Tykocin and Łopuchowo forest

Last Tuesday, we as a Kehilla visited the city of Tykocin and the Łopuchowo forest. In the morning, we visited the cute shtetl that once thrived in this city. A shtetl is a small village with a very strong Jewish community. This shtetl was set in motion when a group of 10 Jewish families first settled in Tykocin in 1522, when they were granted a charter of rights from the Polish authority. The Polish authority also invited them to establish their own community. As time progressed, throughout the 1600s and 1700s, the Jewish community continued to flourish. By the mid 1700s, 2700 Jews, about 50% of the population, were living in this shtetl. This Jewish community created a Beit Knesset inside the shtetl and they also earned a spot in the council of 4 lands of Poland. The Beit Knesset represented the strength of the community because it was a place where the people could come together and gather; it was the center of Jewish life. Additionally, this shtetl was economically advanced because the city of Tykocin is located on a narrow river, which sprouted major trade. Jews and Christians living in Tykocin also interacted in the market.  They would often trade products such as different fabrics, meats, spices, medicine, wood, fish, vodka, etc.

This is writings of tfillot that are written on the walls of the Beit Knesset. After the war, non-Jews went into the Beit Knesset and refurbished the writings after they were destroyed.

Due to these advancements, the Jews living in Tykocin were very proud to be from this place. They would brag about their heritage and they would refer to themselves as “Tiktiners.” The Jews developed a Beit Midrash, a house of study. The Jews of the shtetl would also pray in different styles. Specifically, Rifka Tiktiner, the daughter of a Rabbi, wrote a book about different ways to pray. In addition, a man by the name of Rev Alterhirch encouraged people to learn the Misha and do charity. This shtetl also founded organizations known as סומח נופלים, an organization aimed to help the fallen and feed the poor and ביקור חולים, an organization that promoted visiting the sick. These organizations are still thriving today.

This is the Beit Midrash that we visited. This is where many of the Jewish residents would come to study together.

After touring around the shtetl and learning about the Jewish life there, we had a service at the synagogue, the same place where our Jewish ancestors prayed. We sang and prayed the same prayers that the Jews who lived in this town prayed. We learned a song that the Jews who lived here sang, “לכל מקום שאליו אני הולך אני הולך לארצ ישראל”. This song represents the strong faith the Jews that lived here had and their passion and devotion for the land of Israel.

Students leading the service in the Beit Knesset 

This is the bima of the Beit Knesset

A grave site where victims of the mass killings were buried

Lighting candles in memory of those who perished

Although this Jewish community prospered for thousands of years, the Jewish population was wiped out in the span of 24 hours. In 1941, the Jews of the city were taken to the Market square in the center of town and were arrested. From there, they were taken in trucks by the Nazis to the Łopuchowo to meet their deaths. These Jews were murdered and then placed into pits. Only a few Jews of the town were able to avoid this. It was truly heartbreaking to see how such a strong and durable Jewish community that had existed for centuries could literally be destroyed in a single day. Each individual person that was killed in that forest had their own story, their own family and they all hoped for a future. However, this hope was demolished due to the hatred that was initiated against them. It is very disappointing to see the shtetl today and think about what it could have looked if the Jewish residents were never taken to the Łopuchowo forest. The service we did at the forest was very meaningful and was definitely a highlight of the trip.

After visiting the shtetl and seeing how life was there, would you choose to live in a community where you mainly interacted with other Jews or do you prefer the diverse communities we have in America and Canada?