Komarno Jewish Cemetery

Jewish cemetery in Komarno already existed in 1644. It is not clear, whether this cemetery was the oldest, or there was an elder one. The Jewish cemetery on that site is marked on a cadastral map of 1853. It was vandalised during WWII and ruined in 1950s. After 1991 some gravestones from this cemetery were returned to the cemetery site. In the last 20 years, the ohel of Komarno Hasidic dynasty leaders was reconstructed. Today it is an important pilgrimage site. Around 10 years ago around 50 more fragments of tombstones from this cemetery were found at the private household in the nearby Buchaly village.

The Jews started to settle down in Komarno from the 1530s. In 1563, about 100 Jews were inhabitants of Komarno. By the early 17th century, the Jewish community got independence from Lwow Kehila. Construction of a stone synagogue began in 1620. By 1644, the cemetery established. Khmelnytskyi troops massacred many Jews of Komarno. In 1765, 686 Jews lived in Komarno. In 1812, the Hasidic court by Alexander-Sender Safrin (1770–1818) sat in the town. The Jewish population reached 2,084 (40.9% of the total population) in 1880. By the late 19th century, the Jewish community had a right to participate in the local elections. By 1900, the Jewish population grew to 2,507 (about 50% of the total population), in 1910 it numbered 2,716 (44.2% of the total population). The Zionists organizations were active in the pre-war period. In 1921, the Jewish population declined to 2,004 (40% of the total population) and slightly increased to 2,390 in 1931. In the 1930s, a yeshiva was opened. The Wehrmacht troops occupied Komarno for the first time in September 1939 and reoccupied it on June 30, 1941, after the units of the Red Army left the district. In July 1942, about 1,800 Jews were murdered. In November 1942, 61 Jews that escaped the deportation to the Belzec death camp were shot at the cemetery.