Zaliztsi Jewish Cemetery

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. But since it was marked on Austro-Hungarian maps of the 1880s it can be assumed that the cemetery emerged in the 19th century. It appears on Polish maps of Wojskowy Instytut Geograficzny (WIG) of 1939.

The first recordings about the 80 Jews in Zaliztsi relates to 1606. In 1765, 644 Jews resided here. The Jewish community of Zaliztsi was destroyed by the Cossack invasion in 1648-54. By the late 17th century, the community revived. In the second half of the 18th century, fairs held in the town earned a living for the Jewish merchants. The other Jews were engaged in tailoring, shoemaking and other crafts. Among the illustrious rabbis of Zaliztsi Israel Zak (the late 17th century), Eliezer Horowitz (in the mid-18th century), and Menachem-Mendl Kagane (the early 19th century) should be mentioned. The Jewish population increased to 2,412 (34,8% of the total population) in 1890. In 1895, 118 students studied in a Jewish school, opened with the support of Baron Hirsch. In the 1900s, the Zionist organizations Ahavat Zion and Poalei Zion were established. The Jewish population intensively declined to 524 (10,9% of the total population) by 1921. In the interwar period, a Jewish library and a drama circle operated as part of organization Hathiya of the Tarbut movement. The Wehrmacht troops occupied Zaliztsi on July 9, 1941. Nearly 20 Jews were murdered on the first day of the occupation. In October 1942, the Jews of Zaliztsi were deported to a labour camp. In 1945, several returned Jews soon left for Poland.