Syurte Jewish Cemetery

Presumably, the Jewish cemetery in Syurte was established in the 19th century. The cemetery already existed in 1873, as evident from the oldest found gravestone. The cemetery was in use until WWII.

Jews are believed to have arrived in the area of Syurte in the first half of the 18th century. In 1830, the Jewish population of Syurte numbered 45. In 1880, the Jewish population increased to 319 (19% of the total population). In 1921, during the Czechoslovakian period, the Jewish population rose to 1,099. Jews earned their livelihoods in trade and craft, running around 60 businesses and 26 workshops. Jews in Syurte also owned seven factories and a bank. In addition, there was a Jewish doctor and pharmacists, and Jews worked as public officials, clerical workers and commercial agents. Hungarian forces arrived in Syurte in March 1939 and, in 1940, 150 Jews from the area were drafted into forced labour battalions. Others were sent to the Eastern front, where most perished. Some Jews joined the Czechoslovakian army. In 1941, the Jewish population had increased to 1,423 (17% of the total population). In August 1941, some families without Hungarian citizenship were expelled Kamenets-Podolski in Nazi-occupied Ukrainian territory and murdered. The remaining Jews of Syurte, over 1,000 individuals, were deported to Auschwitz on May 22, 1944. No Jews live in the town today.