Alternate name: Iglau [Germ], Igława [Pol]. 49°24' N, 15°35' E, 50 miles WNW of Brno (Brünn), 68 miles SE of Praha (Prague). 1890 Jewish population: 1,497. . Situated on the Jihlava River (German Igel) on the traditional border between Moravia and Bohemia, Jihlava is the oldest mining town in the Czech Republic.
REFERENCES:
Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 575: "Jihlava".
Dotyky: Židé v dějinách Jihlavska: sbornik k výstavě (Jihlava, 1998)
Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), III, p. 244: "Igława".
Jewish Community of Brno owns, manages, and renovated the cemetery around 1997. town image [February 2009]
website in Czech with photo: "The medieval Jewish quarter with synagogue and cemetery ceased to exist after the expulsion of Jews in 1426. The modern Jewish quarter dates from the mid-19th century, restored shortly after WWII. Birthplace of Carl Meinhard (1875-1949 Buenos Aires), writer Ernst Sommer (1888-1955 London), and poet Louis Fürnberga (1909-1957 Weimar, FRG). A memorial plaque on the house at Znojmo 4 marks where composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) spent his childhood and youth. Romanesque-Moorish style Synagogue on ul Benesova from 1863 was burned by the Nazis in 1939. A 1992 memorial plaque and a memorial with statue of Gustav Mahler mark the foundation stones of the synagogue done in 2010. Postwar prayer house was at žid.obecním Benes 30th. Cemetery dating from 1869 and located at ul.U cvičiště 11 is 1.3 km W of 'the center of the new hospital' on 8879 m2 and has 1456 gravestones in regular rows. The 1903-4 ceremonial hall that burned in 1939 was replaced in 1960. Upon entering is the Holocaust Memorial from 1995. Reconstruction was completed in 1993: a wrought-iron entrance gate [with Jewish symbols] was added to the brick walls that surround the property. The cemetery is maintained consistently." [October 2011]
Jewish Cemetery: U Cvičiště, 586 01 Jihlava (map) 49°23'44.598"N 15°34'25.155"E, "Founded in 1869, the cemetery measures 8,879 sq. m. and has over 1000 tombstones. Its reconstruction was completed in 1993: a wrought-iron entrance gate, adorned with Jewish symbols, was added and commemorative metal plaques were set into the face wall of the funeral parlor. The cemetery contains the tombstones of the members of the Jewish community of Prague, e.g., S. Werner, Rabbi J. J. Unger, the parents and siblings of Gustav Mahler and Louis Fürnberg, and many others. A memorial to holocaust victims was unveiled on May 8, 1995. No other Jewish architectural monuments have been preserved. During the 60's and 70's, many historic houses were ruthlessly demolished. The Jewish synagogue, built in 1862 - 1863, was burnt down in March 1939. The remains of the synagogue were torn down in 1950. An outdoor market is in its place today. The tragedy, which befell Jihlava's about 1000 Jews during the W.W. II, is now commemorated by a plaque, unveiled in April 1992, which is set in the former fortification wall near the outdoor market" [February 2009]
Neighbors Who Disappeared project and photos of town and tourism site and Ghetto Museum. [February 2009]
US Commission No. CZCE000099
Also used cemetery at Puklice. Alternate name: Iglau in German. Town is in Morava-Jihlava at 49°24' N, 15°35' E , 50 miles WNW of Brno (Brünn), 68 miles SE of Praha (Prague) on the Jihlava river in center of the Vysočina Region. Cemetery: 1.5 km W, U cviciste Street. Present population is 25,000-100,000 with 10-100 Jews.
- Town: Mayor Engineer Frantisek Dohnal, Mestsky Urad, Masarykovo namesti 1, 586 28 Jihlava; tel. 866/21714.
- Local: Alena Zapotocna, Mestsky Urad-Referat Kultury, 586 28 Jihlava; tel. 866/23551-5.
- Regional: Engineer Arch. Milena Nikiforova, Okresni Urad-Referat Kultury, Tolsteho ulica [Street], 586 01 Jihlava; tel. 866/23191.
- Interested: Muzeum Vysociny, Director Dr. Ortwin Tauber, Masarykovo nam, 57/58, 586 01 Jihlava; tel. 866/20091. Jiri Kohn, Horni Kosov cp. 179, 586 01 Jihlava; tel. 0.
- Caretaker with key: Cestmir Indra, Velky Beranov cp. 109, 586 01 Jihlava; tel. 0.
Earliest known Jewish community dates from 1345. Jewish population: 1,497 (in 1890) 1928 (in 1,400). Jews banished in 1426 were granted residence in 1848. Establishment of Jewish community was 1863. Gustav Mahler; poet Louis Furnberg; and Zionist Dr. Siegmund Werner lived here. The unlandmarked cemetery originated in 1870 with last known Conservative Jewish burial in 1980. Dr. Siegmund Werner is buried here. [Note: Parents of Gustav Mahler are buried here.] The isolated flat suburban site has no sign. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all via a continuous masonry wall, fence, and non-locking gate. Size of cemetery before WWII: 0.919 ha. Present size of cemetery is 0.8879 ha.
500-1000 gravestones, less than 25% toppled or broken, date from 1870-20th century. The cemetery has special section for children. The marble, granite, and sandstone flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, multi-stone monuments or obelisks have Hebrew, German, and/or Czech inscriptions. Some have iron decorations or lettering, bronze decorations or lettering, and/or metal fences around graves. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. Within the limits of the cemetery is a pre-burial house with wall inscriptions. Brno Jewish community owns site used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are commercial or industrial and hospital. Compared to 1939, cemetery boundaries are smaller because of new roads or highways. Occasionally, private visitors stop. Vandalism occurred from 1945 to now. Local non-Jewish residents and Jewish groups within country cleared vegetation and fixed wall in 1970's and 1980's. Brno Jewish Congregation pays regular caretaker. Security (uncontrolled access) and vandalism are moderate threats. Weather erosion, pollution, vegetation, and incompatible nearby development are slight threats. Vegetation overgrowth is a constant problem, disturbing graves.
Engineer arch. Jaroslav Klenovsky, Zebetinska 13, 623 00 Brno; tel. 0 completed survey on 1 March 1992. Documentation: 1. Gold and 2. J. Herman: Jewish Cemeteries in Bohemia and Moravia (1980). Other documentation exists but was too old. J. Klenovsky conducted no interviews but visited site in February 1992.