Remember Jewish Uchanie

Pronunciation: You-khan-ee

HISTORY OF JEWISH UCHANIE

The first mention of the Jewish community in Uchanie was in 1611.

The Jewish community lived in and around the market square. In 1769, 175 Jews lived in the town.There were 1,382 Jews living in Uchanie in 1886, constituting 64% of the total inhabitants.In 1921, Uchanie had 1686 inhabitants, 999 (59%) of whom were Jews. Ten years later there were2,142 individuals living in the town, including 1,028 Jews (47%). Uchanie had 2,044inhabitants in 1938 and 1,161 (70%) of them were Jewish.

THE HOLOCAUST IN UCHANIE

The German troops occupied Uchanie at the end of September, 1939. The Nazis used Jews fromUchanie as forced labor. Jewish properties were confiscated and the Germans established a ghettoin Uchanie in 1940 in which over 2,000 Jews were held in the ghetto. Ninety Jews from Krakowwere sent to Uchanie in November, 1940. In April, 1942, a group of 680 Jews from Horodlo
(near to Uchanie and Hrubieszow) were deported to the Uchanie ghetto.

On June 10, 1942, approximately 2,025 Jews from Uchanie were transported by the Germansto the train station in Miaczyn near Zamosc. At Miaczyn, the weaker (and elderly) Jews weresent to Sobibor gas chambers while younger Jews were sent to either the Staszic LaborCamp or the Staw Labor Camp. The Nazis murdered the Jews who worked in Staszic inthe fall of 1942. There was a transport from Staw Labor Camp to Sobibor gaschambers on December 20, 1942. Little else is known about these labor camps,because few of the individuals in them survived. 

In October 1942, a small group of Jews from Uchanie were sent to Hrubieszow.

This marked the end of the Jewish community in Uchanie. Zachor - We Remember.
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[Helene Shafran: Memories from Uchanie]
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