Komarow Osada Jewish Cemetery

Komarów-Osada was founded in 1748 under Magdeburg Law as a private town. Jews settled in Komarów-Osada shortly after the town was founded. The synagogue complex was established on the northern end of the market square. A synagogue is mentioned in a report from 1765. In 1766, 247 Jews lived in Komarów-Osada. In 1856, there were 943 Jews among 1,625 inhabitants (58% of the total population) and, in 1921, there were 1,752 Jews (60%) among 2,895 inhabitants (60%). During World War II, the Germans destroyed the community buildings. Prior to the liquidation of the ghetto, several dozen Jews were murdered. In 1942, the Germans shot about 2,500 people in the fields outside the town. Their bodies were buried in several mass graves.

The cemetery was probably established soon after the foundation of Komarów-Osada and it is located approximately 650 metres west of the market square, outside the town, on the road to Łabuń. There is no information on its history nor on its appearance. The cemetery was destroyed during World War II. Prior the liquidation of the ghetto, the Germans shot several dozen people in the cemetery. After the war, residents stole the remaining matzevot. Between 1988–1995, at the initiative of Moris Trost (originally from Komarów-Osada, and an inhabitant of Frankfurt am Main) and other Jews, the cemetery was cleaned up, planted with trees, and enclosed with a metal fence with information boards. The remains of several hundred people were exhumed from the mass graves near Komarów-Osada and reburied in the cemetery. Four monuments and several dozen new terrazzo matzevot were erected to commemorate specific families and the victims of the Holocaust in general. A dozen or so limestone and sandstone matzevot (the oldest of which is from 1831) recovered from the town were brought to the cemetery. The monuments are located in the central part of the cemetery. The rest of the area is empty and covered with grass. The area of the cemetery is probably fully preserved (it is similar to a map from 1936). The cemetery is shaped like an irregular trapezoid and covers an area of 1.2 hectares.