Alternate names: Słupca [Pol], Sluptza [Yid, Rus], Слупца [Rus], סלופצה [Hebr]. 52°17' N, 17°53' E, 38 miles NNW of Kalisz, 17 miles WNW of Konin. Jewish population: 751. Yizkor: Pinkas ha-kehilot; entsiklopediya shel ha-yishuvim le-min hivasdam ve-ad le-aher shoat milhemet ha-olam ha-sheniya: Poland vol. 1: The communities of Lodz and its region (Jerusalem, 1976). The seat of Słupca powiat, the town had 14,650 inhabitants in 2006. Gmina Słupca is a rural administrative unit in Słupca powiat in west-central Poland. The town is not part of the territory of the commune. [July 2009]
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The first Jews arrived in Slupca at the beginning of the 19th century, but in 1822, Russian authorities banned Jewish residence in Slupca due to its proximity to the border and evacuated those living there before this decree. Jewish settlement renewed in 1862 after the revocation of all the prohibitions. The main occupations of these Jews were crafts and trade. By February 1940, several hundred Jews of Slupca were exiled to Tarnow and Bochnia. The synagogue was set afire and the Torah burned in early July 1940. From July 17-18, 1941, all Jews were expelled to nearby Rzgow, a rural ghetto from Jews from the District of Konin. In October 1941, all Jews in Rzgow were murdered in the forest of Kazimierz Biskupi. [July 2009]
CEMETERY: Established outside the city at the current ul. Gajowej. The Nazis vandalized the 0.6-hectare, landmarked cemetery and stole its gravestones for building fortifications and road construction. By 1942, only the trees remained. The regional museum has 12 gravestones with Hebrew inscriptions, the oldest from 1888, and 3 fragments for the lapidarium. Photos. [July 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000707
The town is located at 17º53 52º17, 30 km from Konin in Konin voivodship. Cemetery: ul. Gajowa Street (town forest). Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Local: Burmistrz [Mayor] Karol Wyszormirski; Urzad Miasta, Stupca, ul. Putawskiego 6.
- Regional: Irena Sobierajska, PSOZ. The Regional Museum at Slupca, ul. Warszawska 53.
The earliest known Jewish community was mid-16th century followed by a ban on settlement. Then, Jews were numerous by the end of the 19th century. 1910 Jewish population was 2,077 out of 5,862 inhabitants. The date of the last burial was about 1939. The Jewish community was Orthodox (Sephardic) and Progressive/Reform. The unlandmarked, isolated, suburban flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with no fence. The cemetery size before WWII was 0.6 ha. No stones are visible but a wall exists around one grave. Removed stones were incorporated into roads or structures; and one is in the Museum of Konin. There are no known mass graves. The sandstone stones date from the 20th century with traces of painting on their surface and Hebrew inscriptions. The municipality owns the property used for recreation. Adjacent property is agricultural and residential. Local residents visit the cemetery. It was vandalized prior to World War II. No maintenance, care, or structures. Security and weather erosion moderate threats. Vegetation is a constant problem.
Lucja Pawlicka-Nowak, 62-520 Konin, ul. 11 Listopodo 15/76, tel. 43-43-56 completed survey on 1 Sept. 1992. Documentation: some "literature". Other documentation exists but was "too general." He visited on 29 Aug. 1992 and interviewed Andrej Lukaszewski of the Museum, Warszawska 53, tel. 752 640.