The history of the local Jewish community, similarly to those from other Masurian towns, dates back to the beginning of the 19th century and is connected to the influx of Jewish migrants from the Prussian Partition. However, first records of the presence of Jewish merchants in the town had been noted much earlier. As early as 1670, the Prussian states complained about the trading activities of Jews, claiming that they were bringing considerable losses to the townsmen of Gołdap. Jewish merchants were arriving to the area illegally, defying the 1663 decree of Duke Friedrich Wilhelm, known as the Great Elector, under which all Jews had been ordered to leave Prussia.

The end of the Napoleonic era brought a period of 100 years of peace to the region. At the time, a small but energetic group of Jewish families settled in Gołdap. They were able to do so thanks to the Tolerance Edict issued by King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm III. At the end of the 19th century, which marked the peak of its development, the community had almost 100 members (a little over 1% of the total population of the town). It was organised into an independent synagogue community, and owned a synagogue, two cemeteries, a ritual slaughterhouse, and a school (all founded by 1823). Most members of the community made a living from trade. The first half of the 20th century saw a gradual outflow of Jews from East Prussia, sharply accelerated by the Nazi rise to power in Germany.

Just before the beginning of Nazi rule, the synagogue community of Gołdap had 48 members (0.5% of the total population) and united Jews from the entire Gołdap District (its northern areas now form part of the Kaliningrad Region in Russia). After the synagogue in Gołdap was set on fire during the Kristallnacht and subsequently demolished, most of the 20 Jews still living in the town decided to migrate. After the outbreak of the war, the few who remained were deported to ghettos in the occupied territories and to extermination camps. A total of ca. 20 people from Gołdap perished during the Holocaust. In 2021, the site of the destroyed synagogue was commemorated with a stone placed at the junction of today’s Armii Krajowej and Szkolna streets.

The Description

The first Jewish cemetery in Gołdap, known as the old cemetery, was established in the early 19th century at erstwhile Darkiejmska Road (German: Darkehmer Chaußee, today’s Cmentarna Street). It occupied an area of ca. 0.1 hectare and was located south of the road, opposite the Evangelical cemetery. The graves were likely arranged in eight rows with ca. nine burial spots in each. A total of ca. 70 people were buried at the site. The graves were marked with various types of tombstones, mostly vertical matzevot on concrete or concrete-brick pediments. Some graves included cylindrical stones supporting the tombstone or profiled fences made of artificial stone. The matzevot were carved in granitoids, sandstone or artificial stone (terrazzo, concrete) and probably also in marble. The granitoid tombstones usually had more archaic shapes and bore inscription in Hebrew. Newer tombstones, mostly dating back to the turn of the 20th century, were carved in sandstone. They were decorated with such motifs as vines and grape bunches (David Levin, died 1872), oak leaves, twigs and acorns (Ferdinand Pollnow, 1825–1886), the Star of David (Max Süsskind, 1867–1907). Particularly interesting is the tombstone of Julius Lehmann (1843–1880) in the form of a slender column which originally was probably topped with an urn. The inscriptions on newer matzevot were written in Hebrew or German, sometimes in both languages – usually on one side of the stone.

The necropolis probably already filled up in the first years of the 20th century. It was devastated during World War II and fell into oblivion for decades after the armed conflict. In 1989, the area was cleaned up on the initiative of the local authorities. The cemetery was thoroughly renovated in 2001 thanks to the joint efforts of the local government of Gołdap, its partner town of Givat Shmuel in Israel, and the Nissenbaum Family Foundation.

Nowadays, the side of the cemetery bordering the street is protected with an ornamental wrought-iron fence. The remaining three sides are surrounded with a plastered wall. The area holds 11 tombstones in a good condition, eight partially preserved matzevot, fragments of another four tombstones, three supporting stones with pediments, and about nine freestanding pediments. The best preserved matzevot are those belonging to the Lehmann, Levin, Rosettenstein, Silberstein, and Süsskind families. The oldest preserved matzeva dates back to 1860, the newest – to 1907. The surviving relics of other tombstones may indicate that the cemetery continued to be used even in the 1920s. The old Jewish cemetery in Gołdap was entered in the register of monuments in 1995. The area is currently well-maintained and holds a group of old trees (mainly maples). It is one of the best preserved Jewish burial sites in north-eastern Poland.

Description copyright owner: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews