By the middle of the 18th century, only a few Jewish families resided permanently in the Duchy of Oleśnica, including Bierutów, Oleśnica and Twardogóra. In 1751, 10 Jewish families lived in Bierutów and the surrounding villages. From 1765 onwards, there was an increase in the Jewish population in Bierutów. Jews came to the town from the surrounding villages and also from other cities, including Wrocław. In 1787, a total of 104 Jews (forming 20 families) resided there.

Initially, church services were held in rented premises. The Jews of Bierutów wanted to build a synagogue as early as in 1761; however, they did not receive the permit at the time. In 1808, the existence of a synagogue in Bierutów was recorded but it could not be used because it was in danger of collapsing. A new temple was erected next to the old one; however, both buildings were consumed by fire on 14 September 1808. After the fire, the synagogue was rebuilt - it was located in the northern part of the town, next to the town walls, in the area that became Junkernstraße later on (today's 1 Maja Street).

Until the Emancipation Edict came into force (1812), the largest Jewish community in the Duchy of Oleśnica could be found in Bierutów. In 1791, 100 Jews lived in the town, and in 1812 - 43 Jewish families.

Between 1932 and 1933, the Jewish Community in Bierutów included 80 members. Its management board consisted of: Moritz Holländer, Hans Perlberg and Simon Ebstein. The teacher and cantor was Ismar Pakula. The Chevra Kadisha, founded in 1797, the Union of Jewish Women and the Association for the Care of the Sick operated in the community.

After the Second World War, the Jewish community did not recover in the town. The synagogue building at 9e 1 Maja Street (ul. 1 Maja 9e), which is now used as a gym, has survived to the present day.

The Description

According to Bernhard Brilling, the Jewish cemetery in Miłocice was the oldest cemetery in the Duchy of Oleśnica, and the first to be established in the area during the reign of King Frederick II of Prussia. The exact date of its establishment is unknown; however, it can be assumed that it was established between 1740 (the date Silesia was taken over by Prussia) and 1769 (the date on the oldest tombstone that survived until World War II).

The Jewish necropolis was established between the villages of Minkowice Oławskie (Minken) and Miłocice (Mühlatschütz). The oldest known tombstone in that cemetery came from 1769 and it was the matzevah of Samuel. The cemetery in Miłocice served mainly the Jewish community of Bierutów and the surrounding villages; however, the Jews from Oleśnica (Oels) and even Głogów (Glogau) were also buried there.

From 1798, the Chevra Kadisha was active in Bierutów. In 1847, Emanuel Pringsheim, who came from a well-known Jewish family in Bierutów, founded a funeral home in the cemetery and a brick wall that surrounded it, which is recorded in the form of an inscription above the cemetery gate.

Already in the second half of the 19th century, the cemetery in Miłocice proved too small for the Jewish community of Bierutów. In 1865, the town donated a second cemetery to the Jewish community in Bierutów but the Miłocice Jewish cemetery was in use until around 1900.

The cemetery in Miłocice was located on the slope of one of the highest hills in the area, which was consistent with the tradition of establishing Jewish cemeteries of Eastern European Jews. At present, it is located in a forest, on the southern slope of a hill, 166.7 metres above sea level, on the south-western side of the village of Miłocice, 560 metres west of the Miłocice-Minkowice road. Its area is 0.17 ha. According to Jerzy Kichler, the funeral home was located in the south-eastern corner of the cemetery. In 1986, the number of graves was estimated to be approximately 500 - 25 rows of tombstones, approximately 22 per row. The oldest graves were located in the central part of the cemetery, and grave monuments in the eastern part mean that there was a separate section for women.

In 1986, an inventory of the cemetery was performed - at that time, dates were discovered on 45 tombstones - three tombstones were from the third quarter of the 18th century, three tombstones from the fourth quarter of the 18th century, 16 tombstones from the first quarter of the 19th century, 12 tombstones from the second quarter of the 19th century and 15 tombstones from the third quarter of the 19th century. Originally, there were 87 tombstones. At the time, one wooden plaque was found, which may suggest that some of the graves did not have stone tombstones. The inscriptions were mostly in Hebrew. Also, German inscriptions were found on tombstones from the third quarter of the 19th century.

On 14 May 1990, the cemetery was entered in the register of historical monuments under no. A/3983/642/W. The necropolis contains graves of historical significance: Moses Pringsheim, died in 1810; Meir, the son of Mendel Pringsheim, died in 1831; Eliezer Lizer, the son of Izak Ajzyk, died in 1811; Abraham Fiszel, died in 1875; Rizl, the wife of Abrham Fiszel, died in 1804; Jakub Ziml, died in 1804; Shalom, the son of Cwi Hirsh, died in 1800.  The image of the Jewish cemetery in Miłocice was captured by Ludwig Meidner, who was an expressionist painter born in Bierutów. It is an etching named "old Jewish cemetery in Miłocice near Bierutów in Silesia", created in 1925.

Between 2011 and 2018, the Jewish cemetery in Miłocice was cleaned up and a fence was built around it. During that period, the Oława Forest Inspectorate, in cooperation with the Provincial Conservator of Monuments in Wrocław and the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in the Republic of Poland, Wrocław branch, carried out works consisting in the restoration of the original layout of tombstones, putting the matzevot in the upright position to form uniform undamaged slabs, joining the slabs – the parts of which could be identified and assigned to specific graves, moving parts of the matzevot that could not be assigned to specific graves to the southern part of the necropolis.

Tamara Włodarczyk

References

• Brilling B., Die jüdischen Gemeinden Mittelschlesiens. Entstehung und Geschichte, Stuttgart 1972.
• Ekspresjonista Ludwig Meidner. Upojenie światem, eds. M. Łagiewski, M. Smolak, J. J. Trzynadlowski, Wrocław 2005.
• Hochegger O., Kunst- und Kulturdenkmäler in Mühlatschütz, [in:] Heimatkalender für die östlichen Grenzkreise Namslau, Groß-Wartenberg und Oels, 7 (1931).
• Teczka ewidencyjna cmentarza żydowskiego w Miłocicach, compiled by J. Kichler, Wrocław 1986 (available at the Jewish Religious Community in Wrocław).
• Wodziński M., Hebrajskie inskrypcje na Śląsku XIII-XVIII wieku, Wrocław 1996.
• Zur Entstehung des jüdischen Friedhofes Mühlatschütz, "Breslauer Jüdisches Gemeindenblatt " 1932, no. 8.

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