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Sulejów is a town in central Poland with 6,272 inhabitants. It is situated in Łódź Voivodeship, having previously been in Piotrków Voivodeship. Sulejów gives its name to the protected area known as Sulejów Landscape Park. (Wikipedia).
Jews started to settle in Sulejów (town in central Poland in Łódzkie Province) along with the dissolution of the Cistercian monastery. The first Jews came to Sulejów at the end of 18th century, but the first records of Jews living there are from 1808. In that year, there were 91 Jewish people in Sulejów. This made up 17% of the entire town population[1.1]. Neighbouring towns such as Piotrków Trybunalski (own in central Poland in Łódzkie Province) or Żarnów (town in central Poland in Łódzkie Province) already had large Jewish communities at that time. As a result, these neighbouring towns were willing to help the new settlers in Sulejów. One of the first Jews in Sulejów was Fajwel Rozenblum. The Jewish community of Sulejów in 1897 already numbered 1,881 people, which was 40% of all the inhabitants of the town[1.2].(Virtual Shtetl).
Sulejow was founded at the end of the 13th century. In the succeeding centuries, the town was the property of the local monastery and Jews were prohibited from living there until the end of the 18th century. Only close to 1791 did the first Jewish residents come into view. They were two families of innkeepers who leased the local taverns, but they left after a few years. The permanent Jewish community began in the beginning of the 19th century when the Prussians took possession of the town from the monastery and annulled all its decrees and prohibitions. In the first half of the 19th century, Sulejow served as a small commercial center for a not very large agricultural area. Therefore, few Jews could find a means of livelihood there. With the growth in demand for the limestone quarried in the area of Sulejow and the lime produced by the town's kilns, the Jews discovered new economic opportunities. Close to the year 1860, there were 21 merchants, 28 artisans and one innkeeper among the local Jews.
The growth of the Jewish population aided in the establishment of independent community institutions. Until then, the Jews of Sulejow were considered part of the Piotrkow Trybunalski community. Even though it sought to achieve its independence, it was unable to do so. Only in 1864, with the approval of the Jewish community of Piotrkow did the authorities permit the setting up of an independent community in Sulejow. The community also included the Jews of seven surrounding villages. The cemetery was now consecrated; the land had been acquired for this purpose in 1839, the Hevra Kadisha was organized and a building was purchased for a slaughterhouse. Elections for the new community council were held in November 1864. Until the independent community was established, the Piotrkow community paid the salary of the Dayan. In the 1850's, R. Meir Greenbaum served in this post. In the first stage of its activities, the local community council engaged a Dayan, a Shohet [to slaughter meat] and two teachers (Melamdim). Appointed the first Rabbi of Sulejow in the second half of the 19th century was R. Moshe Valtfried, a descendant of R. Isaiah of Przedborz. He was succeeded by R. Jacob Mendel Milstein (d. 1921). The last rabbi of Sulejow was R. Moshe Aaron Valtfried. (Source: Pinkas Hakehillot Polin April 6, 2021, more material is available at this source.)
The Shoah database of victims of the Holocaust lists about 1200 profiles of people connected to Sulejow. Some may be duplicates. Sourced from yvng.yadvashem.org April 6, 2021.
JewishGen online world burial registry JOWBR fails to cite any information on this town's cemetery or burials. April 6, 2021. But the IAJGS database offers this information:
SULEJOW: Lodzkie Print Email Alternate names: Sulejów [Pol], Suliyov, סולייוב [Yid], Silev [Yid], Suleyov, Сулеюв [Rus], Siliyov, Silov. 51°22' N, 19°53' E, 9 miles ESE of Piotrków Trybunalski. 1900 Jewish population: 1,881. Yizkor: Pinkas ha-kehilot; entsiklopediya shel ha-yishuvim le-min hivasdam ve-ad le-aher shoat milhemet ha-olam ha-sheniya: Poland vol. 1: The communities of Lodz and its region (Jerusalem, 1976). In central Poland with 6,375 inhabitants in 2004, the town in Łódź Voivodeship since 1999 was previously in Piotrków Voivodeship (1975-1998) was partially destroyed by the Luftwaffe in September 1939. Jewish history. The cemetery was established in 1839. [July 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000668
Sulejow is located in Piotrkow at 52°22 49°52, 9 km from Piotrkow. The cemetery is located at Podde Str. Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
Town: Urzad Miasta i Gminy, ul. Gorna 16; tel. 12551. Regional: region Konserwator Zabytkow Piotrkow, ul. Armii Czerwonej 29; tel. 5646. 1921 Jewish population was 2133. The unlandmarked Orthodox Jewish cemetery was established in probably 1st half of 19th century. The isolated urban crown of a hill has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, there are no stones. The cemetery contains no known mass graves or structures. The cemetery property is used for recreation (park, playground, or sports field). Properties adjacent are commercial or industrial and agricultural. The cemetery boundaries have not changed since 1939. Occasionally, local residents stop. The cemetery was vandalized during World War II. At the cemetery, there has been no maintenance.
Jan Pawet Woronczak, Sandomierska Str. 21 m. 1, 02-567 Warszawa; tel. 49-54-62 completed survey. [date?]
JewishGen Family Finder JGFF offers the names and contact information on 33 Researchers looking for 71 individuals with a connection to Sulejow. April 6, 2021. This is a very useful list of other people looking for specific family names.