This state of affairs, however, changed as early as at the end of the 17th century. In 1698, King Augustus II issued a document which granted the Jews of Sokółka all privileges previously enjoyed by Jewish people living in the towns of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. They were allowed to engage in trade (both in the streets and in shops), produce beer and vodka, and use the nearby forest. The local Jews were also entitled to buy a plot of land for the purpose of erecting a school and establishing a cemetery. At that time, the community of Sokółka was subordinate to the district kehilla in Grodno. The local population of Jews was quickly growing in numbers. In 1765, the town had 552 Jewish residents, and at the end of the 19th century, in 1897 – as many as 2,824.

The Description

The Jewish cemetery was located on a hill in the north-western part of Sokółka, to the west of the Sokółka–Kraśniany road (currently at the intersection of Zamenhofa Street and Malmeda Street). The area was fenced with a stone wall in the early 20th century.

The last funerals at the necropolis were held in 1940. During World War II, the cemetery in Sokółka, like many other Jewish burial sites in Podlasie and entire Poland, started to fall into decline. The situation was made even worse by the fact that the cemetery was not fenced, only fragments of the stone wall remained on the side of Malmeda Street. The tombstones were regularly plundered, and the cemetery grounds were overgrown with thick vegetation. In the years 1981–1982, the thicket was cleared and dry branches were removed from the necropolis. In 1987, Tomasz Wiśniewski and Andrzej Grajter took an inventory of the cemetery. They recorded 1,067 matzevot in various states of preservation on the area of ca. 1.6 hectare. The oldest identified tombstone dates back to 1751, followed by matzevot from 1806 and 1807. Although the original layout of the cemetery is no longer visible, it is possible to distinguish an older part with about 915 matzevot and three sarcophagi, and a newer, 20th-century section with about 150 matzevot and 24 sarcophagi. Most tombstones at the necropolis are carved in granite or concrete.

In 1990, the cemetery was entered in the register of monuments by the decision of the Provincial Monument Conservator. It is listed under the number A-114, dated 31 December 1990. Nonetheless, the site once again started to overgrow with vegetation and remained neglected for over a decade.

In 2004, maintenance works at the cemetery were carried out by students of the Lower Secondary School No. 1 in Sokółka. In 2007, an information board was installed at the entrance.  

Thanks to the efforts of local social activists led by teacher Ewa Krychniak, regular maintenance works at the necropolis have been carried out since the autumn of 2016. Thanks to the initiative, the thicket overgrowing the site has been cleared and litter has been removed. As a result, many previously hidden tombstones have been uncovered. The social activists are also planning to take a thorough inventory of the cemetery.

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