Jasionowka New Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
Historical overview
The Jewish cemetery in Jasionówka is located approximately 900 metres (m) north-east of the town centre, approximately 160 m west of the voivodeship road no. 671, on a hill, and covers the rectangular plot no. 613, with an area of 1.18 hectares. The cemetery was established at the beginning of the 19th century and was in use until World War II. During the war, the Holocaust victims were buried there, including 8 people who were found in hiding and shot in the village of Kamionka. At that time, the cemetery fell into disrepair. Within the cemetery, there are no fewer than 150 tombstones in various conditions, in the form of granite and sandstone stelae with concrete bases. The oldest identified matzevah commemorates Cwi, a son of Mosze, who died on February 14, 1831. A list of 128 preserved tombstones is available on the website of the Foundation for Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland (https://cemetery.jewish.org.pl/list/c_88). The boundaries of the cemetery are imperceptible, though they are partially marked by the decayed stone wall. A part of the area is covered with mixed forest. There are no contemporary forms of commemoration. The owner of the cemetery is the State Treasury, and the Jasionówka Commune uses the cemetery. Proceedings for the transfer of property rights to the Jewish community are still pending. The facility is listed in the Municipal and Provincial Register of Monuments and in the Register of Immovable Monuments of the Podlaskie Voivodeship.
The first records of Jews in Jasionówka come from the 16th century. The Jewish community significantly developed in the second half of the following century. In the 18th century, there was a kehilla (organized Jewish community) in Jasionówka, which was subordinate to the Jewish community in Tykocin. 346 Jews lived in the town in 1799, 951 in 1847, and 1,306 in 1921 (74% of the total population). The Germans murdered almost all the Jews from the town at the beginning of 1943 in Treblinka.