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HISTORY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
IN LUBOML
By Nathan Sobe!
The town of Luboml* and its Jewish Community
have been known to exist since the 2nd half of the
14th century, according to recorded historical
sources. Luboml vvas already mentioned in the
year 1366 in an official agreement between Algerad
the Great, Prince of Lithuania, and Kazimierz
(Casimir) the Great, King of Poland, whereby
Luboml was rendered as a tenancy to Jerzy
Narimontowicz the Prince of Bielsk. We therefore
can assume that Luboml had served as a
community prior to that time.
In 1392, the Polish King Wladyslaw (Ladislas)
Jagiello visited Luboml and he liked it so much,
that he built a fortress and a church. In the
chronicles of the King's visit to Luboml, it is
mentioned that a Jew named Shmuel appeared
before him Some people claim that the name
Luboml stems directly from the visit of King
Jagiello when he allegedly, said Lubo Mil (pleasant,
delightful, lovely) or Lubo mi tu (I am delighted
here). The remnants of the fortress still
remain on the artificial hill called "Gorka
Jagiellonska" (Jagiello's Hill). Next to the hill is
the church. In 1569, Luboml, which was part of
the royal properties owned by King Zygmunt
(Sigismund) III, was given as part of the dowry to
his daughter when she married Wojewoda
Wiechowski from Kiev, who was the Hetman of
the Cossacks. Towards the end of the 18th century,
Luboml was inherited by the Baron Branitzki.
In 1782, the Branitzkis built their castle in Luboml
*Although Luboml is the official name in
Polish and Russian, as well as in Ukrainian, the
Jews called it "Libivne." Another name for Luboml
used about 80-90 years ago was "Zavalie."
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and they surrounded it with a huge garden and
orchard. In the same year, the Branitzkis' income
from the town is recorded to have reached 26,470
guilders, which in those days was considered as
a huge fortune.
At the end of the 18th century, the District of
Wolynincluding Lubomlwas severed from
Poland and annexed by Russia. Towards the end
of the 18th century, in 1793, when Russia, Austria
and Germany completed their second conquest
of Poland they divided the bountyPolandamong
them. As long as the town belonged
to the Branitzkis, it served as the center of the
entire region and enjoyed prosperity and benefited
from the economic boom and natural
growth. But in 1820 all the land and domains in
and around Luboml became Russian Government
property. The Russians, in turn, apportioned
the land and domain among the entrusted
clerks of the territory. This sub-dividing of land
had such an adverse influence on the local
economy, that even the construction of the
Radzivishlianski railroad through the town did
not help and the town never again was as prosperous.
Another very important factor in the economic
decline was the frequent fires that often
used to completely destroy the wooden structures
with their straw roofs. Our parents and
grandparents still remembered the great fire that
had occurred in the year 1881. The last great fire
that virtually gutted the entire town occurred on
the 25 of June, 1941, when the retreating Soviet
army and the advancing Nazi army fought the
battle of Luboml.
In any event, Luboml was under Russian rule
from the end of the 18th century until Poland was
recreated in 1918.