Jewish Cemetery in Częstochowa

The Jewish cemetery in Częstochowa lies on Złota Street, in the Dąbie district, next to the grounds of the Częstochowa steelworks. It covers about 8.5 hectares and is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Poland. It is in the heritage register, and today it is an area overgrown with forest in which thousands of matzevot stand.

History of the cemetery

It was established by the Jewish community at the end of the 18th century, probably in 1799, although some sources give 1780. Earlier, the Jews of Częstochowa buried their dead in the cemetery in nearby Janów. In 1907 the cemetery was rebuilt and fenced. Until 1939 and in the years 1945-1950 it was looked after by the Jewish community. The last official burial took place in 1970, and secret funerals continued for another three years.

After 1950 the necropolis found itself inside the expanding steelworks. This made access difficult, which, it is thought, saved the cemetery but did not favour its upkeep.

Graves and the memory of the Holocaust

There are about 4-5 thousand matzevot in the cemetery with inscriptions in Polish and Hebrew, most of them overgrown with ivy. Some gravestones are shifted, broken or overturned. Among the identified graves are the 1937 tomb of Rabbi Nachum Asz and the ohel of the tzadik Pinchas Menachem Justman and his son Isaac Meir Justman from 1919.

During the liquidation of the small ghetto in 1943, Jews were brought to the cemetery, where they were shot and buried in a mass grave. On the grounds of the cemetery there are monuments and mass graves of Jewish victims and fighters. The history of the ghetto in the city is covered in a separate entry: Ghetto in Częstochowa.

Practical information

• Address: ulica Złota 245, Częstochowa.
• The site is a cemetery. Behave with solemnity and do not walk on the gravestones.
• The rules of entry and the condition of the paths may change; check them before your visit with the Jewish community or the city office.