Obj. ID: 51576
Jewish Funerary Art Site of the Jewish cemetery in Zelów, Poland
According to ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative, the Jewish cemetery in Zelów is located at Leśna Street, approximately 25 metres from the road (at the crossing with a dirt road), and approximately 1.7 km north of the town centre. The cemetery’s exact establishment date is unknown. The Jewish community of Zelów received permission to establish it in 1878, so it was likely established around that time. During World War II, the cemetery was significantly damaged. The tombstones were used, among other things, to construct pavements in nearby Buczek and to build the entrance gate to the building where the Gestapo had its headquarters at Kościuszko Street. In the post-war years, the cemetery fell into further disrepair. In 1965, by decision of the authorities, a sand mine was established in the cemetery and was in use until 1975. After the mine was closed, the area was used as an illegal landfill. No tombstones or other traces of the cemetery have survived. Until now, the cemetery has not been marked and is not commemorated in any way.
The cemetery area was partially built up by private estates, the rest was converted into a sand mine. There is an unmarked mass grave of the Jews killed by Germans during WWII.