In 1825, 90 Jews lived there. In 1840 their number increased to 103. At that time, there were 364 people in the entire Starobieruń commune.

The turn of the 19th and 20th centuries was characterised by increased emigration of Jews from Upper Silesia to larger urban centers in Germany. This trend was also seen in Bieruń. In 1861, 81 Jews lived here, in 1871 - 90, in 1885 - 93, in 1895 - 46, while in 1910 only 15. In the last year listed, the Jewish community included a total of 157 people, most of whom lived in nearby villages.

After the end of World War I and the rebirth of the Polish state, the majority of Upper Silesian Jews decidedly sided with the Germans. In June 1922, Bieruń found itself within the borders of Poland, which intensified the process of Jewish emigration even more. In 1923, the Jewish religious community in Bieruń numbered 84 people, in 1931 - 71, and in 1939 - 70. However, according to the 1931 census, only 2 people of the Jewish faith lived in the town itself, and the remaining 69 people lived in the surrounding villages.

Under the German occupation during World War II, at the turn of May and June 1940, the vast majority of Jews from the areas of eastern Upper Silesia were resettled to Zawiercie, Chrzanów, Olkusz and Trzebinia and the towns of Zagłębie, mainly Będzin and Sosnowiec, where collective ghettos were gradually created.

The Description

The Jewish cemetery in Bieruń Stary - contrary to the date of 1778 in the studies - was founded at the end of 1814 southwest of its center, by the Mleczna River, on the current Wita Street (former Wit suburb). The oldest preserved tombstone, with a high degree of probability crowning the first burial, in memory of Israel Staub from Bieruń Stary, who died on March 24, 1815. The necropolis was the resting place for the Jewish inhabitants of the town and about thirty nearby villages; before its establishment, local Jews were buried in Mikołów, and some probably also in Mysłowice.

In 1906 - due to the almost complete filling - the cemetery area was expanded from the west, thanks to which it acquired the current area of 0.21 ha. It was then surrounded by a new wall made of limestone. On the side of the road - in the place of today's eastern gate - there was a small brick pre-burial house, built on a rectangular plan.

Over 600 people were laid to rest at the Starobieruń cemetery, almost half of whom were children. The last funeral took place on December 27, 1944, when the 80-year-old former merchant Hermann Tichauer from Bojsze Dolne, who died two days earlier, was buried. No tombstone was ever placed on his grave.

The cemetery survived the period of World War II practically intact. After World War II, left without care, it gradually deteriorated. In the 1990's, a new front wall was built with two gates. In recent years, several cleaning actions have been carried out at the cemetery, which have significantly improved its condition.

Author of the note: Slawomir Pastuszka

Właściciel praw autorskich do opisu: Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN.