Follow
This project seeks to collect all of the Jewish families from the town of Zagórz, Poland.
Translator name : Agnieszka Floriańczyk
Overview
Alternate names: Zagórz [Pol], Zagorzh, זאגו [Yid], Zaguzh [Rus]. 49°31' N, 22°16' E, 30 miles SW of Przemyśl, 5 miles SE of Sanok. Yizkor: Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), XIV, pp. 262-263: "Zagórz".
The town in central Poland just north of Łódź and part of its metropolitan area had a 2007 population of 58,164 in the Łódź Voivodeship since 1999 and previously in Łódź Metro Voivodeship (1975-1998) is the capital of Zgierz powiat and one of the oldest cities in Central Poland having acquired its city rights some time before 1288. [July 2009] US Commission No. POCE00057, See Lodz
The town is located in the Lodz region, 51º 51 19º 26, 5 km from Lodz. Cemetery is located on Barona St. Present town population is 25,000-100,000 with less than 10 Jews.
Jews started to settle in Zagórz in the mid-18th century. In 1765, one Jew from Zagórze was recorded among the inhabitants of Lesko. In 1785, twenty Jews lived in the town. Not much is known about the Jews that lived there thorough the next 100 years. In the second half of the 19th century, their number began to grow, developing in pair with the construction of a railway junction connecting Galician-Hungarian railway with the Galician Transversal Railway. Jews earned their living providing materials for the railway. They were also selling agricultural products and ran bathhouses for the railway personnel. In 1890, 207 Jews lived in Zagórze, which had 1,639 inhabitants in total. The Loan Company functioned there, chaired by Izaak Zahn, since 1893. In 1896, anti-Semitic riots took place, during which Jewish shops and stalls were demolished.
The town was destroyed during World War I. In 1921, 392 Jews lived in Zagórze, and in the Roman-Catholic parish of Zagórze in 1938 – 476 Jews. Most probably they had a prayer hall. The Jews from Zagórz belonged to the kehilla of Sanok. In 1928, Adam Gubrynowicz, the son of a Jewesses Lowenthal, became the owner of a farm in Zagórz. By the agency of a Spanish herald he bought the title of baron for the price of 20,000 dollars. He later built a castle in Zagórze, which survived until this day.
During World War II, Zagórz found itself under German occupation. Germans employed the local Jews in rebuilding roads in the estate in Zasław and in crafts workshops in the camp there. Between 1940 and 1942, Hitler’s followers killed 38 Jews, including 3 Jewish families from Liszna near Sanok. In August 1942, all of the Jews from Zagórze were displaced to the German concentration camp in Zasław. Most of them died in the camp and the rest was displaced to Nazi death camp in Bełżec.
Jewish community
In 1931 the Jewish population was 4,547. Dawid Frischmann, 1859-1922, poet, lived here.
Jewish cemetery was established in 1st half of the 19th century with last known Orthodox or Conservative Jewish burial 1939-1945.
Landmark: Official Register of Jewish Cemeteries, 1981. The isolated urban flat land has no sign or marker. It is reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with no wall fence, or gate. The size of the cemetery before World War II was and is now 1.5 ha. There are no visible gravestones or known mass graves. The municipality owns property used for a playground. Adjacent property is residential. Rarely, private visitors stop. The cemetery was vandalized during World War II and occasionally since with no maintenance. No structures. Slight threats are security and vandalism.
Pawel Fijalkowski, ul. Ziemchita 11, 96-500 Sochacrew, tel. 227-91 completed survey using documentation from his own archives and visited the site in April 1991.
Near Lodz, the Jewish cemetery is walled in, but has no grave markers. A "Milgrom" family from Toronto, in memory of their father who was from Zgierz, erected the walls several years ago. I do not know how many people are interred there. The person who helped us find it was a gentleman named Bolak (Ben) Zajac at the "Our Roots" Jewish tour company in Warsaw. He asked directions from numerous people to find it, as it is not obvious once in Zgierz.
Source: Lawrence Riesenbach, Riesenbach@aol.com
Jacob Milogrom of Canada had the cemetery fenced in 1992 and had a commemorative monument erected. Source: US Commission [date?] A large cemetery enclosed by a beautiful wall. No stones are left, as far as I could see. (Note, however, that I viewed the cemetery grounds by looking through the fence.)
Source: Daniel Kazez on JewishGen Digest. [May 2002]
"I have just come back from Zgierz. I spent two weeks there photographing the town and researching its history, and in particular looking at traces of the Jewish community. I am particularly grateful to Mazenna Gruszczewska, from the Association for Cultural Preservation of the City of Zgierz, for all her help and explanations, and also to Joanna Kruczkowska, for translating. (Burning of the Zgierz Synagogue, Sept 1939) With regard to the Jews of Zgierz, there is really nothing left expect the empty, trash-strewn lot that was the cemetery. In 1992, a low wall was built enclosing about one quarter of the cemetery, with a memorial stone placed inside. (This was built by Jakuba Milgroma from Toronto, in memory of his father, who was buried there in 1939.) Otherwise, the lot is open to the road. Part of it is used as an impromptu parking lot for the town's employment agency across the road. Another part of the cemetery has fine sand that is often dug up by neighbors for use in mixing cement. And finally it is used as a general repository of miscellaneous trash. Though the grave stones are said to be long gone, Mazenna Gruszczewska has located several used to pave the driveway of a house across from the cemetery. The owner of the house has so far been uncooperative in giving access for a closer examination of the stones. Given the conditions described above, I feel it important to take care of the cemetery as soon as possible. 
Mazenna Gruszczewska has plans for a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the annihilation of the Jews of Zgierz, in December 2009, which would include a more permanent restoration of the cemetery to be decided upon by the descendants of the Jewish community of Zgierz. But I feel that it is important to at least fence off the area already now, to protect the grounds from further vandalism.If we can raise some money to do this, Mazenna Gruszczewska has very generously offered to take care of it. As a first step she will get cost estimates for the fencing, and she has a group of students who would clean up the trash before the area is fenced off. 
I have also asked her, when the time is right, to approach the neighbor about the tombstones. (It might be necessary to "compensate" this person, to induce him to accept the stones' removal.) I would like to ask for your help in this endeavor."
Source: Mikael Levin, New York mail@mikaellevin.com and www.mikaellevin.com. He has photographs to share. [May 2005] Last Updated on Saturday, 18 July 2009 13:06