Alternate names: Sieniawa [Pol], Shinova, שייניאבה [Yid], Сінява [Ukranian], Shenova. 50°10' N, 22°38' E. 1900 Jewish population: about 2,000. Normal 0 This town in SE Poland had a 2009 population of 2,127 inhabitants. Since 1999, Sieniawa has been part of Subcarpathian Province. Gmina Sieniawa is an urban-rural administrative district in Przeworsk powiat, Subcarpathian Voivodeship with its seat in the town of Sieniawa, 15 km (9 mi) NE of Przeworsk, 9 miles ENE of Rzeszów (Zheshuv), 11 miles N of Jarosław (Yaroslav), and 47 km (29 mi) E of the regional capital Rzeszów. Besides Sieniawa, Gmina Sieniawa contains the villages and settlements of Czerce, Czerwona Wola, Dobra, Dybków, Leżachów, Paluchy, Pigany, Rudka and Wylewa. Jewish settlement in Sieniawa began in the second half of 17th century. Before the outbreak of WWI, 2,150 Jews living here were 61% of the populace. Sieniawa was one of the most important centers of Chasidism in Poland. In the 18th century, Samuel Szmelke Horowitz, a student of Grand Magida, later famous tzaddik from Nikolsburg (Mikulov).was rabbi here as was Moshe Teutelbaum, later in Ujhely and Szraga ben Chaim Halberstam, the creator of a powerful dynasty of Sącz tzaddikim. [July 2009]
CEMETERY: Located on ul. Piastów and Rymanowa, the 0.9-hectare cemetery is one of the largest and best preserved cemeteries in Podkarpackie with about 800 graves. Hebrew burial list. Photos. The oldest gravestone dates from 1686. An ohel, restored in 1978, covers the grave of Tsaddik Ezechiel Szraga Halberstam. Inside also is the gravestone of Nahum Weindenfeld, the Tsaddik of Dąbrowa Tarnowska, who died here on November 11, 1939.[July 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000148
The town is located at 50º12' 22º38' in Przemysl, 54 km from Przemusl and 59 km from Rzeszow. Cemetery: Sieniawa. Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Local: Urzad Miasta I Gminy, ul. Kosciuszki tel. 75.
- Regional: Pawel Kuziol, Wojewodzki Konserwator Zabtkow, 37-700 Przemysl, ul. Rynek 24, tel. 59-44.
The earliest known Jewish community is 1702. The town was established in 1672. 1921 Jewish population was 1,071. Tzaddik Jehazkel Shruga Halberstam (d. 1898) lived here. The landmarked Jewish cemetery was established before 1686 with last known Orthodox Jewish burial in 1940. The isolated suburban flat land has no sign or marker. Access is open to all with a continuous fence and non-locking gate. The cemetery boundaries, 0.7509 ha. before WWII and now 1 ha, were reduced by agriculture. 50-500 stones in original location with 20 to 100 limestone, sandstone, and concrete flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed, or flat stones with carved relief decoration not in original locations and less than 25% toppled or broken, date from 17th-20th centuries. The oldest are 1686 and 1688. Some have traces of painting on their surfaces. Hebrew inscriptions. The cemetery contains known unmarked mass graves. The municipality owns the property used for Jewish cemetery. Adjacent property is agricultural and residential. Frequently, organized Jewish group tours visit. In 1970, a wire fence was constructed around the part containing graves. The local/municipal authorities cleared vegetation. Now, cemetery receives no care. Within the limits of the cemetery is an ohel. Vegetation is a seasonal problem, preventing access. Security and weather erosion are moderate threats.
Jan Pawel Woroncrzak, Sandomierska 21m1; 02-567 Warszawa, tel. 49-54-62 completed survey on 6 Sep. 1991. He visited in August 1990 with Anna Kune, Robert Kaskow, Morein Wodzinski.
Source: Gruber, Ruth Ellen. Jewish Heritage Travel A Guide to East-Central Europe. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1992. p. l78
700 tombstones. The oldest 1686. Ohel of Tzaddik Ezechiel Halberstam (died 1898). [source?]
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [April 2016]