Turka Jewish Cemetery

Information on the cemetery’s establishment is unknown, but it was marked on maps from the 1880s to 1939. Presumably, the cemetery was operating until WWII. It can be supposed that it was vandalised during and after WWII.

The Jews began settling in Turka from 1729. In 1730, nearly 25 Jewish families were residing in Turka. The Jewish community, including 2,368 people, made up half of the total population in 1880. A railroad built through Turka increased the city’s development in the early 20th century. By 1910, the Jewish population had increased to 4,887 (45% of the total population). Most Jews left the city during WWI and returned only when the town was under Austrian administration. The Jewish population decreased to 4,201 individuals (42% of the total population) by 1921. The city was damaged in a fire of 1927. During the interwar period, the children of the community were enrolled in Polish public schools or hederim. The Jewish population numbered 4,500 in 1939, when Sovies annexed the town. It was captured by Nazis on June 27, 1941. In spring 1942, a ghetto was set up. The Jews from surrounding villages were interned here. According to some sources, 5,000 Jews were deported to the extermination camp Belzec on August 5, 1942. Another sources claim that 6,000 Jews were deported in late August of the same year. Some Jews were murdered on the Jewish cemetery. A monument was erected on the Jewish cemetery immediately after liberation and another one, dedicated to Holocaust victims, was installed in 1990.