History
Jewish community before 1989 – Polska / pomorskie
The kehilla in Gniew came into existence in a town situated (just like Tczew) on the Vistula River. Until 1812 the Jews lived presumably in neighboring villages which belonged to the starostwo (an administrative unit) of Gniew. In 1816 there were already 192 of them in the town. Soon they purchased a private house that was converted into a place of prayer and the seat of the community in 1821. According to what the inhabitants of Gniew said, the house stood at Wodna Street. From the street you could go down the stairs, across a high slope straight to the bank of the Wierzyca river where there was a mikveh. The community cemetery was established on the local road leading to Gogolew (7 Marca Street).
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, after a temporary increase in the Jewish population (1871 - 311 inhabitants), almost all of them left Gniew. The reason for this was the slow development of industry and trade and the location of the town: far from any frequented routes. In 1931 there were no more than nine Jews in the town and in 1939 only two or three of them and they were shot at the beginning of the war.[1.1]
The welfare and health care came under the administration of the "Deputation For Healthcare" and the "Deputation For Welfare". The latter was divided into a few sections: Catholic, Evangelical and Jewish, at the head of which stood the Elder of the Synagogue Community. From among the local benefactors, the Loewensteins, a Jewish family consisting of wealthy entrepreneurs and merchants attracted most attention. The Herman and Bertha Loewenstein Foundation supported the residents of Gniew until the twenties of the last century.
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[1.1] H. Domańska, Kamienne drzewo płaczu, Gdańsk 1991, pp. 42-43, ŻIH, Zbiory Jana Jagielskiego
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