Sokolow Malopolski Old Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Poland
Region
Subcarpathian Voivodeship
District
Rzeszów
Settlement
Sokołów Małopolski
Site address
The demolished cemetery was located on the plot of land between Kochanowskiego and Szewska streets, which is now mostly overbuilt. 16, Kochanowskiego Street is the address of restored ohel.
GPS coordinates
50.23021, 22.12231
Perimeter length
370 meters
Is the cemetery demolished
no
Type and height of existing fence
No fence
Preservation condition
Demolished and overbuilt Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The demolished cemetery is located in an urban area of Sokołów Małopolski. Nowadays, it is overbuilt with residential and commercial buildings.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved
Date of oldest tombstone
Date of newest tombstone
Urgency of erecting a fence
Fence is not needed
Land ownership
Private
Preserved construction on site
The restored ohel of Elimelech Weissblum from Rudnik and his son Eleazar, is located in the parking lot at 16, Kochanowskiego Street.
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

Sokołów Małopolski was founded in 1569 under Magdeburg law as a private town. Until the 1750s, Jews were forbidden to live within the town limits. In 1668, about 75 meters north of the market square, there were already community buildings, including: a synagogue, a beit midrash and a mikvah. Around 1700, the town’s population was about 1,700 people, including about 400 Jews (23.5%). In 1936, there were about 4,000 inhabitants, including 1,600 Jews (40%). Hasidim dominated among the community leaders from the mid-19th century.

The Jewish cemetery was established around the middle of the 17th century, approximately 150 meters north-east of the market square, outside the town fortifications. It was shaped like an irregular quadrilateral, and the final area was 0.9 hectares. It was surrounded by gardens and meadows. At the western border, there were three buildings, including a wooden ohel. The cemetery was covered with trees and enclosed by a wooden fence. Until the 1870s, tzadikim were buried there. The cemetery was destroyed during World War II and its area was leveled. After 1960, the area was taken over by the Communal Cooperative. Warehouses and an outbuilding were erected there. A warehouse for building and heating materials, which still functions, was established there. In 1995, at the initiative of the Jewish Landsmanshaft from Canada, a new ohel of tzadikim was added to the building.