Kutina Jewish Cemetery

Kutina is a town in the hilly region of Moslavina, in Sisak-Moslavina County. The Parish of Kutenya and the Church of All Saints—both in the region—were first mentioned in 1334. The town was marked on the 1773 map of the first military survey as “Dorf Kuttinia.” In 1857 Kutina had a population of 1,312, which grew to 3,000 people in 1910. The town was known for textile industry, winemaking, and, in the 19th century, its chemical industry. Jews first settled in the town in the 17th century, though the organized Jewish community was only established in 1806. In 1821, the first written document mentions Jews as permanent residents of Kutina, recording 3 families of 7 people. The Jewish population in Kutina reached its height in the years following World War I when documents record 155 Jews living in the area. In 1921 Kutina’s Jewish population accounted for 94 individuals, which grew to 157 individuals in 1931. In 1940, there were 132 Jews living in the Kutinsky district, though only a few survived the Holocaust. During World War II, all the Jews of Kutina were expelled and killed.

The synagogue of Kutina was built in 1914 and was designed by the Zagreb architects S. Benedik and A. Baranyai. The Jewish cemetery was established in 1873. The synagogue was abandoned in 1941 and its building was confiscated in 1947. In 1969 the building of synagogue was demolished, and a commercial centre was established on the site. The local Moslavina museum holds a number of Jewish objects in its collection (both religious and cultural), such as a Torah and rimonim.

The large municipal cemetery of Kutina has a Jewish section with 70-80 tombstones in terrible condition. Inscriptions on the tombstones are in German and are written with Hebrew characters. All the tombstones are vandalized and severely damaged. The oldest tombstone dates to 1873 and the latest to 1926.