The Destruction of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland

The Destruction of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland offers a comprehensive examination of the history of Jewish cemeteries in Poland, shedding light on an overlooked aspect of Holocaust history. Beginning with the settlement of Jewish communities in Poland, the book covers the establishment and subsequent destruction of over 1,200 Jewish cemeteries within the country's present borders. Krzysztof Bielawski draws on meticulous research and firsthand experience to explore the complex dynamics behind the destruction, exposing the roles played by various actors. Through a detailed analysis of texts, iconographic sources, and archival materials, the book not only documents the destruction but also seeks to identify the perpetrators, challenging common misconceptions and offering a nuanced perspective on this dark chapter in history.

You may support the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, where the author works, at www.fodz.pl.

Krzysztof Bielawski is a historian, Jewish-cemetery researcher, and genealogist. He is a graduate of the Institute of History at the University of Warsaw, specializing in Jewish Studies, and is currently a PhD student at University of Warsaw. From 2009 to 2024 Bielawski served as the Jewish heritage specialist at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. He’s currently Project Coordinator at the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage. He started the website Jewish Cemeteries in Poland (www.cmentarze-zydowskie.pl) in 2005 and has authored various articles on Jewish cemeteries and funeral customs and Jewish life in Poland after 1944.

“The 1,200 Jewish cemeteries in Poland today serve to stimulate reflection about a past which has been publicly forgotten, neglected, misused, and misappropriated for generations in post-1945 Poland. Nevertheless, the rediscovery of Jewish cemeteries in the post-1989 period by local grassroot activists, educators, and historians has led to their preservation, restoration, and memorialisation. Krzysztof Bielawski’s comprehensive monograph about the destruction of Jewish cemeteries is among the most impressive fruits of this process. The book is a major milestone in the history of Jewish material heritage in Poland and its legacy. This truly significant work is recommended to anyone interested in the history of Polish Jews and the painful Polish-Jewish relations in the post-1945 period.”

— Joanna B. Michlic, Visiting Professor of Holocaust and Contemporary History, Lund University

“Krzysztof Bielawski, a great expert on Poland's Jewish cemeteries, dares to tackle the important and long-overdue subject of the history of the destruction of Jewish cemeteries in Poland. Thankfully, he examines not only the terrible destructions by Nazi Germany, but also those which have occurred since 1945—naming in detail and unsparingly the numerous attacks, along with their perpetrators and backgrounds. His study will undoubtedly become a great help for research into Jewish cemeteries in Poland and Europe. Quotes from interviews and photos illustrate the appalling extent of the damage, and the presentation of the religious rules for Jewish cemeteries makes clear its significance from a Jewish perspective. In terms of language, the book is easy to read, but in terms of content it is sometimes difficult to bear. But the fact that he concludes by highlighting the current commitments to preserving the graveyards gives the reader hope for a better future for the Jewish cemeteries in Poland."

— Dr. Katrin Keßler, Bet Tfila - Research Unit for Jewish Architecture in Europe, Technische Universität Braunschweig

“Krzysztof Bielawski has gathered hundreds of examples of activities leading to destruction of Jewish cemeteries in Poland. It is a completely unknown image, and at the same time overwhelming with its scale. From the beginning of Jewish settlement, about 1,200 Jewish cemeteries were created—likely not even one avoided the destruction. The author describes a sad reality, which evokes moral indignation and shame.”

— Dr. Krzysztof Persak, Polish Academy of Science, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews

“The work describes the processes responsible for Jewish cemetery destruction in Poland over the last century. The author refutes the myth of the ‘total destruction of Jewish cemeteries by the Germans during the Second World War,' showing that the Germans did not carry out their complete destruction and that they alone were not responsible for such acts.”

— Prof. Marzena Zawanowska, University of Warsaw

“Krzysztof Bielawski is now considered to be one of the leading researchers of Jewish cemeteries in Poland. The subject of his research has, thus far, fallen into the gaps in Polish historiography—it has been taboo, unwanted, hidden, marginalized, omitted, incorrect, embarrassing and, finally, unknown. This book complements, from a different field, the works of such authors as Prof. Jan Tomasz Gross, Jan Grabowski, and Barbara Engelking.”

— Prof. Andrzej Trzciński, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin

“Bielawski’s book is a powerful and somber account of the destruction of hundreds of Jewish cemeteries in Poland during and after the war. The annihilation of a Jewish cultural presence was one of the goals of the German authorities in occupied Poland, and—after the liberation—it continued to be the unstated policy of Polish authorities of various kinds. Bielawski shows us state-organized, individual, and institutional greed, ruthlessness, contempt, and prejudice—all of which conspired to make the annihilation of Jewish cemeteries in Poland as complete as possible.”

— Prof. Jan Grabowski, Professor of History, University of Ottawa