Alternate names: Rajgród [Pol], Raigrod [Yid], Raigrud and Райгруд [Rus]. 53°44' N, 22°42' E, 46 miles NNE of Łomża, 45 miles NNW of Białystok, 20 miles NE of Szczuczyn. 1900 Jewish population: 1,625. Rajgród is a town in Grajewo powiat, Podlaskie Voivodeship with 1,680 inhabitants in 2004. Grajewski powiat includes 5 counties: Grajewo, Radzilow, Rajgrod, Szczuczyn, and Wasosz.
References:
- Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 1055: "Rajgrod".
- Pinkas HaKehilot, Poland, Vol. 4 (1989), pp. 419-421: "Rajgród".
- Shtetl Finder (1980), p. 80: "Raigrod".
- Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), IX, pp. 495-496: "Rajgród".
- Jewish Records Indexing Poland Town Page
- Museum of the History of Polish Jews
The first documentation of Jews in the city was 1587. In the first half of the 18th century the Jews had a synagogue and cemetery. Prosperity for the local Jewish community dates from the 19th century. In 1857, 1,659 (86%) Jews lived in the town, many engaged in the smoked fish and eel trade. Difficult economic conditions arose early in the 20th century and WWI, resulted in decreasing Jewish population in Rajgrod as many immigrated. After the outbreak of WWII, Rajgród was in the Soviet zone under the Molotov-Ribbentrop until 1941 when the city was occupied by German troops. A few days later, a mass execution of approximately 100 local Jews occurred with help from some of the Poles. Then they murdered another thirty. The remaining Jews in the ghetto were deported to death camps in autumn 1942. Rajgrodz Jewish Cemetery was established as early as 1719 relatively far away from the village near the village Opartowo the way to Okoniówka. The Chevra Kadisha was founded in 1747. There was a wooden synagogue in Rajgród. Sir Isaac Wolfson was born here. [June 2009]
I visited the cemetery that looks neglected and full with vegetation. The cemetery is not owned by the municipality but rather is controlled by the Forest Authority in Warsaw. I would like to do a cleaning and restoration project. If you would like to help, please contact me. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. [May 2011]
I just traveled to my father's homeotwn of Rajgrod. I found find the Jewish cemetery amidst the forests. I would like to do more research on Rajgrod and clean up the cemetery. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [May 2011]
Memorial was erected and dedicated Sept 18, 2014. [Sep 2014]
[UPDATE] Holocaust Memorial Vandalized [May 2015]