Zaklikow, Lublin Province, Poland - As it Was
Published in Bnei Brak, 2004.
The first Jews settled in Zaklikow in 1578. More than one hundred years later only 19 Jews lived in Zaklikow. By 1789, that number had increased to 235 Jews, about 31% of Zaklikow’s population. From 1793 to November of 1918, Zaklikow constantly changed hands, going from Poland to Austria to Russia, and then back to Poland again.
Zaklikow was very much like the shtetls described in Isaac Bashevis Singer’s books. In fact, Isaac Bashevis Singer was from Bilgoraj, Poland, a nearby town. He often described the town of Bilgoraj in his books, as well as members of the Fabrikant family (my Mom-Mom’s family) in his books, though he did not specifically name any of them.
In August of 1942 Nazis forced the entire Jewish population of a nearby town called Janów Lubelski to move to Zaklikow. They were later moved to the Belzec extermination camp. The Nazis continued with transports of Jews from Zaklikow throughout the rest of 1942.
Zaklikow is now a small town in Poland, so small in fact, that if you were to look at a map, Zaklikow would not be on it. According to Joshua Laks, author of I Was There: Zaklikow, A Small Town to Remember,the only way you would see the town on a map would be if you got a very detailed map of the area. However, this tiny town, a shtetl really, meant a lot to the people who lived in it. Joshua Laks, one of the few survivors of Zaklikow, refused to allow the Holocaust to destroy the memories of his childhood home. To the people of Zaklikow, the town was like a completely separate world, some residents living their entire lives in Zaklikow “without ever crossing the river northwards or southwards, or even reaching as far as the boundaries of the local cemetery.” Now, thanks to Joshua Laks, we can remember the town of Zaklikow and the wonderful people who lived there with pride, love, and respect.
Zaklikow was very much like the shtetls described in Isaac Bashevis Singer’s books. In fact, Isaac Bashevis Singer was from Bilgoraj, Poland, a nearby town. He often described the town of Bilgoraj in his books, as well as members of the Fabrikant family (my Mom-Mom’s family) in his books, though he did not specifically name any of them.
In August of 1942 Nazis forced the entire Jewish population of a nearby town called Janów Lubelski to move to Zaklikow. They were later moved to the Belzec extermination camp. The Nazis continued with transports of Jews from Zaklikow throughout the rest of 1942.
Zaklikow is now a small town in Poland, so small in fact, that if you were to look at a map, Zaklikow would not be on it. According to Joshua Laks, author of I Was There: Zaklikow, A Small Town to Remember,the only way you would see the town on a map would be if you got a very detailed map of the area. However, this tiny town, a shtetl really, meant a lot to the people who lived in it. Joshua Laks, one of the few survivors of Zaklikow, refused to allow the Holocaust to destroy the memories of his childhood home. To the people of Zaklikow, the town was like a completely separate world, some residents living their entire lives in Zaklikow “without ever crossing the river northwards or southwards, or even reaching as far as the boundaries of the local cemetery.” Now, thanks to Joshua Laks, we can remember the town of Zaklikow and the wonderful people who lived there with pride, love, and respect.
