Alternate names: Bełchatów [Pol], Belchatov [Yid], Belkhatuv [Rus], Belkhatov, Russian: Белхатув. בעלכאַטאָוו-Yiddish. 51°22' N, 19°23' E, 13 miles W of Piotrków Trybunalski. 1900 Jewish population: 2,987. 2004 population: 62,437 with no Jews. Yizkors:
- Belchatow yisker-bukh
(Buenos Aires, 1951) - Belchatow - Publicacion Aniversario De La Sociedad De Ayuda Mutua De Belchatow y Alrededores
(Argentina, 1959) - Publicacion Aniversario dedicado al doble aniversario: 40 años de la Sociedad de Socorros Mutuos y 20 años de la Cooperativa
(Buenos Aires, 1980) - Pinkas ha-kehilot; entsiklopediya shel ha-yishuvim le-min hivasdam ve-ad le-aher shoat milhemet ha-olam ha-sheniya: Poland vol. 1: The communities of Lodz and its region
(Jerusalem, 1976) - Publicacion Aniversario dedicado al la Inauguracion de la Sede Propia y el 25°Aniversario de la Sociedad de Socorros Mutuos de Belchatow
(Buenos Aires, Aug 1967)
ShtetLink. Nearby towns and villages include Grocholice, Kamiensk, Lask, Pabience, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Radomsko, Rozprza, Sulmierzyce, Szercow, Tuszyn, and Widawa. [February 2001]
CEMETERY: The first Jewish cemetery was located around today's street called Kempfinowka. In the 19th century, a large number of Jewish settlers arrived, developing the textile industry and new institutions. Then, the cemetery moved near the Catholic cemetery. The Nazis devastated this new cemetery, using the gravestones to pave sidewalks and regulate the river Rakowki flow. The Jewish population, 70% of the total population, created a typical shtetl between the Old and New Market (now Narutowicza Square and Freedom Square). Cloth factories, shops, and craft workshops were owned in 1939 by the about 6,000 Jewish population. The ghetto was established in 1942 with the vast majority murdered at Chelmno nad Nerem concentration camp. A Holocaust memorial was erected with private funds. A ruined synagogue was dismantled in 1956. Dozens of matzevot were rescued in the 1990s in the cellar of the manor Olszewskich, now belonging to the Regional Museum. Fragments form a lapidarium memorial plaque, the only trace of the large Jewish community in Bełchatów. Gravestone in town museum. Holocaust memorial website. Survivor photos. Town website Jewish history. Cemetery photo. [March 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000660
Other Names: [Polish: Belchatów], Region of Poland: Piotrkowskie. Location: 51°22 19°22. 24 km from Piotrkow and 52 km S of Lodz. Cemetery: Lipowa St. Present town population is 25,000-100,000 with no Jews.
- Town: Urzad Miasta, ulica Kosciuszki 1; tel. 21222.
- Regional: region Konserwator Zabytkow Piotrkow, ulica Armii Czerwonej 29; tel. 5646.
The earliest known Jewish community was beginning of 19th century. 1921 Jewish population was 3688. The unlandmarked Orthodox Jewish cemetery was established probably at end of 19th/beginning of 20th century. The isolated suburban flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with no wall, gate, or fence. The pre- and post-WWII size is 1.6 ha. There are no stones or known mass graves. Municipality owns property now used for recreation (park, playground, and sports field). Properties adjacent are recreational and residential. Frequently, local residents visit as a park. The cemetery was vandalized during World War II. No maintenance. Jan Pawet Woronczak, Sandomierska Str. 21m.1, 02-567 Warszawa; tel. 49-54-62 completed survey on 29 Dec 1991. The site was not visited. [1995]
BELCHATOW II: US Commission No. POCE000661
The cemetery is located at Kempfinowka Str. The cemetery was probably established in the first half of the 19th century. The isolated urban flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with no wall, fence, or gate. There are no stones and no known mass graves. Within the limits of the cemetery is a 1987 apartment building. Municipality owns property now used for industrial or commercial use. Properties adjacent are residential. Frequently, local residents visit. The cemetery was vandalized during World War II. No maintenance. Jan Pawet Woronczak, Sandomierska Str. 21m.1, 02-567 Warszawa; tel. 49-54-62 completed survey. Site not visited. [1995]