Historic Timeline

Early Jewish Settlement

C. 1275: Oswiecim is granted municipal rights
Early 16th Century: The first Jewish settlement is established in Oswiecim
1563: The King of Poland, Zygmunt August, grants the residents of Oswiecim the right to forbid Jews from settling in the town
1580: An accusation of desecration of the Catholic host is made against the Jews of Oswiecim
1588: Jan Piotraszewski, a resident of Oswiecim, donates his house and nearby properties to the Jews of Oswiecim for the construction of a synagogue and a cemetery
March 10, 1636: Wladyslaw IV Waza, King of Poland, grants the Oswiecim Jewish Community the privilege to settle, own houses and properties, and to use the synagogue and cemetery.
1765:The Jewish population of Oswiecim reaches 133 people

1804: Jacob Haberfeld establishes a liquor factory
Late 19th Century: Shlomo Halberstam (1847-1906), future founder of Bobover dynasty, becomes the Chief Rabbi of Oswiecim
1890: Oswiecim's total population is 5054, including 2535 Jews (50.1%)
1893: The Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Association is established
1900: According to official records of the Oswiecim Jewish Community, the town houses ten synagogues and houses of worship
1904: The Oswiecim City Council consists of 24 members, 13 of them Jewish
1906: Jozef Schönker (1872-1945) sets up "Agrochemia," an artificial fertilizer factory

1921: Oswiecim's total population is 12,187, including 4,950 Jews (40.6%)
C. 1928: The Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue in Koscielny Square (currently Priest Jan Skarbek square) begins operations
1932: The Oswiecim City Council consists of 32 members, 18 of them Jewish
1934: Dr. Emil Reich is elected Deputy Mayor of Oswiecim

1939:According to unofficial data, Oswiecim’s population is around 14,000, which includes 8,200 Jews (58.5%)
1939: World War II begins. In early September, Oswiecim is invaded by the Nazis on
September 20, 193. The Great Synagogue on Berek Joselewicz Street is burned down by the Nazis
March/April 1941: Oswiecim's Jews are deported to ghettos in Chrzanow, Bedzin, and Sosnowiec
January 27, 1945: KL Auschwitz-Birkenau and the town of Oswiecim are liberated by the Red Army. Seventy-seven Jewish survivors, former inhabitants of Oswiecim, return to the town by June 1945
September 1945: The Oswiecim Jewish Community consists of 186 people

November 1946: The Oswiecim Jewish Community consists of 40 people
1945-1955: The Majority of Oswiecim's Jews immigrate to Israel and the U.S.A.
1977: The Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot building is nationalized by the Polish State Treasury
1997: The Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue is returned to the Bielsko-Biala Jewish Community
1998:The Bielsko-Biala Jewish Community donates Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue to the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation
May 26, 2000: Shimson Klueger, the last practicing Jew of Oswiecim, dies, September 12, 2000, Auschwitz Jewish Center and Chevra Lomdei, Mishnayot Synagogue opens to the public
2006: The Auschwitz Jewish Center becomes affiliated with the Museum of Jewish Heritage, A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York