In the early 19th century, Bełchatów was owned the Kaczkowski family. To stimulate the local economy, the family invited a group of prosperous Jews, providing them with construction sites, a cemetery, and a prayer house. As more Jews began to settle in the town, they worked first in trade, then in manufacturing. The first Jewish textile workers were employed in Leon Kaczkowski's workshop. Jews also started their own weaving mills. In 1867, 13 out of the 16 small weaving workshops in Bełchatów were Jewish-owned.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a new synagogue was built. A number of Jewish political parties began to be active: Agudat Israel, the Bund, the Mizrachi, Poale Zion and Hitachdut. Many community leaders were chosen to serve in the municipal government: in 1925, Jews won 13 out of 24 seats. Two years later, in 1927, seven Jewish politicians were elected to the Municipal Council.

In 1939, German forces occupied Bełchatów, terrorizing the Jewish population and burning down the synagogue. In March 1941, a Jewish ghetto was created, and refugees from surrounding towns and villages were crowded in. In August 1942, the ghetto was liquidated and nearly the entire population transported to the extermination camp in Chełmno. By the end of the war, only about 400 Jews remained in the city they had helped to build. This book tells the story of that community's rise and destruction.

Alternate names: Bełchatów [Pol], Belchatov [Yid], Belkhatuv [Rus], Belkhatov, Yiddish: בעלכאַטאָוו, Russian: Белхатув.

Bełchatów, Poland is located at 51°22' N 19°23' E, 92 miles