Falenica Jewish Cemetery

The development of the Jewish settlement in Falenica (a district of Warsaw from 1951) began in the second half of the 19th century. In 1921, 1,108 Jews lived in the town, most of whom were murdered by the Germans in Treblinka in August 1942.

The cemetery is located at the intersection of Izbicka Street and Kwitnącej Akacji Street. The cemetery was established around 1917 by the Jewish Community in Falenica and served as a burial place for Jews from nearby towns, including Falenica, Wawra, and Wiązowna. In 1927, the cemetery covered a plot of approximately 1 morga (approximately 0.5985 hectares). Two sides of the cemetery bordered on undeveloped plots of land, one bordered a pasture, and the fourth side of the cemetery bordered the property of Ludwik Grochowski. Due to the proximity of the properties, on October 19, 1927, the Warsaw Poviat issued a decision to close the cemetery and, owing to the dismissal of the Jewish community, the case was probably finalized between 1937 and 1938. On January 18, 1938, the cemetery was officially closed. At that time, it was in good condition. There was a brick wall (82 metres long), and the remaining borders were secured with a wooden fence that replaced the barbed wire fence. There was a watchman’s house in the cemetery. Burials of local Jews began to be directed to the cemetery in Aleksandrów.

There is no detailed information about the history of the cemetery during World War II. After the end of the war the cemetery gradually deteriorated, worsening especially after the family living in the caretaker’s house moved out. A fragment of the brick wall and single overturned (and likely displaced) tombstones have survived. The oldest tombstone dates to 1917. In 2020, the former caretaker’s house was demolished. For several years, Warsaw activists have carried out periodic cleaning projects. The cemetery is divided into several geodesic plots, some of which belong to private individuals. The cemetery is listed in the Provincial Register of Monuments.