Czarny Dunajec Jewish Cemetery

The Jewish cemetery in Czarny Dunajec was likely established in the second half of the 19th century. It is located north of the town, by the exit road from Czarny Dunajec towards Rabka. During World War II, it was almost completely destroyed, and the tombstones were used to pave the streets. It was the site of numerous executions carried out by the Germans. It was abandoned after the war and deteriorated due to neglect and vandalism. Most of the tombstones were stolen during this time. In an area of about 0.17 hectares only a few things have survived including one tombstone with inscription in Hebrew, the bases of several damaged matzevot, and a part of the wall. There are also mass graves of people shot by the Germans during World War II. The boundaries of the cemetery have been preserved and match with the boundaries from 1939. The entrance is open on the side bordering the public road. In 2020, the Popiel Family Foundation built a fence around the cemetery and an entrance gate. Three monuments were also erected: the central monument with 494 names and surnames of Holocaust victims, and two monuments on the mass graves (white matzevot). Four mass graves were found and marked. Some matzevot which were found outside the cemetery were restored. A lapidarium with a monument (a menorah) was built in the place where the ruins of the mortuary were discovered. Sandstone paths were paved through the cemetery, and a monitoring system and lighting were installed. This work was carried out in cooperation with the Nissenbaum Family Foundation.

Czarny Dunajec was founded before the mid-16th century and Jews began to settle in the village in the second half of the 19th century. In 1880, the Jewish community accounted for 221 people (8.9% of the population), and 405 in 1939 (14%). No ghetto was established in the town during World War II. Rather, the Jews were systematically transported to the Nowy Targ Ghetto. In 1942, a forced labour camp was established in Czarny Dunajec, in which about 90 Jews from the surrounding towns were gathered. Like the Jews confined in the Nowy Targ Ghetto, they were deported to the Bełżec extermination camp.