Kiernozia Jewish Cemetery

Kiernozia was granted town rights in 1523, and its foundation status was downgraded before 1579. It was re-granted town rights in 1784, and its status was once again downgraded in 1870. The first records of Jewish settlement in Kiernozia date to the beginning of the 19th century. In 1808, 48 Jews (67% of the total population) lived in the town, and in 1827 – 123 (29% of the total population). In 1830, an independent Jewish community (kehilla) was established. In 1897, 222 Jews lived in Kiernozia, constituting 41% of the total population. In the interwar period, about 300 Jews lived in the town, constituting roughly 40% of the population, and most of whom worked in small trade and crafts. In March 1940, the Germans established a ghetto in Kiernozia, in which there were about 650 Jews from Kiernozia and the surrounding towns. The ghetto was liquidated in March 1941, and all the Jews were deported to the Warsaw Ghetto.

The cemetery is located outside the town, near the forest, by Road No. 584 to Łowicz, about 1 km away from the town centre, and covers an area of about 0.25 hectares. The cemetery’s exact establishment date is unknown, though it was probably established in the second half of the 19th century. The last burials took place between 1939-1945. The cemetery has suffered significant damage. No matzevot have survived. Around 1946, a Holocaust survivor named Jan Geiss erected a monument in the cemetery in honour of the Jews from Kiernozia and fenced a part of the cemetery. The fence has not survived. The cemetery is taken care of by local social activist Jan Gzula, on whose initiative, around 2009, partial cleaning works were carried out in the cemetery. The cemetery is located on the territory administrated by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage.