Bialystok Old Jewish Cemetery (Rabbinic)

The plot for the second cemetery in Białystok was bought by the Jewish community in 1752, and located beyond city limits, approximately 600 m southwest of town square. Its history and appearance are largely unknown. It was progressively expanded, and its final area (shaped like an irregular polygon) had an acreage of approximately 2 hectares. In time, the area surrounding the cemetery became residential. The cemetery was officially closed around 1890 owing to the general plan to move cemeteries beyond city limits. During the war against the Bolsheviks in 1920, approximately 50 people were buried in the cemetery. During World War II the cemetery was partially destroyed, though burials continued to take place during the time of the Białystok Ghetto. After the war, the cemetery fell into disrepair. Tombstones were stolen and graves were robbed, and debris from the efforts to clean up the bombed city was dumped there, all of which caused damage to the area. From 1950, various construction projects took place in parts of the cemetery and the remainder became a park (currently Park Centralny). No signs of the cemetery remain aboveground. There is an informational plaque.