Polski
Ostrowiec kirkut (a Jewish cemetery) can be easily found in the center of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Saved from oblivion, matzevot are a tangible memento of the Jewish community living in the city.
Jewish tradition says that the first Jewish cemetery existed here in the 17th century and was located on the road to Bałtów. It is also known that in 1734 the burial place was already functioning in its present location
Jews were buried here not only from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, but also from nearby towns, including those that today are districts of the city (such as Denków or Częstocice).
The turbulent fate of the Jewish community also left its mark on the Jewish cemetery. During World War II, it was devastated, and some tombstones were used as material for paving the streets.
Currently, in the cemetery you will find a lapidarium and surviving matzevot. According to their researcher, A. Penkalla, "Jewish stonemasons did not lack imagination. There are no two identical objects. Each differs in detail, the form of symbolism or the text of the inscription." The tombstones examined come from the 19th century and the interwar period.
In 2018, the ohel (i.e. a small tomb) of Tzaddik Meir Jechielah-Lewi Halsztok was also rebuilt.
