Biłgoraj Old Jewish Cemetery

The earliest recorded information about the second Jewish cemetery in Biłgoraj dates to 1728 and concerns the efforts of the kehilla (organized Jewish community) to obtain the right to use land close to the city and establish the cemetery there. The cemetery was likely established around 1730. It was located about 600 metres south of the market square and covered a rectangular-shaped plot of land with an area of 0.4 hectares. The cemetery was in use until around 1800 when the third cemetery was established. In the interwar period, it was fenced partly with a wooden fence, partly with a high wall, and was covered with old oaks and wild bushes. In 1941, the cemetery was completely destroyed. The Germans removed the tombstones, cut down trees, and pulled down the fence. The ground was leveled and plowed. Three barracks were built there and used as warehouses and stables. The Jews were also kept in the barracks before deportations. After the war, the area was used to support various economic purposes. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, a complex of buildings and a high school playground were built in the cemetery. The cemetery is commemorated by a boulder with an inscription. No tombstones from the cemetery have been found.