Sokolow Malopolski Old Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
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.