Ozorkow Jewish Cemetery

The history of Ozorków dates to the beginning of the 15th century. In 1816, it was granted rights as a private town. The first records of Jewish settlement in the town date to the end of the 18th century and their migration was related to the developing clothing industry. In 1819, an independent community was established (kehilla). In 1897, 5,837 Jews lived in the town, constituting 50% of the total population. During World War II, at the beginning of 1941, the Germans established a ghetto in Ozorków, where they imprisoned almost 6,000 Jews. In May 1942, the ghetto was liquidated. Between 1,700-2,000 people were transported to the extermination camp in Chełmno nad Nerem. In August 1942, the Jews remaining in the ghetto were transported to the Łódź Ghetto.

The cemetery is located in the southern part of the city, about 2 km away from the city centre, within the following streets: Wrzosowa, Graniczna, Sosnowa, and Poziomkowa. It covers a plot measuring approximately 160 x 140 metres. The cemetery’s exact establishment date is unknown, though it was likely established in the first half of the 19th century. A photograph taken by a Wehrmacht soldier during World War II depicts several dozen sandstone matzevot standing in a row, decorated with polychrome. The degradation of the cemetery likely began during World War II and continued through the following years. Currently, the area of the cemetery is covered with forest and the boundaries are clear. Parts of several dozen broken tombstones with fragments of inscriptions in Hebrew as well as polychrome remains are visible above-ground. The cemetery has no form of commemoration, and the area is unkempt and littered.