Jaroslaw Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
Historical overview
Jarosław was originally a royal town. It was granted Magdeburg rights in 1375, it then became a private town in 1387. The original Jewish inhabitants reportedly lived in Jarosław from 1464, until the first half of the 18th century, they were only permitted to own two houses within the town walls. The Jewish housing estate was built in the suburbs, just outside the walls, on the north-western side. From the second half of the 17th century, there was a beit midrash and a synagogue, where the summer meetings of the Vaad Arba Aracot took place. In 1738, about 100 families lived in the Jewish quarter. In 1921, there were 6,577 Jews among 19,973 inhabitants (33%).
Until the end of the 17th century, the Jews of Jarosław were buried in Przemyśl. In 1700, they obtained permission from the Vaad Arba Aracot to establish their cemetery. It was established 4 km to the north-west of the city, in the village of Kruchel Pełkiński. The area was gradually enlarged up to its final 2.3 hectare area. It was shaped as a quadrilateral and fenced with a wall with a gateway. There were two brick buildings and a ritual well behind the gate. After the death of the local tzadik Shimon ben Yisrael Maryles (who died in 1849), an ohel was built, in which his successors were also buried. During World War II, the wall and buildings were demolished. Tombstones made of precious rocks were taken to the Reich, and the rest were used for construction purposes. Executions and burials in unmarked mass graves took place at the cemetery. Currently, there are just over 50 tombstones remaining in the cemetery. The oldest one dates from 1836, and the most recent from 1943. There are inscriptions partially in German (from the period of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) and Polish (from the period of the Second Polish Republic). There are mainly traditional stelea made of limestone, sandstone and concrete. In 2005, the ohel was rebuilt.