The Jewish Community of Dobrzyn nad Wisla, Poland

Memorial to the

Jewish Community of

Dobrzyn nad Wisla, Poland

Z a c h o r - R e m e m b e r

Dobrzyn nad Wisla (Dobrin in Yiddish) is located on the Wisla (Vistula) River in the Wloclawek Province of Poland. It is a small town located halfway between the cities of Wloclawek and Plock in central Poland. The town, founded in 1065, is noted as a regional recreational center and has a population of about 2,500.

The Jewish Community of the town was established in 1765. Jews at one time made up 1/3 of the total population. A grand wooden synagogue once graced the town, but it was destroyed during the Nazi Occupation & World War Two. The Jewish cemetery was also destroyed during this time. The site of the cemetery now lies under the Vistula River, the results of damming of a site upstream for industrial purposes.

There are no Jewish residents of Dobrzyn nad Wisla today with most current-day residents unaware of the rich Jewish history of the town and also of the decimation of the Jewish population in the Nazi genocide. A travel brochure for the town does mention that there was once a large Jewish population in the town. A short article about Dobrzyn nad Wisla is included in the "Yizkor Book" for the neighboring city of Wloclawek. The article, which tends to be sentimental and brooding, describes the town as a dark, poor, muddy almost hopeless place. This was probably a fairly accurate description of life in Dobrzyn in the 19^th century. The 20^th century brought improvements and modernization, but life was probably difficult and many left for a better life in the United States and also in Great Britain. Landsmann groups for Dobrzyn nad Wisla are known to have existed in New York City and also in Chicago. There are "Dobriner" landsmann cemetery sections at the Waldheim Cemetery in Chicago and at Bayside, Acacia and Washington Cemeteries in Queens and Brooklyn, New York. A large number of Jewish records from Dobrzyn nad Wisla survived the war with the earliest records dating to the early 19^th century. Various vital records are available through the town hall, the regional state archives, and also through the Mormon Church.

My name is Julian H. Preisler and my maternal grandfather, Henry Mayer Goldman, was born in Dobrzyn in 1900. He was son of Mendel Goldman (of Gostynin) and Roiza Lejba (of Dobrzyn). He was a barber by profession and a business owner. Of the six children born to Mendel & Roiza Goldman, only my grandfather survived the Holocaust. Two other brothers left Poland in the 1920's and early 30's to go to Uruguay (Isaac & wife Sarah) and to New York (Joseph & wife Miriam). The information and photographs contained on this website are a small but heartfelt effort to keep alive a portion of the rich Jewish history of the town of Dobrzyn nad Wisla and the people whose lives were destroyed in the Holocaust. This website is dedicated to my my ancestors from Dobrzyn nad Wisla whose memory lives on despite the turmoil and terror of history. I would love to hear from others who may have family connections to this town. This website will expand as I gather materials. Please feel free to contact me.

Please click on the thumbnails for larger photographs