Sambir Old Jewish Cemetery

Information on the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. Presumably, it already was operating in the 17th century. It was demolished and overbuilt during the Soviet period.

The Jews resided in Sambir since 1447. In the 17th century, synagogues and a Jewish cemetery operated. In 1764, 513 Jews lived in Sambir. In the early 19th century, a few Karaites lived in Sambir. In the 19th century, two Hasidic courts sat in Sambir. The Jewish population reached 4,427 (33,1% of the total population) in 1880. In 1891, a Jewish commercial school was opened. It was the only educational institution of its kind in Galicia, which became entitled as a government institution. Since 1931, it turned to a gymnasium. By 1900, a Jewish population grew to 4,900 (28.8% of the total population) and kept on growing till 1931 when it numbered 6,275. In the early 20th century, Jews played a significant role in public and political life. In 1910, more than half of the members of the city council were Jews. During the WWI, Jewish refugees fled to Sambir from the surrounding towns. In the afterwar period, the Joint Distribution Committee supported the Jewish community of Sambir. In the interwar period, the orphanages and other organizations (e.g. Samopomoc (Self-Help)) were active. On June 29, 1941, the Wehrmacht troops occupied Sambir. On July 1, 1941, 50 Jews were slaughtered during the pogrom. 3,650 Jews of Sambir and surrounding villages were imprisoned in a ghetto. On August 4, 1942, about 6,000 Jews were deported to the Belzec extermination camp. In August of 1942, about 600 Jews were sent to the Yanovsky camp. On February 13, 1943, about 500 Jews were murdered on the Jewish cemetery. On June 5–10, 1943, the ghetto was liquidated. After the end of WWII, roughly 150 Jews returned to Sambir. In 2001, a memorial sign was erected at the site of the execution of Jews at the old Jewish cemetery.