Bodzanow Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
Historical overview
The Bodzanów Jewish cemetery was most likely established at the end of the 18th century. It covered an area of about 0.18 hectares and was located north of the town, on the road to the village of Garwacz. The cemetery was likely closed in 1938 when the Jews of Bodzanów established a new cemetery in Chodków. The cemetery was completely destroyed during World War II, and the tombstones were used to pave the streets and for construction purposes.
After the war, the cemetery remained undeveloped. It is surrounded by a low concrete fence with no mesh and no entrance gate. The cemetery was closed for burials in 1964. In 2004, at the initiative of the Social Committee for the Construction of the Obelisk in cooperation with the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, a monument commemorating the local Jewish community was erected. It was designed by Jolanta Leszczyńska. Cleaning work in the cemetery was carried out by students at the Public Junior High School in Bodzanów. Next to the monument, there are currently two matzevot from 1923 and 1937 that were brought back to the cemetery.
Bodzanów was granted town rights in 1351 under Chełmno law. The development of the town was halted following the wars and fires in the 17th century. Larger groups of Jews began to settle there in the 18th century. Initially, Jews from the town were buried in the Jewish cemetery in Wyszogród. In the 19th century, Jews constituted about 38% of the total population. In 1830, they formed an independent Jewish community (kehilla). In 1922, Jews were incorrectly accused of causing a great fire in the town. In 1939, around 1,300 Jews lived there. On March 3, 1941, some Jews from Bodzanów were transported to Działdowo, and then to the ghettos in Szydłów and Częstochowa. Some of them ended up in the ghetto in Nowy Dwór and other towns in the Ciechanów district. Most of the Jews from Bodzanów died in the extermination camps in Treblinka and Auschwitz.