Obj. ID: 50334
Jewish Funerary Art Site of the Jewish cemetery in Iłza, Poland
According to ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative, the cemetery is located about 600 metres north-east of the city, and about 80 metres south of Kampanii Wrześniowej Street, on a hill, in the geodesic plot No. 18.3568 – an irregularly shaped plot of land with an area of approximately 1.5 hectares (ha). Initially, the Jews from Iłża were buried in Sienna, about 21 km away. In 1837, during the cholera pandemic, the Jewish community established an epidemic cemetery, and on March 9, 1840, the state authorities granted permission to bury all the dead from Iłża there. The cemetery was fenced no later than in 1839. The destruction of the cemetery likely began during World War II. All tombstones were removed, and the fence was pulled down. In 1985, only two tombstones fragments were found in the cemetery. On June 26, 1964, the Minister of Municipal Economy – following a resolution by the Presidium of the Municipal National Council of Iłża dated October 18, 1962 – signed an order to close the cemetery. The documentation stated that the cemetery covered an area of 1.5 ha, and the last burial took place in 1943. On October 30, 1962, Iłża authorities adopted a resolution to liquidate the cemetery and establish a park in its place. There is no order approving the resolution in the files of the Ministry of Municipal Economy, stored in the Central Archives of Modern Records. There is no information about the ownership status of the plot. The cemetery is listed in the Provincial Register of Monuments.
In May 2006, FODŻ completed maintenance work in the cemetery: the area was fenced by a concrete brick and masonry wall (1.5-1.7 m high) with two metal entrance gates and a Holocaust memorial to commemorate the Jews from Iłża was unveiled. The initiative was supported by FODZ and the Association of the Jews from Iłża. No tombstones have preserved on their original places. There is one big fragment of the tombstone, leaning to the Holocaust Memorial, and several very small pieces of stones that can also be parts of tombstones.
Cemetery location: At the intersection of Kampanii Wrześniowej, Staromiejska and Podzamcze Streets turn onto a country road right after a building materials shop (No.60 Podzamcze Street). Continue south for 110 m until you reach the cemetery. The entrance to the cemetery area will be on the left side of the road.
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