Minsk Mazowiecki Old Jewish Cemetery

Jewish settlement in Mińsk Mazowiecki began to develop at the beginning of the 19th century. The city was the seat of a Hasidic dynasty (Novominsk Hasidim). In 1921, there were 4,130 Jews in Mińsk Mazowiecki (39.9% of the total population). In June 1936, a pogrom took place in the city. In 1942, the Germans killed most of the Jews in Treblinka. The cemetery was established outside the main built-up area of Mińsk Mazowiecki, on the north-west edge of the city, near Kazikowskiego Street (formerly Długa Street), Zawiszy Street, Mała Street, and Wyszyńskiego Street. On the north side, there was an Evangelical cemetery. The cemetery was probably established at the beginning of the 19th century and no later than around 1822.

At the end of the 19th century, it covered a square plot of land with an area of 0.8 hectares and was surrounded by a wall. It was probably closed in the 1870’s, though occasional burials still took place there until 1883. At the same time, the Evangelical cemetery was also closed. This is likely connected to the overcrowding of the burial area and the construction of the Warsaw-Terespol Railway line in the years 1866-1867, which contributed to the expansion of the city’s infrastructure towards the west.

In 1923, the Municipality of Mińsk Mazowiecki received a letter from the owners of the property at Górna-Przejazd Street, who complained that communication was blocked by the Jewish cemetery. In their opinion, the cemetery, which had not been used for about 40 years, “not only disturbs the traffic of pedestrians who are forced to take a dozen or several dozen steps along Sewerynów Street but, worst of all, these pedestrians also choose another illegal route that leads through our property.” There is no further information about the later history of the cemetery. At the beginning of the 1960’s, a school was built in the cemetery (currently, it is the Economic School Complex at 18 Kazikowskiego Street). All above-ground traces of tombstones, walls, and the boundaries of the cemetery have disappeared. The owner of the area is the Mińsk Poviat. The facility does not have a cemetery card and is not listed in the Municipal and Provincial Register of Monuments or the Provincial Register of Immovable Monuments. There is no form of commemoration of any kind.