Sefer Augustow was written by former residents of Augustów, Poland, some of whom left the town before the war, and some who survived the war and were able to bear witness to the murder and destruction of the community. The book contains many articles and essays about the rich Jewish life and personalities of the town: the people, the dreamers, the doers, the religious, the secular, the Zionists, the socialists, and more. The stories are told of those who made aliyah to the land and those who stayed behind. Also described in detail are the various charities and aid societies for the needy in town, the schools for children and study houses for adults, and the centers of worship. In addition, there are richly detailed descriptions of the Partisans, life and death in the ghetto, the deportation to the concentration camps and mass murder outside of the camps, and the aftermath of it all, including the erasure not only of the Jews and the Jewish community, but all signs of its presence – the synagogues, the study houses, the cemeteries and the schools. Memories of some of the murdered and notables of the town are included, along with eyewitness testimony to the destruction. All in all, this holy book provides the reader with a richly detailed portrait of a town and Jewish community in its life, and in its death.

May this Yizkor Book serve as a memorial to all the victims of the Shoah from Augustów and the neighboring communities.

Jewish Population: 3,637 (in 1897), 2,397 (in 1931)