It is known that already in the first half of the 17th century, the local Jews built a brick synagogue. They had their cemetery in the second half of the century, as the dates on the tombstones prove it. However, the source confirmation of the existence of the Jewish cemetery in Przytyk comes only from 1843.

The necropolis was located on the opposite side of the Radomka River, on the left side of the road leading to Radom. It is set on a roughly rectangular plot of approximately 0.2 hectares. A brick wall surrounded the cemetery, and an entrance gate was erected in 1882. The Jewish necropolis in Przytyk was also the burial place of Jews from Radom (until 1831) and Białobrzegi (until the 1860s). In 1936, the victims of the Przytytk pogrom of 9 March 1936 - Chaja and Joska Minkowski - were buried here. Unfortunately, no trace remains of their tombstones or the plaque commemorating Josek that was placed in 1939.

The Description

The cemetery served as a burial ground until 1941. In March 1941, the Germans ordered all inhabitants of Przytyk, Poles and Jews to leave their homes. The Jews were displaced to the ghettos in Przysucha and Szydłowiec, and in the autumn of 1942, they were transported to the Nazi German Extermination Camp Treblinka II.

During the German occupation, the cemetery was devastated, and the wall surrounding it was destroyed. After 1945, local people used part of the necropolis area as pastureland. The rest was overgrown with forest. An inventory in 1978-1980 recorded 30 surviving gravestones and numerous fragments of others partially buried in the ground. The preserved matzevot dates from the 17th to the 20th century. The oldest one found commemorates Gitla, daughter of Shloma Zalman, who died in 1770. Many of the monuments are unique examples of sepulchral art. A unique typeface and rich ornamentation characterise them; the older ones have convex inscriptions. A list of preserved tombstones can be found on the website of the Foundation for Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland: https://cemetery.jewish.org.pl/list/c_21.

In the 1980s, a metal fence decorated with a menorah motif was erected on the western side (the road to Radom). By the decision of the Provincial Monument Conservator in Radom, the cemetery in Przytyk was entered in the register of monuments under the number 404/A/89 on 3 April 1989.

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