BUK: Poznanskie

Buk [buk] is a town in central Poland, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Poznań Voivodeship (1975-1998). Under Prussian rule in 1793, Jews began to settle. A chevra kadisha was begun in 1820. The synagogue was built in 1846-47. In 1848, that synagogue was almost completely demolished during pogrom of the Poles in which several Jews were killed. The synagogue was renovated, and entirely rebuilt in 1894 . 1902 Jewish population; about 250 Jews.

52°21' N 16°32' , 188.7 miles W of Warszawa. [April 2009]

Photo of synagogue [January 2016]

REFERENCE: They Lived Among Us: Polish Judaica , a travel brochure: Arline Sachs, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

REFERENCE: Gruber, Ruth Ellen. Jewish Heritage Travel A Guide to East-Central Europe . New York: John Wiley &Sons, Inc., 1992. p. 74

CEMETERY:

US Commission No. POCE000435

Buk is located in Poznanskie region at 52°20 16°30, 30 km from Poznan. Cemetery: about 1.5 km SE of the town center. 1991 town population: 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.

• Town: key - Urzad Miasta I Gminy w Buku.
  
• Regional: Wojewodski Konserwator Zabytkow, ulica Kosciuszku 93, 61-716 Poznan, tel. 69 64 64.
  
• Interested: Fundacja im. Rodziny Nissenbaumos. (Zygmunt Nissenbaum-Warscaesa).
  

The earliest known Jewish community was around 1818. The Jewish population decreased after WWI through emigration to Germany. 1921 population was 20 (2%). The Conservative cemetery, established in the first half of the 19th century, was 1.5 km from the congregation. Restored by the Foundation of the Nissenbaum Family, it is listed as a monument. The suburban flat land has a sign or plaque in Polish mentioning Jews. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open with permission via a continuous fence with a locked gate. Fewer than 20 gravestones survive in original locations, with only a few toppled or broken. The flat-shaped marble and sandstone tombstones have Hebrew and German inscriptions. No mass graves. The municipality owns the cemetery property surrounded by agricultural land. The boundaries are the same as in 1939. The cemetery has occasional private visitors. The cemetery was vandalized during World War II, but was restored in 1988 by the Nissenbaum Family Foundation and local authorities. Stones were re-erected, vegetation cleared, and the wall (fence) and gate fixed in 1988. The survivors regularly pay the town for occasional clearing or cleaning. Weather erosion is a moderate threat, while vegetation overgrowth and vandalism are slight threats.

Pniewski, Poznan completed this survey in August 1991 OR The survey was completed using Heppner, A., and Herzberg, J., Aus Vergangenheit und Gegen. Die Juden und die judischen gemyeinden in den Posener Landen, 1905-79 , with photos. Zygmund Nissenbaum, Warszawa visited the site for this survey in 1988.