Frysztak
is a small shtetl located near Strzyzow, Jaslo and Krosno, in southern Poland. The exact coordinates are
latitude 49° 50´ longitude 21° 37´. Frysztak was
in Galicia, an Imperial Province of Austria Hungary, from 1776 to 1919. It was then returned to a newly created Poland. Until last year, Strzyzow was located in the southern portion of the Rzeszow region, but today it is in the newly formed Podkarpackie Province.
The cities and towns surrounding Frysztak are (clockwise): Rzeszow (23 miles NorthEast), Czudec (13 miles NE),
Strzyzow (8 miles ENE), Niebylec (13 miles East), Domaradz (15 miles E), Lutcza (13 miles East),
Korczyna (12 miles SE),
Krosno
(13 miles SE),
Jedlicze (9 miles South), Jaslo (9 miles SW), Wielopole (8 miles North) and Wisniowa (4 miles NE).
Those towns underlined above, have a shtetl page which you can also visit. If you're looking for family, this is especially important, because in those days most Jewish marriages were arranged with Jews from a nearby town.
We've put this web page together in memory of those who lived and died in the shtetl, in order to describe to descendents what it was like to live in Frysztak. I hope you will find this page interesting and helpful. Please contact me if you have photographs or stories or information to add,
or any questions. As with any genealogical research, this is an evolving project.
Phyllis Kramer New York City and
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. .
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The Polish King, Casimir, "the Great"- established the city of Frysztak, near Krosno, in 1366. The city soon passed into the hands of the monks. The original inhabitants were German colonists. The city grew at a moderate pace but suffered terribly during the Swedish wars in the 17th century. Most of the German settlers and their descendants slowly left Frysztak. The economic stagnation of the city continued until the railway reached the city. Frysztak was deprived of its municipal status following WWI.
The first Jews appeared in Frysztak or Fristik (in Yiddish) in the 15th or 16th century. The number of Jews steadily increased as the German settlers left. By the 17th century, the Jewish kehilla was already well established and provided services to the members. The burial society registered all deaths as of 1770 until the Shoa. The census of 1765 indicated that the kehilla had a membership of 97 families who lived in Fristik and the surrounding area. At that time the Jews comprised a majority of the population of the city. The non-Jewish population lived on the outskirts of town or nearby villages. The administration of the town was always in the hands of the Jews, even the Polish government appointed Hersch Yaari as the head of the local government. Frysztak had one pogrom in 1898 that the Austrians severely suppressed. Jewish-Chrisatian relations remained calm until WWII.
The economic situation of the Jews in Fristik was similar to the one in other Galician towns. Poverty was rampant throughout the village. No industry to speak of, few job opportunities and little hope. WWI totally pauperized the village. The American joint organization had to step in to help the local Jewish population. It also established a medical clinic and provided some vocational training for young Jews. Slowly the economic situation improved. The local Jewish population was known for its extreme piety and fought very hard against Zionist intrusion to the extent of burning the first modern Jewish library. The Halbershtam/Halberstam rabbinical family provided the rabbis for the village. The last rabbi of Fristik was Rabbi Haim Baruch Halbershtam who perished in the Shoa.
Frystik was the town where the famous hasidic rabbi, Menahem Menmdel of Rymanow held court for many years. (This history is continued in the Holocaust Section)
William Leibner September 17th,2000 , Jerusalem
The following appeared in the New York Times on June 7th, 1898:
Lemburg, Austrian Galicia, June 17-gangs of peasants yesterday attacked and plundered the Jewish shops at Frysztak, near Rzeszow, and wounded several Jews. The police fired on the mob, killing six of the rioters and wounding five more.
Nine persons were killed during the rioting. A general panic prevails, and troops have been hurried to the district, where other serious excesses have occurred. Return to Table of Contents
The following was taken from the web site of the Polish Genealogical Society of Texas: It was adapted from Slownik Geograficzny, published around 1900 and translated by Michael Kurtin.
FRYSZTAK: with Glinik Dolny, Pulanki, and Twierdza, is a town in Jaslo county with an area of 1,558 morgs; 134 houses, 590 male inhabitants and 607 female, for a total of 1,197, of whom 416 are Roman Catholic and 779 Jewish. It is the site of the county court, a notary's office, a military police post, post office, deanery office covering 6 parish, and a parish office. The church is wooden, its date of construction unknown; it is dedicated to the Birth of The Blessed Virgin.
There is a 2-grade public school with three teachers, a match factory, production of grease and turpentine, a fair every other Thursday and particularly lively in spring, when many working horses and cattle are sold at it.
Frysztak lies on a hillock, at the feet of which the Wisloka flows by, and is on the county road from Rezeszow to Krosno. A second highway leads from Frysztak through Lubla and Sieklowka to Warzyce, where it joins the government highway leading to Jaslo. According to tradition Frysztak was founded as a German colony by King Kazimierz the Great and was originally named Frysztak (German Freistadi ['free city'].) Return to Table of Contents
We've collected a number of photographs of Frysztak and we hope you enjoy viewing them. If you have one that's especially pertinent, please feel free to send it along (either as a photo or in jpeg format). Please email Phyllis Kramer.
As reported by the US Commission in 1992, Frysztak, also known as Fristik (Yiddish), Twierdza (Polish), Freystath (German) has two Jewish cemeteries.
The first cemetery is located in Rzeszzowst, south from Market Sq. The Orthodox Jewish cemetery was established in the 17th century. The date of the last Jewish burial was before WW II. The cemetery is not listed or protected as a landmark or monument. The cemetery location: urban, on a hillside and is isolated with no marker. It is reached by turning directly off a public road. Access is open to all. The cemetery is not surrounded by wall or fence. Approximate size of cemetery before WW II was 700 square meters. There are about 20 stones in their original location, and others toppled or broken; the stones are from the 18th through the 20th century, some with Hebrew inscriptions. The present owner is the municipality, with recreational and residential properties adjacent to cemetery. The cemetery is visited rarely by local visitors. It is known to have been vandalized during WW II but not in the last ten years. There has been no maintenance. There is no care now.
A second cemetery reported is on Parkowa St. (We are not sure if this is duplicate or different information) The communities of Ciesryni, Tluts, Glink. Luble, and Twierdrs used the cemetery. The cemetery was 100 m from the congregation that used it. The cemetery location is on a hillside, isolated, with no marker, wall or fence. The oldest known gravestone is dated 1878. Tombstones in the cemetery are datable from 19th and 20th century. Tombstones are made of limestone and sandstone and rough stones or boulders. Inscriptions are in Hebrew. The cemetery contains unmarked mass graves. The present owner is the municipality. The cemetery is visited rarely, It is known to have been vandalized during WW II but not in the last ten years. There has been no maintenance.
The 1891 Galician Business Directory contains only a few listings for Frysztak. They are:
The Business Directory of 1923 shows that Frysztak Jews were not illiterate farmers, but included many tradesmen and well-educated professionals.
FRYSZTAK - (in polish and french):
Miasteczko, powiat Frysztak, sad powiatowy Frysztak, sad okregowy Rzeszow, I 357 mieszkancow, (picture of train) 1 km linja kolejowa Jaslo Rzeszow; urzad miejski, 1 (picture of church) 2 synagogi, Szpital epidemiczny. Stow, kupcow I Przemysl, stow. Rzemieslnikow. Targi: co tydzien ogolne. Fabryki wyrobow cementowych.
Petite ville, distr. De Frysztak, trib. De distr Frysztak, trib. D'arr-t Rzeszow, I 357 habit.
English: Small town, Frysztak county, county court headquarters, district
court Rzeszow population 357. 1 km. of railway: Jaslo-Rzeszow. City hall 1 cathedral, 2 synagogues, hospital. Merchants'
association, craftsmen`s association. Market day: weekly, all types of merchandise. Cement factory.
The following trades and tradesmen were listed, first in Polish, and then in french; in addition, we have translated the trades into English.
Durmistrz ( maire : mayor): Rom. Zasielski
Lekarze ( médecins : physicians): Czwal Benj., Wilkt Natter
Akuszerki ( sages-femmes : medical midwives): L Steinlauf, A Wasikiewicz
Adwokaci ( avocats : lawyers ): M. Kaczkowski dr.
Agentury ( commissionaires en marchandises : Agent of merchandise): H. Getzler
Apteki ( pharmacies : pharmacies): R. Zasielski
Blacharze ( ferblantiers : tinsmiths): I. Kern, P. Reich
Bielizna pracownie ( lingerie : underwear): B. Goldfischer, M Korn , R. Wagner
Blawaty ( tissus : fabrics): L. Gast, S. Neuman, I. Schmied, L Silber, I Steppel, R. Thaler
Budowlane materjaly ( matériaux de construction :construction materials): T Puderbeitel, Iz Malz
Bydlo - Handel ( march. de bestiaux : cattle traders): J Bein, M Bein
Cementowe wyroby fabriyki ( fabr. De produits en ciment : cement products): W Dudek, I Malc
Drzeico ( bois : timber): Emglard Kosztur
Confectionary:E Hersberg
Galanterja ( merceries : clothing accessories): Ader, J Stiel
Informacyjno-handiowe biura ( renseignements commercerciaux : comercial resellers?): O Birnbaum L Stein
Jaja ( oeufs : eggs): S Neuman, I San
Kasy pozyczk.-oszczedn. ( caisses d`emprunt et d`épargne: credit unions): Zaliczkowe, Sp. z o. o. - Ukrainska Kasa Kredytowa, Sp. z o. o.
Kominiarskie przedsieb. ( entrepr. de ramonage : chimneysweeps) : M Tyrlok.
Kooperatywy ( cooperat. :: cooperation): Kolko Rolnicze
Kamasznicky ( tiges p. chaussures : boot makers): Diamant S.
Konie handel ( march. de chevaux : Horse trader): S. Seiden, L Bigajer
Kowale ( forgerons : blacksmiths): F Gornicki, H Kosztor, J Kosztor
Krawcy ( tailleurs : tailors): S Lat, F Seiden
Maszumu dp szucoa ( machines a coudre : sewing machines?): Ch Rosengarten
Nabial ( cremiers : Cream makers?): A Bodner, L Bruch, I Schenkel
Nafta ( petrols : oil ): "Zanger"
Nierogacizna Handel ( march. de porcs : Pig trader: F Hefner
Obuwie ( chaussures : shoes): D Guzik, G Weiss
Piekarnie ( boulangers: bakers): I Grun, M Isler
Oieje I smary ( huiles et graisses: ?): I Neubart
Zboze ( grains : grains): Priwler I. - Schreiber L.
Roinicze nar zedzia ( instr. agricoles: farming school ?): J Low
Rozne towary ( art divers : miscellaneous merchandise):
S Baldinger, S Engelhardt, A Epsteiin, Ch Epstein, Herbach, J Klotz, S Krieger, M Kurtz, Ch Lampin, F Nord, S Nord, G Puderbeitel, M Puderbeitel, W Rieger, R Schiff, S Schiff, M Schweid, W Sukc Silbermana, A Asmyka, R Struck, J Teitelbaum, S Wilner, S Ziegler, N Galitz, Ch Fleischer, A Widniowski
Siodlarze ( selliers : ?): D. Kandel
Skory ( cuirs : leather): T Blank, P Engelhardt, J Gross, S Teitelbaum
Sol hurt ( sel en gros : wholesale salt?): J Miloraj
Stolarze ( menuisiers : carpenters): Marcinkowski
Szewcy ( cordonniers : shoemakers): I Last
Szklarze ( vitriers : glaziers): Steppel
Return to Table of Contents
Thanks to Stephen Morse's wonderful Ellis Island Front End, where one can query the Hebrew immigrants by town, I was able to assemble a list of Hebrew immigrants to Frysztak. It was fascinating to observe the different spellings of the town and the surnames.
Ellis Island has requested that we do not post any material from their website; thus if you wish to see the list, please email me, and i will send it to you. Phyllis Kramer
However, you can easily do the query yourself. Use the Steve Morse’s query at www.jewishgen.org/databases/EIDB . Here are the steps:
Do you have roots in Frysztak? Would you like to connect with others researching the same community? Click the button to search the JewishGen Family Finder database.You may need to register, but i promise you, its painless and worth it!!
Return to Table of ContentsFor those researchers who may have ancestors buried in major New York area cemeteries, an exciting new development in 2006! The following cemeteries have put their lists online and you can browse them at your leisure, either by town name or surname.
This photograph was taken in Frysztak around 1935; it delightfully shows members of the Frysztak community.
Avram1 Apfelbaum, d. 1937 asthma
+Sara1 Mehr, d. 1934
Mordeche (Max) Stein was born March 18, 1897 in Frysztak, Austria. He was one of six children born to Chaim "Stein" and Malka (Miriam) "Maltz" Stein.
Max's siblings were Abraham (Abe), Genedel (Gerte), Leibush (Lichu), Mendel, and Hinde.
In June of 1910 Abe Stein born 1893 arrived at Ellis Island aboard the Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse . He established a dairy business on Houston Street on New York's lower East Side. In December of 1913, his sister Gerte born 1892 arrived on the Kaiseren Auguste Victoria. She later married Irving Sturm. In July of 1921 my Grandfather Max arrived in the US aboard the Berengaria. He was 24 years of age and had $40 with him at the time of his arrival. Max worked with his brother Abe for a few years before setting off on his own share of the American dream.
The other siblings remained in Europe along with their mother Miriam. Chiam Stein reportedly died when Max was a young boy, circa 1905.
Miriam Maltz Stein's parents were Chiam Hersh Maltz and Frede Pesel "Wallach" (Walach, Wallick, Wallish). Miriam Maltz Stein was alive as late as 1932.
Miriam was one of 5 children born to Chaim Hersch Maltz born 1837. Reportedly a large land owner in Frysztak, upon his death his son Israel (Izzy) took over the family business of building supplies and lumber. Miriams siblings were Rivka , Reizel , and Chaskel.
Chaim Stein's parents are unknown at this time.
Max Stein married Rose Berkowitz in June of 1926. Rose was from a Shtetl called Drohovo, Dragovo, Kovesliget , which was part of the former Hungarian empire and today is part of the Ukraine. Max and Rose had 3 daughters all living today in NJ, Penn, and NY.
For additional information, please contact R. Keith Lite
My name is Yonasan Shapiro and I live in Israel. I am searching Wolker/Volker from Frystak. My g-g-grandfather Yitzchok Hacohen Wolker had at least 3 siblings:
My name is Elli Epstein and I live in New Jersey. I would appreciate any information about the Neumann Family from other family members or landslite.
My mother, Chave Neumann, was born in Frystik. Two brothers, Simcha Mayer
and Shimon came to the U.S. before the war. (The photograph below is the Neumann family
with cousins; it was taken in Frystik in 1937).
A sister Ita and brother Yankel remained in Frystik.
Below left is a photograph of Chave, Yankel, Elli and Ita Neumann, Frystik 1937.
Below right is the wedding photograph of Ita Neumann and David Findling,
taken in Frystik shortly before the war.
My father Shimon Neumann was born in Kolaczyce, near Frystik. He was one of nine siblings. During World War I his family moved to Cologne (Koln) Germany where they remained until WW2. Only my father and later one brother, David, came to the U.S. Please click on my name to send me a message. Thankyou. Elli Epstein
Elli...I received the following note from Maria Brilliant in Israel. She wants to contact you. Please email her.
Dear Phyllis, My father was born in Frysztak. While looking at your site about Frysztak, I suddenly found the picture that Elli Epstein sent you of her family, in 1937 in Frysztak. And imagine my emotion at recognising my father on that picture, and one of his brothers (my uncle, still living in Paris). I never had any picture of my father nor of Frysztak from before the war. I went to Frysztak in 2005, but it was hard to feel connected... So I wrote to Elli Epstein, but her mail is not valid anymore. Could you please ask her somehow to get into touch with me ? Because she is family, being born Neumann from one niece of my grand-mother...Thank you very much for your help. My name is Maria Brilliant, and I live in Israel. Maria Brilliant
The Germans occupied the village on September 8th, 1939. A week later, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, they surrounded the synagogue, killed a few congregates, burned the holy scrolls and took some hostages that were shot on the road. The Germans soon created a Judenrat and a Jewish police force to enforce their policies which consisted of seizing Jews for hard work. Jews worked on the roads, railroads, on the foundation for the headquarters of the German Army in Stampina. The demand for labor was so great that Jews from Warsaw were braught to Frystik. The German company of "Askania" was the big employer and starved the Jewish workers. Many of them died in the typhoid epidemic of 1941. Then the Germans began to send the Jews to various labor camps in the area. The lot of the Jews was harder by the day. Starvation, disease and misery was their lot. Then the Gestapo of Jaslo shot 250 Jews in the forest near the village of Krajowica. Most of these Jews were from Fristik. The Gestapo then decided to close the ghetto of Fristik and sent all the Jews by trucks to the ghetto of Jaslo. This action lasted from August 16 to August 18, 1942. In the ghetto of Jaslo, the Jews of Fristik were immediately surrounded and shipped to the death camp of Belzec where they arrived on August 19 to August 20,1942. Some Jews were sent to the ghetto of Przemysl and Rzeszow where they shared the fate of the local Jews. 35 Jews were left in Fristik to clean the area of the ghetto and then were sent to the ghetto of Przemysl. The Germans and their local supporters searched constantly the area for hidden Jews that managed to escape their actions. Many were discovered and shot, as well as their protectors, some managed to survive and tell the story. Thus ceased to exist another established Jewish community in Galicia, Poland. May the memory of the Jewish community of Fristik be inscribed forever.
William Leibner September 17th,2000 , Jerusalem
(Source: Glówna Komisja Zbrodni Hitlerowskich w Polsce - Rada Ochrony Pomników Walki i Meczenstwa - Obozy hitlerowskie na ziemiach polskich 1939-1945, Warsaw 1979) (translated from Polish in April, 1998)
Frysztak Ghetto: Established in 1942, liquidated on Aug. 18, 1942. Inhabited by the Jew. population of Frysztak and by a few families of the III Reich. All together about 1,600 people. They worked in quarries and at the construction of roads. On July 3, 1942 850 people were taken to Warzyce, where they were probably shot. In August the remaining people were taken to Jaslo.