After the outbreak of World War II, the German occupation authorities forced Jews to perform forced labor. They stayed in the village until the first half of 1942, when then they were deported to the ghetto in Nowy Sącz. Most of them died in German Nazi extermination camps.

The Description

The Jewish cemetery in Łabowa, founded in the 19th century, is located approx. 150 m east of property no. 148 in Łabowa. The current boundaries of the cemetery are partially marked by a contemporary fence in the form of metal spans with a gate on the foundation. However, this fence only surrounds one of the two cemetery plots. According to oral histories, before the Holocaust, matzevas stood on both plots; they are currently only on one. Certainly, many were stolen or destroyed, and some of the preserved ones were moved.

The cleaning works, along with the erection of the current fence, were carried out in 1982 by Leo Gatterer from Frankfurt (from Dobra near Limanowa). During these works, the fallen tombstones were placed on concrete bases. The cemetery is divided into three parts, designated by natural conditions (north, central, south). The best preserved part is the central part, consisting of 15 rows of oriented tombstones (a total of 154 matzevas), including two rabbis' tombstones (rows 9 and 13). Some of them still have clear inscriptions and symbols. The southern part has 7 rows of oriented tombstones (a total of 69 matzevas), including one rabbi's tombstone (row 3 from the west); it was probably a part of the necropolis intended for the most respectable burials. The total number of tombstones in this cemetery is approx. 250.

Author of the note: Magda Lucima

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