Tiszalok Jewish Cemetery

The Jewish cemetery of Tiszalök was established as early as 1850, since the oldest tombstone found in the cemetery dates to that year. The latest tombstone was erected in1936. The cemetery has been fenced.

The first Jews settled in Tiszalök at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1736, one Jewish family lived in Tiszalök and by 1784, there were 53 Jews in the village. The community grew to 243 people in 1828 and 397 in 1840. By in 1880, the Jewish population increased yet again and peaked at 556, after which the population decreased and by 1941 there were 362 Jews in the village. The synagogue was built in 1840 and the school in 1878. The community affiliated with the Orthodox stream in 1867. In World War I, 17 Jews were killed in action. During the period of the White Terror, pogroms against the Jews were carried out by right-wing military soldiers (1919-21) after the fall of the Communist regime.

The Jews suffered owing to the numerous harsh decrees imposed on them. In 1941, young Jews were conscripted for forced labour, during which 40 of them were killed. In March 1944, following the German occupation of Hungary, the rabbi (who was also the butcher) in Tiszalök was arrested and beaten. After Pesach, all the Jews of the town were gathered in the synagogue and taken to the Nyiregyhaza Ghetto by carts. They were then deported by freight trains to Auschwitz on May 23. After the war, only 15 survivors returned to the village. They were unable to re-establish the Jewish community as they faced significant hatred by the local inhabitants.