Tolkmicko Jewish Cemetery

Jews were not allowed to settle down in Teutonic Prussia. In 1309, Grand Master Zygfryd von Feutchwagen issued a law restricting the freedom of movement and trade of Jews in the monastic state. Similar prohibitions were in force in Royal Prussia as well. The royal cities of Gdańsk, Toruń and Elbląg received the Privilegium de non tolerandis Judaeis ("the privilege of not accepting Jews"), which they maintained until the end of the 18th century. Some magnates and starosts sometimes allowed Jews to settle in their small (private) towns. In 1776, the first (?) Jew, named Isaac Abraham - later called Cohn, came to Tolkmicko. In the following year he settled here permanently, taking advantage of the favor of the authorities. He ran a shop with decorative fabrics used in interior design (drapery) in Tolkmicko. In 1790, another Jew, Samuel Dodrus, settled in Tolkmicko. More Jews arrived in the following years, and in 1793, the Tolkmicko Jewish community numbered about 50 followers. In 1796, Abraham Salomon moved to Tolkmicko, who soon became the son-in-law of Isaac Abraham. The place of prayer for the Jewish community was the private apartment of the aforementioned I.A. Cohn. The dead were buried in the distant Królewiec, which was associated with high costs. The Jewish cemetery was established in 1802 or 1803 outside the town on the sandy hill "Polnisch-Hansenberge", near the road to Pogrodzie. After 1812, most of this community left Tolkmicko. However, in 1827, a general Jewish school started operating. However, in 1858, the town was inhabited by only 13 people of Jewish origin, which constituted slightly more than 0.5% of the total population. Later, a few Jews lived here, in 2-4 families. The Jews of Tolkmicko, who were traditionally engaged in trade and commerce, with time began to be subordinate to the religious community in Elbląg. In times of the Great Depression, anti-Semitic moods were caused by a certain Blumenthal - from outside Tolkmick, who promised the local carriers a job, for which those interested had to pay money. But no one saw Blumenthal or the money anymore. Most likely, the last Jews of Tolkmic were arrested at the beginning of World War II. There is also an account of Mr. Lorenz, whose wife asked the mayor of the city to issue him with "Aryan" documents. The Lorenz family were not handed over to the Nazi authorities. In the second half of 1944, Jewish women from Baukommando Ostland, composed of prisoners of KL Stutthof, worked in Tolkmicko. Among the victims of the Holocaust and people who died during World War II, there are the names of 5 people born in Tolkmicko. There is no trace left of the Jewish cemetery. (https://historia-wyzynaelblaska.pl/tolkmicko-do-1945.html) Mayor of Tolkmicko answer to the questions of the Jewish Investigation Commission (in the mode of access to public information): Tolkmicko, on October 23, 2020. SEG 1431.37.2020   The City and Commune Office in Tolkmicko in response to the letter of October 21, 2020 pursuant to the Act of September 6, 2001 on access to public information (i.e. Journal of Laws of 2019, item 1429, as amended) I kindly inform you that:

1. There are no Jewish cemeteries in the Tolkmicko Commune.
2. There are no liquidated Jewish cemeteries in the Tolkmicko commune.
3. There are no graves or other places of burial of Jewish nationals outside the area of ​​Jewish cemeteries in the Tolkmicko commune.
4. The Tolkmicko commune does not have a list of real estate and movable property transferred to Jewish communes and organizations or to foundations / associations dealing with the broadly understood cultural heritage of Polish Jews.
5. There are no proceedings pending before the Regulatory Commission for Jewish Communities in relation to real estate located in our municipality.
6. In the years 2000-2020, the Tolkmicko commune did not transfer funds to Jewish organizations or foundations / associations dealing with the broadly understood heritage of Polish Jews, in particular to Jewish communities, the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Republic of Poland and the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland.

MAYOR OF TOLKMICKO Dr. Magdalena Beata Dalman (Source: http://tolkmicko-umig.bip-wm.pl/public/?id=161227)