The character of Płońsk – the town where Dawid Ben Gurion was born in 1886 (according to the birth certificate in 1887) – was created for almost 500 years by two coexisting cultures: Polish and Jewish.

The first source records about the Jewish settlement in Płońsk come from 1446. In 1670, the reigning Polish king, Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, issued a privilege allowing Jews to build houses, a synagogue and produce beer. This privilege resulted in a greater influx of Jewish people to Płońsk. On the edge of the town, at current Warszawska Street, an over three-hectare Jewish cemetery was created, mentioned already in 1525, and the first Jewish synagogue was built as well.

Another influx of Jewish people to Płońsk took place at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries and was the result of changes in the law at that time, which allowed only Jews living in towns and cities to conduct trade and crafts. In 1808, Płońsk was one of the towns with the largest percentage of Jewish population – Jews then constituted over 70% of its community. In the following years, the number of Polish and Jewish people in Płońsk equalized – just before the outbreak of World War II, Jews constituted approximately half of the population of Płońsk, that is almost 6,000 inhabitants. Most of the Jewish houses were located in the Market Square and on the principled streets of the town, mainly on Warszawska Street.

There were Jewish schools, kindergartens and various types of organizations and associations in pre-war Płońsk. Jews were mainly engaged in crafts and trade. They had their representatives in the town authorities and municipal institutions. The Jewish community in Płońsk was very diverse. All social, political and religious trends were visible here. The development of Jewish culture in Płońsk was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. In September 1940, in the area of Warszawska, Pułtuska, Kozia, Krzywa and Wyszogrodzka streets, in an area of approximately 1 km2, the Nazis created a ghetto in which they separated Jews from the remaining population of Płońsk. There were approximately 6,000 Jews from Płońsk and the same number from the Płońsk district and neighboring districts. Conditions in the ghetto were terrible. Hunger, overcrowding and inadequate medical care caused a typhus epidemic. By order of the occupation authorities, a Judenrat was established in the ghetto – a Jewish council responsible for organizing life in the ghetto.

It was thanks to the efforts of the Płońsk Judenrat that the Germans twice postponed the date of the final liquidation of the ghetto, and also agreed to the Judenrat organizing supplies of food for the Płońsk Jews starving in the Pomiechówek camp. The ghetto in Płońsk operated until mid-December 1942. On December 15, 1942, in the last (third) transport from the Płońsk ghetto, the Germans deported the Jewish population to Nazi extermination camps.

When liquidating the ghetto, they demolished most of the former Jewish houses and destroyed the Jewish cemetery – today its existence is commemorated by a few photos as well as sketches by a Jewish artist born in Płońsk, Józef Budko (1888-1940).