Zawiercie Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
Historical overview
Jewish settlement in Zawiercie began to develop in the mid-19th century. Around 1,880 Jews had recognised religious oversight, and a synagogue was built. In 1921 there were 6,065 Jewish residents in Zawiercie (21% of the total population), the majority of whom were killed by Germans in KL-Auschwitz-Birkenau between 1942 and 1943.
The cemetery is located in the southeast part of the city, between Daszyńskiego and Pomorska Streets, directly beside the Catholic cemetery, on a rectangular plot of land with an acreage of 0.64 hectares. The cemetery was founded in 1905. During World War II, the cemetery was used for carrying out executions, and Jews who died or were killed in the ghetto were buried there. After 1945 infrequent burials still took place, such as that of Szlomo Bloch in 1946. The cemetery was overseen by the Congregation of the Jewish Faith in Katowice. In 1998, Jews descended from Zawiercie did maintenance work on the cemetery and erected a memorial for the victims of the Holocaust.
The cemetery houses approximately 1,060 tombstones in varying states of preservation, mainly stelae and obelisks made of sandstone and granite. The oldest identified tombstone is that of Mosze Jehuda Lejb Jungster (died 1906). A list of preserved matzevot is available at http://shalomzawiercie.pl/. The original outline of the cemetery is preserved, as well as pathways and rows of tombstones. Beside the entrance is the old mortuary and outbuilding, both of which have fallen into disrepair. The cemetery is surrounded by its original brick wall as well as a new concrete wall. The cemetery is still actively maintained by, among others, the site’s overseer and local activists. The cemetery is owned by the Jewish Community of Katowice. The site is part of the county and voivodeship registry of historical landmarks and it is not part of the Immovable Monuments Registry.