Despite temporary losses, the local community maintained its development potential until the middle of the 19th century. In 1674, 32 Jews lived in the town (they constituted 18.6% of the total population), in 1808 - 521 (56.1%), in 1833 - 601 (30.4%), in 1849 - 619 (28%), in 1858 - 633 (27.7%), in 1885 - 501 (19.1%), in 1895 - 376 (16.1%), in 1903 - 331 (14.7%), in 1907 - 219 (40 families), in 1910 - 185 (8,6%).

The Łabiszyńska commune probably gained its independence in the 18th century, although its earlier origins cannot be excluded. It received its official charter as a “Jewish corporation” on 28 August 1834. In 1858, it had a synagogue (built in the first half of the 19th century), a beit ha-midrash, two cemeteries, an elementary school and a slaughterhouse. In the 19th century, traditional religious brotherhoods acquired legal forms - the Bikur Cholim as the Association for the Care of the Sick(Verein für Krankenpflege und Leichenbestattung), and the funeral Chevra Kadisha as the Chevra Kadischa Verein.

With the advent of Prussian rule at the end of the 18th century, new cultural and religious phenomena appeared among the Jews of Łabiszyn. The 19th century brought an increasingly strong presence of reform advocates. Acculturation within the German language and culture was also becoming more noticeable. The institutional-symbolic expression of this evolution was the change in the staffing of rabbinical positions. The first rabbis were conservative: holding the office in the period 1809-1834 Dow Joel Sachs (born 1771 in Leszno), a friend of the famous Akiva Eiger from Poznań; his successor rabbi Scholem Friedenthal; rabbinical assessors in the 1830s and 1840s - J. G. Löwenthal and E. Cheim. J. Rosenberg performed the function of cantor. During this period, there was a bet midrash. No sermons were conducted in German, no synagogue bylaws were passed, and no choir or confirmation. This changed at the end of the century, when Dr Jonas Ansbacher, a representative of the Reform movement, became a rabbi.

In the second half of the 19th century, Jewish associations of a new type were established, such as the Society of Israelite Women(Israelitischer Frauen Verein) and the Society of Lovers of Jewish History and Literature (Verein jüdischer Geschichts und Literaturfreunde). Politically and culturally, the Jews of Labiszyn were closely connected with the local Germans, which was manifested, among other things, by the creation of common blocs in the city authorities.

When Poland regained its independence, the situation changed completely, causing a mass emigration of local Jews. In 1921, 85 Jews still lived in Łabiszyn (4.7%), in 1922 - 39, at the beginning of 1923 - 25 (1.5%), in 1930 - 10 (0,4%). In 1939 probably only the family of Joseph Louis remained (they numbered from 3 to 5 people).In the interwar period, the borders of the Jewish community included only the town of Łabiszyn. According to the description of 5 February 1923, the community was administered by the mayor, as only the synagogue servant remained among the officials. From time to time, a butcher from Szubin came to visit. The community’s assets included: a synagogue (in ruins) with a garden (11 Stycznia Street (Polish: ul. 11 Stycznia), a rabbi’s house (11 Stycznia Street), a cantor’s house (Sienkiewicza Street (Polish: ul. Sienkiewicza)), a house for the synagogue’s servant with a closed bathhouse (Sienkiewicza Street), a fenced cemetery with a morgue of 1.01 ha (3 Leśna Street (Polish: ul. Leśna 3)), ½ morgen of land with a garden and a vegetable garden (Witolda Street (Polish: ul. Witolda)). The communal authorities attempted to buy back the synagogue in 1930 for use as a gymnasium failed, as the local Jews did not agree to the deal. Since 1900, the community had been in possession of a legacy deposited by Alexander Lippman, living in Berlin, in the form of a property in Bydgoszcz valued in 1930 at 8,000 zloty; the owner demanded it back. Another problem was the arbitrary cutting down of some trees by local Jews in the Jewish cemetery.

In 1932 the community was abolished and incorporated into the Jewish community in Szubin. The property was handed over to the community in Szubin on 10 July 1933, the Jewish community commissioner, retired mayor, W. Feigel. In 1938, the territorially enlarged Jewish community in Szubin had assets valued at 15,730 zlotys in movables and 119,400 zlotys in real estate. In the 1930s, the cantor and shochet from Szubin stopped coming to Labiszyn because the local Jews “did not pay any contributions and lived without religion; they did not use ritual slaughter”.

The occupation fate of the Łabiszyn Jews is unknown. If they remained in the city, they were probably arrested and murdered by the Germans (e.g., in Radzimie or Paterek). The synagogue building was demolished at the beginning of World War II. Only 50 granite slabs from the floor survived; 10 of them were donated by the city authorities to the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage to construct a lapidarium.

The Description

The new Jewish cemetery in Łabiszyn was established in the second half of the 18th century or at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. It was located in Arnoldów, on the road to Szubin, on a polygonal plan close to a semicircle with a square base. This is currently plot 3259/8 in Leśna Street (Polish: ul. Leśna), with an area of 1.01 hectares. Before its destruction, the cemetery was surrounded by a high brick wall, probably erected in the 19th century; the entrance gate was on the side of Leśna Street. There was a pre-burial house on its premises. During the German occupation during World War II, the cemetery was destroyed by the Germans; according to the recollection of one of the inhabitants, matzevot were used to pave a part of 11 Stycznia Street (Polish: ul. 11 Stycznia) (from the sluice to Parkowa Street (Polish: ul. Parkowa)) and parts of Poznańska Street (Polish: ul. Poznańska) (from the sluice to the post office). Indeed, during the renovation of 11 Stycznia Street in 2008, two fragments of sandstone tombstones were found. One lower fragment contains part of the inscription in German:  “née Marens died on 18/10/1882 aged 62”, second: “wife of Aron Filipsohn”. The cemetery is commemorated with a plaque in the shape of a matzeva with the inscription “Jewish Cemetery in Łabiszyn. To the memory of the Jews resting here”, placed on the initiative of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage of 2014.

References

• State Archive in Bydgoszcz, District Starosty in Szumin, ref. 97.
• State Archive in Bydgoszcz, Pomeranian Voivodeship Office in Toruń 1920–1939, ref. 4504.
• Die Abwanderung der Juden aus der Provinz Posen. Denkschrift im Auftrage des Verbandes der Deutschen Juden gefertig von seinem ersten Schriftführer Justizrat Bernhard Breskauer, Berlin 1909.
• Z. Guldon, J. Wijaczka, Osadnictwo żydowskie w województwach poznańskim i kaliskim w XVI-XVII wieku, "Biuletyn Żydowskiego Instytutu Historycznego" 1992, no. 2-3.
• Heppner, A. Herzberg, Aus Verganheit und Gegenwart der Juden und der jüdischen Gemeinden in den Posener Landen, Koschmin – Bromberg 1904–1909.
• S. Kemlein, Żydzi w Wielkim Księstwie Poznańskim 1815-1848. Przeobrażenia w łonie żydostwa polskiego pod panowaniem pruskim, Poznań 2001.
• T. Kawski, Gminy żydowskie pogranicza Wielkopolski, Mazowsza i Pomorza w latach 1918–1942, Toruń 2007.
• T. Kawski, Inwentarze gmin żydowskich z Pomorza i Wielkopolski wschodniej w okresie międzywojennym (1918/20–1939), „Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej” 2006, no. 1, table
• Verzeichniss samtlicher naturalisirten Israeliten im Großherzogthum Poßen, Bromberg 1836.

Właściciel praw autorskich do opisu: Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN.