Losice, Poland

Losice (Polish: Łosice; Russian: Lositsy; Yiddish: Loshits) is a town in the Lublin province of Eastern Poland.

Jews likely first settled in Losice at the end of the 17^th century. By the beginning of the 18^th century, records show that townsmen complained to the king about competition from Jewish craftsmen. A synagogue was erected in the 18^th century against an annual payment of 200 zlotys.

In 1765, there were 389 Jewish poll tax payers in Losice and its vicinity. The community numbered 654 (42% of the total population) in 1827 and 917 (54%) in 1857. From then on its numbers increased considerably due to the horse markets in the town, in which large numbers of Jewish dealers took part. The Jewish population numbered 2,396 (71%) in 1897 and 2,708 (70%) in 1921.

Before the outbreak of World War II there were about 2,900 Jews in Losice. The community was liquidated on Aug. 22, 1942, when all the Jews of the town were deported to the Treblinka extermination camp.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.

Halpern, Pinkas, index; B. Wasiutyński, Ludność żydowska w Polsce w wiekach XIX i XX (1930), 34; ICA, Rapport pour l'année 1925; M. Baliński and T. Lipiński, Staro żytna Polska (1845), IIIa; Yad Vashem Archives. Łshits, L'zekher an umgekumener Kehille (1965).