Jews began settling in the forested area of Baranowicze around the 1870s at a time when the town belonged to a part of Poland that had been partitioned to the Russian Empire. In addition to Jews, the multicultural town was also home to Byelorussian, Polish and Russian communities.

Baranowicze served as an important transportation hub between the larger cities of Minsk, Moscow and Warsaw. From the 1890s, a Kosher Food organization helped distribute food to Jewish soldiers stationed in town. By 1897 nearly half of the town’s almost 5,000 residents were Jewish, despite the fact that Jews were not legally allowed to live in Baranowicze until 1903.

During World War I (1914-1918), Jews sometimes earned money by supplying the Russian army with goods and services. Survivor Renia Berzak’s parents owned one such surplus store, selling items such as clothes and food. The family of Survivor Samuel Bratkovsky owned a general store that was burned down during the war after which they turned to farm labor.

After the war Baranowicze was incorporated into the newly reconstituted Republic of Poland. A variety of Jewish schools, including Hebrew, Yiddish, and Orthodox institutions, were founded to educate the children of the community. Bratkovsky recalled being sent to a Jewish kindergarten at the age of five, where he and about ten other children were instructed by a local rabbi. The government even opened a Polish-language school for Jews. 

In 1921 the percent of Jews living in Baranowicze reached its peak of 7,796 recorded Jewish residents, making up 67.9 percent of the total population. In the 1930s, when Jews were second in population only to the majority Byelorussian ethnic group, a Jew usually held the position of Deputy Mayor.

In addition to groups such as the kosher food organization, other mutual aid societies provided help to the Jews of Baranowicze. The Lidat Zenek society gave poor travelers a place to stay overnight, and the Bikkur Holim society regularly visited ill members of the community. By 1930, 30 Jewish doctors, 5 Jewish pharmacies and an infant care station could be found in the town.

Baranowicze was known as a center of Orthodoxy in Poland where Jews usually followed more traditional styles of dress and worship. Berzak recalled that her family spoke both Polish and Yiddish at home, and remembered saying the prayers her grandparents taught her at home with her family.

A variety of Jewish political organizations also thrived. These included the Bund group that organized Jewish workers to improve working conditions, as well as Zionist groups that advocated the return of Jews to Palestine. Six Yiddish weeklies published news that reflected the differing political viewpoints of the Jewish community. 

Survivor Renia Berzak said, “It was a nice community. Everybody knew each other… I thought it was a wonderful life.”

In September 1939 Baranowicze was invaded by the Soviet Union. The economy of Baranowicze was nationalized, Jewish community organizations were liquidated, and political activists were exiled to the interior of Russia. The Jewish community was completely destroyed after the German army invaded on June 25, 1941.