The census of 1616 mentions 17 Jewish houses and a synagogue. The Jewish settlement was supported by the decision of the town's owner - Krzysztof Radziwiłł, who in 1618 granted the privilege of free settlement in Orla, regardless of religion. In 1655 the town was already inhabited by 540 Jews. Orla suffered greatly during the Swedish Deluge, and many of the Jewish residents were left without any belongings or a roof over their heads. In the 17th century, the Jews living in Orla were engaged in grain trading. With time, they expanded their business - they opened mills, sawmills and distilleries. However, they usually ran small shops or were involved in mobile trade.

Over the years, both the number of Jews living in Orla and their percentage among the town's inhabitants significantly changed. In 1676, 104 Jews constituted less than a half of the town's population, about 100 years later the local Jewish community had 1358 members (this number includes Jews living not only in Orla, but also in nearby villages). In 1799 there were 102 Jews in Orla, in 1807 - 1102. At the end of the 19th century there were 2310 Jews living in the town, while in the 1920s there were 1167. At that time, they accounted for over 75% of the population of the town.

The Jews in Orla lived mainly in the vicinity of the market square and the Great Synagogue, they also settled in Narewska and Szkolna Streets. In the vicinity of the brick synagogue, which still exists today, there was an old Jewish cemetery destroyed during World War II, a pre-burial house, two wooden prayer houses, a bathhouse and a rabbi's house. In 1937 a fire broke out in Orla, which consumed 540 buildings. The fire did not spare two wooden synagogues, which had not been rebuilt before the outbreak of World War II. The brick synagogue was also damaged.

The Germans entered Orla in September 1939, but soon the town was occupied by the Soviets. During the Soviet occupation the number of Jews living in Orla increased from about 1450 people in 1939 to about 2000 in 1941. The next German occupation began in June 1941. During the war there were two ghettos in the city. The Jews were obliged to perform forced labour, including paving the roads with tombstones removed from the old Jewish cemetery. In November 1942, Jews from Orla were moved to the ghetto in Bielsk Podlaski and finally sent to the Treblinka death camp. A group of about 200 people was sent to the Pietrasze labour camp, where their task was to sew shoes for Wehrmacht soldiers. They were later transported to other concentration camps.

The old Jewish cemetery in Orla, established in the 18th century, was closed at the beginning of the 19th century due to lack of space for new burials. The new cemetery was opened around 1800. The necropolis is now closed.

The new Jewish cemetery in Orla is located on the edge of the village, in its northern part, on Polna Street. Today, it occupies an area of approx. 1.5 hectares. About 25 tombstones have survived, it is assumed that more may be underground. The unfenced cemetery is overgrown with meadows.

Owner of copyrights to the description: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews