This Jewish cemetery, which stands as a reminder that a Jewish community once lived in the area, was severely damaged after WWII. The remaining tombstones were relocated to the Jewish cemetery in nearby Vrbas. As a result, there are no matzevot left on the grounds of the Kucura cemetery. However, burials may still remain underground, making the construction of a fence extremely important in order to protect the site from potential future disturbances or interventions. Similarly, the memory of this Jewish community in its own locality is preserved by the demarcation of this cemetery, the last physical reminder to the community’s existence and sadly also to its destruction.
The first Jews arrived in the small town, today a village, of Kucura in the late 18th century. In 1889, 55 Jews lived there. During the 19th century, the Jews of Kucura were closely connected to the Jewish community of nearby Vrbas. Before 1918, Kucura was part of the Kingdom of Hungary; afterwards, it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, later known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During that period, the Jewish population declined. By 1931, around 10 Jews lived in Kucura, out of a total population of 4,237.
During WWII, some Jews from Kucura were deported to Dachau concentration camp, where they were murdered.
The fencing project at the Kucura Jewish cemetery was funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and made possible with the help of our partners at the Federation of Jewish Communities in Serbia, especially our country coordinator, Ladislav Trajer.