We know that an independent religious community already operated in the town at the beginning of the 18th century. It had its own synagogue and cemetery, though the exact date of the establishment of the necropolis remains uncertain. It was located on the southern slope of the hill, ca. 100 meters north of the road connecting Przemyśl with Sanok. Its area is limited by the Korzonka River from the south. The plot holding the cemetery has a shape similar to an elongated rectangle. It is adjacent to the municipal cemetery. The two graveyards are separated with a concrete wall with wooden pole insertions.

The Jewish cemetery has been closed since World War II. The Germans used the matzevot to pave streets and reinforce the abutments during the construction of a bridge over the San River. After the war, the cemetery continued to deteriorate. In 1989, it was entered in the register of monuments under the number A-341, dated 18 December 1989.

In 1990, 95 tombstones were found at the site of the cemetery, including 19 bases, 29 lying stelae, and 47 standing matzevot. The matzevot were arranged chronologically in rows running from the north to the south. The vast majority are made of sandstone, some erected in later periods are made of concrete. The tombstones are modestly decorated. Most of them have inscriptions engraved in concave script, only several bear convex script. The oldest found matzeva dates back to 1804; its inscription is almost completely illegible. However, it is known that it stood at the grave of Natan Nata, son of Wolf. The second oldest matzeva dates back to 1809. Matzevot from the first half of the 19th century have a smaller size and irregular or triangular shapes. The newer ones are slightly larger and have a rectangular shape with flat, semi-circular, portal-shaped, or triangular tops.

In 2001, Jacek Proszyk made an inventory of the surviving tombstones. The compiled list along with photographs of the tombstones taken in 2006 is available online at http://bircza.reproots.org/lists5.htm#proszykgravestones [accessed: 21 September 2020].

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