Alternate names: Wielowieś, Langendorf, Wielopole Skrzyńskie, Wielopole Rzegocin, Rzegocin, Vielipoli . 50°31' N 18°37' E, 157.7 miles SW of Warszawa. ShtetLink. Gmina Wielopole Skrzyńskie is a rural administrative district in Ropczyce-Sędziszów powiat, Subcarpathian Voivodeship in SE Poland. with its seat in the village of Wielopole Skrzyńskie, 16 km (10 mi) S of Ropczyce and 30 km (19 mi) W of the regional capital Rzeszów. The gmina 2006 total population is 8,380. [July 2009]
Jewish settlement began in the second half of 17th century. The former building of the synagogue still stands. Jonatan Bloch founded the kahal. At the center of the village on ul Gminnej next to the gas station is the synagogue used from 1771 - 1938. The building survives despite the pogrom in 1938 during "Kristallnacht" or the Nazis. This is the oldest preserved synagogue in the Upper Silesia. After WWII, the synagogue became grain storage.
US Commission No. POCE000563: In Katowickie. This file has not been given to the project. [2000]
CEMETERY:
Established in the 17th century 600 meters from the road to of the village called Wojska, the first burial in 1694 was the wife of Jonatan Bloch, a founder of the cemetery and first Jewish inhabitant of the town. Jews from Wielowies, Toszek, Błażejowice, Tworog, Wojska and Pyskowice and Tarnowskich Gór and Gliwice were buried here. In 1749, a fence was erected. The last burial was in 1929. The 1-hectare site holds about 200-250 gravestones, the oldest dating from 1722 (Jonatan Bloch). That of Jitel bat Aszyk, who died in March 1702 disappeared by 1915. Beautiful decorative, symbolic art remains on the matzevot like lions, broken plants and candles, menorah, candlesticks, birds, deer, and bowls and pots, but the beit tahara near the entry is gone. Of the fence only uprights that upheld the gate remain. The stone wall that surrounded the entire cemetery until its dismantling in 1945. In the cemetery is an oak with a circumference of 400 cm. In 2005, a local history teacher named Grzegorz Kamiński encouraged students from his school to clean the cemetery. On July 3, 2005, an Israeli ambassador and the Jewish Historical Institute awarded Mr. Kamiński for his activities German art historians of the Third Reich even called this one of the most interesting monuments of Jewish culture in Silesia. Postcards and folders in Polish, German and English can be purchased in a paper shop on Magres Street, School 1, and the parish church in Wielowsi. Caretaker: Grzegorz Kaminski. Article: The History Teacher Who Restored the Cemetery. Photos. Photos and history. [July 2009]
The cemetery is in a field outside the town. Some of the tombstones are missing but perhaps 300 are still visible. Unfortunately the cemetery is not currently fenced in or walled in. Since this is one of the oldest still existing Jewish cemeteries in Silesia, it would be nice to see it restored. Gottfried Brieger visited in September, 2004. Source: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [January 2005]
see source. The cemetery is being kept very well. (Was there in May.) The Gratz family of Philadelphia (Gratz College of Judaica) comes from this community. Source: Roger Lustig, Princeton, NJ. [January 2006]