Tiszavasvari Jewish Cemetery in Szentmihaly

There used to be two Jewish cemeteries in the modern territory of Tiszavasvári. This cemetery belonged to the Jewish community of Szentmihály. It was established as early as 1840, since the oldest tombstone found in the cemetery dates to that year. The cemetery remained in operation until at least 1943. The cemetery has been fenced and is maintained by the Heritage Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries.

The first Jews settled in the village at the end of the 18th century and the Jewish community began to develop in the second half of the 19th century. In 1828, the Jewish population was 104 and by 1930 the population increased to 732. In 1840, the organized Jewish community was established as well as the Chevra Kadisha (burial society), the women’s society, and the synagogue.

The new synagogue was built in 1903, which local authorities later destroyed after the war. In 1942, most Jews in the village were sent to forced labour. In the spring of 1944, following the German occupation of Hungary and on the day after Pesach, all the Jews were forcibly gathered in the school. After a couple of days, they were sent to the Nyiregyhaza Ghetto (where all the Jews in the district were concentrated) and then to Auschwitz. 557 Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. After the war, only 50 Jews from Auschwitz and 20 from forced labour camps returned to the village. They re-established the community and renovated the synagogue. The last Jews left the city during the Hungarian Uprising in 1956.