The Jews inhabited Polish lands since 11th century. Despite temporary crises the
Jewish settlements were developing fine, with the support from Polish kings interested
in getting specialists in the domains of finances, as well as of some crafts
(especially goldsmithing and coinmaking). Since 14th century Jews have started to
settle in former Lithuanian and Russian cities devastated by Tatar raids or internal
fights. At the beginning Jewish settlements were concentrated on western borders of
the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, but as the time passed, they started spreading over the
entire territory of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
During the Commonwealth period Bocki were just a small, private town located in
Podlaskie, at the beginning it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and later,
after the Union of Lublin, in Poland. Bocki belonged first to the Sapieha family, then
to Branicki, again to Sapieha and finally to Potocki family, since the sixties of 18th
century. The town was located after 1509 by the privilege of the king Sigismund the Old.
First information of the Jewish settlers in Bocki dates back to 1577. The Jewish community was there already at the beginning of the 17th century, extending its authority to the small neighboring Jewish settlements. In 1750, they received permission from the Bishop of Luck to build the new synagogue, and build it by 1807. The number of Jews in Bocki was constantly growing despite wars and pests, until 20th century:
| Year | Jewish population |
Total population |
% of the population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1676 | 44 | 318 | 13.8% |
| 1764 | 54 | 332 | 16.2% |
| 1800 | 666 | 1513 | 44% |
| 1860 | 743 | 1438 | 51% |
| 1878 | 1262 | 1900 | 66% |
| 1897 | 1409 | 2636 | 53.4% |
| 1921 | 723 | 1719 | 42% |
| 1931 | 763 | 2342 | 32.5% |
| 1939 | ~ 750 |
The dropping numbers are due to two epidemics and emigration forced by economic restraints on Jewish commercial activity. Immigration was to USA, Canada, Israel, Argentina and other places. In the 1897 All Russian Census, 729 names of Jewish people born, registered or living in Bocki are included in lists accessible on the web. It is about a half of the Jewish population that time. The full number of Jewish population is 1409 as I found, but I don't know if there are more names that weren't entered to the web or there is only the full number without the detailed list of the rest of the names. I also don't know if other numbers in other previous census mentioned above there are just numbers or there may be a list of names. If there is one - I'll try to get it.