The owner of the local estates, magnate Stanisław Lubomirski, took them under his care. Its aim was to revitalise trade and develop crafts. Soon an independent community was established and a synagogue was built. The Jewish population initially lived in Żydowska street, and later also in the market square. Over time, limitations were introduced due to numerous conflicts with the Christian population. One of them was the ban on making purchases at fairs and markets before the Catholics did so.

In 1765, there were 979 Jews living in Nowy Wiśnicz. The community developed despite many unfavorable circumstances, including the worsening economic situation, cholera epidemics, and city fires. In one of the 19th century fires, many Jewish houses and two synagogues burned down. Some of the burnt survivors then moved to Bochnia. In 1880, the town had a population of 3773, including 1394 Jews. At the beginning of the 20th century, the number began to decline due to economic emigration.

After the outbreak of World War II, Nowy Wiśnicz found itself under German occupation. A forced labor camp was established here, located on the premises of a former penal facility. Jews from Kraków, Jasło or Tarnów were also imprisoned there. The camp was liquidated in 1940 and the prisoners were sent to the German Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. In 1942, the Nazis exterminated the local Jews. Some of them were murdered on the spot, and the remaining ones were sent to the German Nazi extermination camp in Bełżec. They also destroyed houses and structures belonging to Jews, including both synagogues.

The Description

The Jewish cemetery in Nowy Wiśnicz was probably built in the early 17th century. It is located on a hill at Żydowska street.

Originally it was fenced with a stone wall, and there was a pre-burial home at the entrance. The dead from Lipnica, Łapanów, Sobołów and Zbydniów were also buried here, and until 1872, also deceased from Bochnia. The last burial probably took place in 1942. During the occupation, the Germans shot Jews here, as well as Poles.

In 1959, part of the cemetery area was taken over by an asphalt plant and a construction aggregate warehouse, which extracted sand with human bones from there. The tombstones, as well as the wall and the funeral home, were stolen and used as construction material.

In the early 1980s, the cemetery was taken care of by brothers, Abusch and Josef from Nowy Wiśnicz. Thanks to their efforts, the plant was removed, a monument in the form of joined matzevas was built to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, the ohel over the grave of tzadiks Naftali Rubin and Eleazar Rubin was rebuilt, and the area was fenced with a metal mesh.

Today, the Jewish cemetery in Nowy Wiśnicz preserves approx. 250 tombstones in various states of disrepair. The oldest of them date back to the 17th century, among them one of Szmuel Zanwil, son of Meir (d. 1639). There are also unmarked mass graves of Jews shot by the Germans during the occupation of World War II.

Author of the note: Magda Lucima

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