Iłow Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
Historical overview
The settlement was mentioned in 1224 as goods donated to the Cistercians of Sulejów. In 1506, it was already a noble town founded under the Chełmno law. Jews began to settle in the town in 1680. In 1750, they were granted the privilege to build a synagogue. In 1764, the community numbered 106 people, and in 1857 – 258 people, which constituted 70% of the total population. Before the war, in 1921, Jews constituted 48% (374 people) of the town’s population.
Lejb Sonder (Aleksander Sochaczewski), a painter sentenced during the January Uprising to 20 years in Siberia, was born in Iłów in 1843. The Jewish cemetery was most probably established at the end of the 18th century. It was located to the north-east of the market square and its area was approximately 1.5 ha. The necropolis was destroyed during World War II, and the tombstones were used by the Germans to pave the sidewalks. The area remains unmarked and unused until now. It is covered with thick bushes and trees.
