Alternate names: Drohiczyn [Pol], Drohitchin [Yid], Drokhichin [Rus], Drohiczyn nad Bugiem, Drohiczyn-Lacki, Russian: Дрохичин. דרוהיטשין- Yiddish. 52°24' N, 22°39' E, 22 miles NE of Siedlce, 34 miles SW of Bielsk Podlaski, 49 miles WNW of Brest. (This is not Drogichin, Belarus.) 1900 Jewish population: 784.
Yizkors: Sefer Drohiczyn (Tel Aviv, 1969)
Bóżnice Białostocczyzny (Białystok, 1992).
DROHITCHIN MEMORIAL (YIZKOR) BOOK 500 YEARS OF JEWISH LIFE. Drohitchin Finf Hundert Yor Yidish Lebn. Original Edited by: Dov Warshawsky, Book Committee Drohiczyn Originally. Published in Yiddish in Chicago, 1958. Florence Schumacher, Print Editor. This book is both history and memoir, including poetry, tributes, and a necrology of Shoah victims from Drahichyn and nearby towns murdered in the two massacres there on July 25 and October 15, 1942. Former residents and descendants contributed first-hand accounts to this heart-wrenching book> 736 pages.At Amazon [Apr 2014]
KehilaLink [Apr 2014]
This small historic town in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship with a population of 2,110 is situated on a bank of river Bug. On a trade route between Ukraine and Poland, from the 13th century, rule shifted between Lithuania, Poland, and Russia. In 1939-1940, Drohiczyn became a border town between Russia and Germany. The Soviets plundered the town, destroying the churches and deporting a number of inhabitants to Siberia. In spring 1940, Soviet authorities destroyed all buildings within 800 metrers from the river Bug. Holocaust memoir. [April 2009]JOWBR burial list: Jewish Cemetery.
burial list and gravestone photos [August 2014]
burial list [Jan 2015]
CEMETERY:
2007 photos, description and directions: "The obscure location of this cemetery seems to be protecting those matzevoth and graves that do remain. A few worn paths indicate that land is traversed by the locals. The area is covered by dense vegetation, pine trees, and humid (already in early May) because of proximity to Bug River, which easily can cover remaining matzevoth with greenery and moss. The area is clear of litter; the only danger seems to be the every encroaching vegetation and the area's inherent dampness, which eventually may erode what remains of legible inscriptions. The matzevoth are spread out over this half acre location. A fallen tree divides this cemetery in half." photos. text in Polish and photos. Located approximately two km E of the city on the banks of the Bug, the cemetery was destroyed during WWII and after. Today, the 0.45 ha site has about one hundred matzevot visible, many damaged and broken. [April 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000107
The cemetery is located on the Bug river, 2km E of the town. 1991 town population: 1,000-5,000, no Jews.
- Town: Urzad Miasta i Gminy , ul. Kraszewskiego 5 , Tel: 135.
- Regional:, Wojewodzki Konserwator Zabytkow , ul. Dojlidy Fabryczne 23 , Bialystok, Tel:41-23-32.
- Local: Ksiadz E. Borowski, Koscielna 10, Drohiczyn, Par. Katolicka and, Ksiadz G. Misiejuk, Parafia Prawoslawna, Kraszewskiego 7, Drohiczyn.
The earliest known Jewish community was first half of the 16th century. 1931 Jewish population was 711. Effecting the Jewish Community were pogroms in 1631 and 1637. Living here were Jezekiel ben Woliwelski and Rabbi Mordechaj Izrael Tirnawski. The Jewish cemetery was established in the beginning of the 19th century with last known Progressive / Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox Jewish burial 1943. Surrounding villages (up to 10km away) also used this cemetery. The isolated rural hillside has no sign. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with no wall and no gate. The approximate size before WWII was 1.00 hectares and now is 0.45 hectares due to agriculture and post-war devastation. 0 and 100 gravestones, less than 25% toppled or broken, date from 1876 to 20th century. Vegetation overgrowth is a seasonal problem that disturbs the graves and prevents access. Tombstones are sandstone or slate, primarily rough stones or boulders. Some have traces of painting on the surfaces of the stones. Inscriptions are in Hebrew.
Municipality owns property used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are agricultural. The cemetery was vandalized during World War II and occasionally thereafter, but not in the last ten years. No maintenance. Vegetation is a moderate threat.
Tomasz Wisniewski, ul. Bema 95/99, Bialystok; Tel: 212-46 compelted survey on 10/08/1991. Tomasz Wisniewski visited the site in 1988-9.
NOTE: In his book Jewish Bialystok on p. 73, Wisniewski states that the cemetery is on the "banks of the Bug River (about 1,800 meters east of the city)" and mentions a Jewish presence of "1,000 years" thereby contradicting the information he gave above.