Wysokie Jewish Cemetery

The town of Wysokie was most likely founded in 1409 under Magdeburg Law and was privately owned. In 1536, there is a recorded mention of a single Jewish resident. Further records from the 17th and 18th centuries indicate that Jews in Wysokie worked as landlords. In 1731 Wysokie had its own kehilla (organized Jewish community). In 1819 of the town’s 242 residents, 71 were Jewish; in around 1900 there were 356 Jewish residents, comprising 31% of the total population; and in 1921 there were 285 Jewish residents (27%). During World War II, the Germans destroyed the kehilla facilities and, in 1942, local Jews were transported to the Izbica Ghetto and from there to the Bełżec extermination camp.

The cemetery was most likely founded in the first half of the 18th century and located approximately 500 metres northwest of the town square, on a hill. In 1885 the cemetery was expanded. During the interwar period, the land was rectangular-shaped, measuring 0.2 hectares, and enclosed and gated with a wooden fence. During World War II, the cemetery was partially destroyed. After the war, the remaining tombstones were removed, and the area was used as a pasture. Presently it is an empty, grassy area with several trees, and the borders are imperceptible. The cemetery is crossed by two dirt roads. No traces of the cemetery remain and no matzevot were recovered from Wysokie.