Jewish Cemetery in Szydłowiec

No two headstones are alike in the Jewish cemetery of Szydłowiec. Local stonemasons, working the same sandstone used for the town hall and the parish church, carved candles, lions, deer, birds feeding their young and hands raised in blessing into the matzevot. It is one of the largest surviving Jewish cemeteries in Poland and one of the most moving places in town.

History: a cemetery for several towns

Sources differ on when it was founded: either in the second half of the 17th century, when Jews settled here in large numbers and formed a community, or in the 18th century. Burials came not only from Szydłowiec but also from towns without their own cemetery, including Suchedniów, Bodzentyn and Wąchock, so the cemetery kept growing.

After the war the authorities closed it in 1957 and gave its western, oldest section over to building. A school sports field, a department store and a furniture shop were put up there. Headstones from that land were moved to the surviving part and set close together in rows. The cemetery now covers 2.7 hectares. In 1971 a plaque was placed here in memory of the 16,000 Jews of Szydłowiec murdered in the Holocaust. In 2007 the Jewish Community of Warsaw took it over and built an ohel over the graves of tzaddikim of the Rabinowicz dynasty of Biała.

What to see

• The matzevot – sources differ: about 2,000 or, according to later surveys, around 3,100 headstones. Most date from 1901–1939, about a fifth from the second half of the 19th century, and only around 60 from 1831–1850.
• The symbols – candles in candlesticks (sometimes broken) mark a woman's grave, books on a shelf a scholar, rabbi or teacher, hands raised in blessing a descendant of the priestly Kohanim. A lion stands for defending the faith, a deer for the tribe of Naphtali, a bird holding a broken twig for a girl who died young, and a bird feeding its chicks for a young mother.
• The ohel – a small masonry tomb house over the tzaddikim's graves, visited by Hasidic pilgrims from many countries.
• Wall and gate – a stone wall with a gate inspired by traditional Jewish ornament.

Did you know?

The inscriptions are in Hebrew, although the Jews of Szydłowiec spoke Yiddish or Polish in daily life – Hebrew was the language of prayer. The texts dwell on grief and describe the person's character rather than just giving dates. A headstone was usually set up on the first anniversary of death. Some stones have shapes rare in Jewish cemeteries: double headstones, sarcophagi or tree stumps.

Tripto tip

The cemetery is on ul. Wschodnia in the north-east of town, about 15 minutes' walk from the market square. It is fenced, so ask at the Municipal Tourist Information how to get in before you go. Men should cover their heads, and Jewish cemeteries are not visited on the Sabbath or Jewish holidays. Allow 30–60 minutes; the reliefs are easiest to read in the morning or late afternoon light.