Jewish cemetery in Skarzysko-Kamienna was established by the end of the 19th century, on the grounds located by Łyżwy street. Before the beginning of the Second World War, the cemetery was fenced by a wall, within these grounds there was a pre-burial or watchman's house located.

During WW II the cemetery was demolished by the orders of the Nazis and the gravestones were used as building material. These tragic encounters were described in a letter from Frank Dobia who currently resides in Melbourne: "In 1942 a group of Jews from the Hasag labour camp in Kielce was transported to Skarzysko-Kamienna in order to transform a Polish school into a hospital for wounded German soldiers from the eastern front. I believe that the hospital was never opened since the Russians were getting closer and our group was relocated near Czestochowa to dig anti-tank ditches. During the transformation of the school, we demolished the Jewish cemetery. The gravestones were used to deepen the school's foundations. I worked during the demolition of the cemetery as well as the deepening of the building. A Volksdeutch Lachman who was controlling us, killed two Jews from our group. We buried their bodies within the school grounds. I do not remember the names of those who were killed. We worked on the reconstruction of the school for a few months and when the project was almost complete, we were relocated to dig anti-tank ditches. I do not think that there were any survivors from the Hasag. I was in Poland about 20 years ago and had a chance to see that building, which returned to be a school in Skarzysko. It was Sunday and I did not see anyone there. The address was 1st or 3rd May St. I do not think anyone at that school or even in Skarzysko knows what happened to the gravestones from their town".

After the war, a part of the graveyard was adapted to serve as part of the Roman-Catholic cemetery. After some time, a cleaning process to what was left of the Jewish cemetery began - remaining gravestones were put in place, new fence was made. A number of monuments survived at the cemetery until this day. These are mostly traditional gravestones, rectangular or oval in shape. The grave of Chaja Malka Szperling contained a graveyard in a shape of a broken tree. The newest gravestone is located on the grave of physicians: dr Zundel Kahan (died 1952) and Bina Kahan (died 1982). There are also a few gravestones, founded after the war by the families of the victims of the Holocaust, which include the gravestone of Zelig and Lea Warszauer, executed in the Hasag camp. Next to that there is a gravestone of Isaac and Szamaya Warszauer, executed on Dec. 5 1945. These were probably the victims of secret murders which took place in many Polish town after the war.

text: K. Bielawski
translation: Dawid Wozny
Bilbliography: A. Penkalla "Żydowskie ślady w województwie kieleckim i radomskim"

We look forward to receiving any information about Skarżysko-Kamienna Jews and their cemetery.
We are also awaiting more information from people who remember the cemetery from times before World War II.

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