Kolo

Origins of the Community

Kolo was built in the 13^th century on the Warta River crossing, and was granted municipal status in 1362. The first reliable sources showing that Jews had settled in the city are from the 16^th century. In 1564, the king granted Kolo Jews the right to reside in the city, and in 1571, their rights were anchored in a contract under which the Christian residents undertook to protect the Jews against attack in exchange for an annual tax paid to the city treasury. The 1764-1765 census counted 65 Jewish households in Kolo.

Starting in the 16^th century, the main sources of livelihood for Jews in Kolo were handicrafts and commerce. In the 19^th century, however, many Jews began to work in industry, especially the textile industry. They were helped by three banks and two interest-free loan societies of the labor unions. Traditional charity and welfare organizations also operated in the city. The children in the community studied at two Hebrew schools, one of which belonged to the Yavne network, and in Hebrew kindergartens. The main educational and cultural activity was by the Zionist parties.

Prominent among the rabbis in Kolo in the 19^th century was Rabbi Meir Auerbach (1813-1878), who was appointed chief rabbi of Kolo in 1846. He immigrated to Jerusalem in 1859, and became chief Ashkenazi rabbi of the city.

6,000 Jews lived in Kolo, almost half of the city's population, between the world wars. Several hundred Jews left Kolo before WWII, some of whom immigrated to the Land of Israel.

Kolo Jews during the Holocaust

The Nazis occupied Kolo on September 18, 1939. The very next day, they murdered several Jews and began conscripting Jews to forced labor. On September 20, 1939, the Germans burnt the synagogue and imposed a ransom on the Jews. In October 1939, all Jewish men over 14 years old were ordered to work at forced labor in German factories and for the German police. The Jews were initially ordered to wear a yellow ribbon on their left arm, and later a yellow badge in the form of a star of David on their chest and back. They were forbidden to be in contact with the Christians and to buy in Christian stores, and most of their money was confiscated.

In November 1939, a few Jewish intellectuals and wealthy Jews were murdered. A Judenrat was founded with 11 members, headed by Pinhas Brenner.

1,139 Jews were assembled on December 10, 1939, and after held being in isolation for over a week, were deported from the city to Izbica Lubelska in the General Government. Their property was given to the Germans. Many of those deported to Izbica Lubelska died of starvation and disease.

On October 2, 1940, 150 Jewish families were deported to rural ghettos founded in the villages of Bugaj and Nowiny Brdowskie. A few of the deportees were sent to labor camps in Inowroclaw in November 1941, and the rest were sent to the Chelmno death camp in January 1942. The Kolo ghetto was established in early December 1940, and the Jews were forbidden to leave it. Many died from disease as a result. On June 19-21, 1941, 500 men from the ghetto were sent to labor camps around Poznan. In August 1941, 100 Jewish women were sent from the ghetto to a labor camp in Breslau.

German police forces under the command of Grein and Stark assembled the Jews in the Kolo ghetto on December 8-11, 1941, and deported them to the Chelmno death camp, where they were among the first Jews to arrive. A few dozen Jewish survivors of concentration camps and Jews who had fled to Russia returned to Kolo after the war. Their stay in Kolo was cut short by the anti-Semitic atmosphere there, and they quickly left for the large cities in Poland.