Alternate names: Raków [Pol], Rakov, רקוּב [Yid], Rakuv, Ракув [Rus]. 50°41' N, 21°03' E, 51 miles S of Radom, 19 miles ENE Opatów (Apta). Jewish population: 1,263 (in 1897), 1,112 (in 1921). Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), IX, pp. 507-508: "Raków" #6. Raków is a village in Kielce powiat, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland and the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Raków, 39 km (24 mi) SE of the regional capital Kielce. The village has a population of 1,213. ShtetLink. photos. Holocaust memorial for 112 men murdered by the Nazis in August 1942. [June 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000295
The town is located in Kielce region at 50º40N 21º00E, 32 km. from Chmielnik. Cemetery: Kosciuszki Street. Present population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Local: Wojt. Gminy Rakow, 27-435 Rakow K. Staszowa, ul. Wiginiow Polityczuyck 1, tel. 18.
- Regional: Wojewodzki. Konserwator Zabytkow, ul. IX Wiekow Kielc 3, Kielce, tel. 45634.
The earliest known Jewish community dates from 1614. 1921 Jewish population was 1,112 (54.5%). The cemetery was established 1614 with last Jewish burial 1942. No other towns or villages used this unlandmarked Orthodox and Conservative cemetery. The isolated urban flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with a broken masonry wall without gate. No stones are visible. The size is 0.6 ha. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. No stones are visible. The municipality owns property used for Jewish cemetery and storage. Adjacent property is agricultural. Housing development and agriculture reduced the size. Private Jewish visitors visit rarely. It was vandalized prior to World War II but not in the last ten years. No maintenance. There are no structures. Properties adjacent are a mill and a road so the very serious threat is incompatible existing nearby development. Security, pollution, and vandalism are moderate threats. Weather erosion and vegetation are slight threats.
Dr. Adam Penkalla, deceased, completed survey and visited site using his own documentation.