A Brief History of the Town*
The beginning of the Żuromin settlement dates back to the 13th century. In the early 18th century it was under the jurisdiction of Angi Żemusky, and at that time the town started hosting large annual fairs.
A city council began to be organized in 1765 and began functioning in 1768, under the control of King Stanislav August Punitovsky. The council building burned down in 1794, but the council continued to function for another few years.
In 1795, after the Third Partition of Poland, Żuromin became part of the Prussian Empire. In 1807, it became part of the Warsaw authority. From 1815 until WWI, it was within the Polish border. In 1867, many of the residents perished in a cholera epidemic. In 1915, during WWI, the German army invaded Żuromin and occupied it until the end of the war in 1918.
We have no information about the beginning of Jewish settlement in Żuromin. There are no records before the 19th century. In the last 60 years of the 19th century, the Jewish community became very well-organized. They had shuls and study-halls. The heads of the community were successful businessmen who dealt in importing grain and horses. As the community grew, the townspeople took on trades such as tailoring, shoemaking, and making leather goods. Others became barbers and millers.
During the period between the world wars, the Jews continued to live off their trades and grain businesses. With the help of the Jewish Council, the townspeople re-established the free-loan society, which had been suspended during WWI. In 1927 alone, this free-loan society gave out 220 loans to the needy.
As stated above, Jewish communal life was very well organized in the 19th century. One of the many rabbis who served the community was Rabbi Moshe Tzeichenower, the leading rabbi from 1880-1912. His son, Rabbi Meir Tzeichenover, succeeded him and led the community until his passing in 1925. Rabbi Ben-Żion Blumberg was the last rabbi of Żuromin who, shortly before the outbreak of WWII, became the rabbi of Debrecin.
After WWI, the Żionist movement Poalei Zion became popular in Żuromin. In 1919 they started a youth Żionist movement named Tzeirei Zion (Youth of Zion). In 1921, Mizrachi was established. A third movement, Noar Zioni, was established in 1935. From all these different political movements, we can gain an insight into the voting that took place at the 20th Zionist Congress in 1937. The General Zionists won 50 votes; The League for the Land of Israel Workers won 46 votes; The Party of the State won 46 votes; and Mizrachi won 26 votes. Among the groups that were not Żionist were Agudas Israel, whose members were mostly from the Chasidic courts of Ger and Alexander, and another party called the Bund.
Until the period between the world wars, most of the population of Żuromin was religious. The Jewish Community Council consisted of a majority of Orthodox Jews. Between the wars, the above mentioned Zionist parties and the Bund also had voices in the Council.
Units of the German army entered Żuromin in 1939, and as they did in other places, tormented the Jews. When Poland fell to the Reich, the Germans drove out the Jews. Their fate is unknown, but it appears that they suffered the same fate as the Jews of Sierpc.
*Translation based on “Żuromin,” Pinkas HaKehillot Polin: Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities in Poland, Volume IV, Pp. 221-222, Yad Vashem.
