sanitize, and categorize the Jewish property left behind. At the same time, German patrols conducted sweeps of the surrounding countryside to hunt for those in hiding. Jews discovered during these searches were killed on the spot, and Polish villagers who had sheltered them were often killed as well. After several days, however, the authorities announced that Jews could return to Proszowice and live in their homes. By late September 1942, about 500 Jews had gathered in what functioned as a small ghetto in the town, while another estimated 700 Jews from Proszowice were held in various camps in Kraków.
Isolated shootings of Jewish residents continued throughout the autumn of 1942. Archival records indicate that in October of that year, at least 26 Jews were killed in a single event. This record likely corresponds to the testimony of Ryszard P., born in 1932, who provided details regarding the deaths of approximately 30 of the community’s wealthiest members. According to Ryszard, this group had been discovered in hiding places constructed within the kilns of a local brickyard. Following their discovery, the victims were taken to the Jewish cemetery of Proszowice and shot. Their bodies were subsequently buried at the site. Around the same time, a local Jewish leader named Szydłowski and all of his sons were also killed. Ryszard P. recalled this event vividly, as he saw the victims’ bodies in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
The remaining Jewish population in Proszowice was ultimately deported in late 1942, most likely in December, though some sources suggest November, to the Bełżec killing center. With this final deportation, the centuries-old Jewish community of Proszowice ceased to exist. After the war, only approximately 60 Jews returned to the town, though they eventually left Proszowice in the following period.
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