Alternate names: Sieradz [Pol], Sheradz, שייראדז [Yid], Seradz, Серадз [Rus], Schieratz [Ger], Syradia [Latin], Sheredz, Shiradz. 51°36' N, 18°45' E, 30 miles ESE of Kalisz, 32 miles WSW of Łódź. Jewish population: 2,357 (in 1897), 2,835 (in 1921). Yizkor: Pinkas ha-kehilot; entsiklopediya shel ha-yishuvim le-min hivasdam ve-ad le-aher shoat milhemet ha-olam ha-sheniya: Poland vol. 1: The communities of Lodz and its region (Jerusalem, 1976). Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,326 inhabitants in 2004 in the Łódź Voivodship since 1999, but was previously the capital of the Sieradz Voivodship (1975-1998), and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland. It is one of the oldest towns in Poland. The unfenced cemetery located in Zakładników Street was founded in 1812. Earlier, Jews buried their dead in nearby Burzenin. Gravestone fragments can be found in the ground. A monument commemorates the murdered Jews of Sieradz and the another memorializes the Dawidowicz family. Cemetery photos. [July 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000690
The town is located at 51º36' 18º44' in Sieradz region, 64 km from Lodz. Cemetery: Zaktadnikow Street. Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Local: Urzad Miejski, Plac Wojerodzki 1, 98-200 Sieradz, tel. 57 00.
- Regional: Wojewodzki Konserwator Zabtkow, ul Woherodzki 3, 98-200 Sieradz, tel. 849-3815.
- Interested: Zydowski Instytut Historyong w Polsce, ul. Tomackie?? [illegible] 315, 00-090 Warsawa, tel. 27-92-21.
The earliest known Jewish community is 1578. 1921 Jewish population was 2,835 (30.5%). The Orthodox and Conservative Jewish cemetery was established in the 16th century. The last known Jewish burial in the landmarked cemetery was 1942. The isolated suburban flat land has a Polish sign or marker mentioning Jews, the Holocaust, the Jewish Community, and famous individuals buried in the cemetery. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with no wall, fence, or gate. The pre-and post-WWII cemetery size is about 1.0 ha. 1-20 19th-20th centuries limestone and sandstone rough/boulder tombstones are visible in original location with none toppled or broken, none with inscriptions. The cemetery contains special memorial monuments to Holocaust victims and other Jewish individuals. The cemetery contains known unmarked mass graves. The municipality owns the property used for Jewish cemetery. Adjacent property is agricultural. Occasionally, private visitors, organized Jewish group and individual tours, and local residents visit. It was vandalized during WWII but not in the last ten years. Local/municipal authorities and Jewish individuals abroad cleared vegetation. Occasional clearing or cleaning paid by "other" municipal authorities is care. Within the limits of the cemetery are no structures. Security is a moderate threat.
Adam Penkalla, deceased, visited site and completed survey in Nov 1992.