Novolabun Jewish Cemetery

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. The earliest preserved gravestone relates to the beginning of the 19th century when most likely the cemetery was established. It appears on old maps since the 1870s. Later, it was also marked on a Russian map of 1909 and Polish map of Wojskowy Instytut Geograficzny (WIG) of 1939.

Jews are first mentioned in the early 18th century. In 1847, the Jewish population numbered 1,192. In 1867, three synagogues existed. In 1890, Meir Lerner (born in 1867) became a rabbi of Novolabun’. In the 19th – early 20th century, the Jews were engaged in crafts and trade. In 1914, Jews rented two mills, an oil mill, pharmacy, and 17 stalls were in their hands as well. In 1923, the number of the Jewish population was 952, and it decreased to about 600 in 1931. In 1923, a bathhouse was built with the assistance of the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. On July 5, 1941, the Wehrmacht troops occupied Novolabun’. In July 1941, 80 Jews of Novolabun’ were executed.