Map. Jewish settlement in Karczewie dates back to the 18th century. The Jews lived in the city, despite a formal ban issued by the owner of Karczew, Franciszka Bielińskiego. In 1768 came the Bieliński privilege, prohibiting the sale of homes the Jews. Jews were there in 1794, and involved the surrounding settlements and villages. In 1819, two brick homes and 99 wooden homes housed 971, of whom 393 were Jews. In the mid-19th century, the kahał had a synagogue, school, hospital and mikvah. Today, no trace of these buildings remains. Many Chassidim lived here. During WWII, the Nazis created a ghetto for the Jewish population of Karczew and other towns. In January 1941, most inhabitants of the ghetto were deported. The rest were killed on the spot. The horrors of their deaths were unspeakable. The Nazis also operated a labor camp belonging to the German company, Specht, in which Jews were forced to work deepening the river Jagodzianki. [May 2009]
Virtual Shtetl [Jan 2015]
UPDATE: synagogue sketch. [August 2005]
CEMETERY: The Jewish Cemetery established at the end of the 18th century in Karczewie is located on ul. Otwockiej, a surprising location surrounded by buildings on an extensive dune. Here, Tomasz Tomaszewski took a National Geographic photo of a dog between the tombstones and human bones. Photos from Karczew were also in the album Monica Krajewski entitled The Stone. The oldest tombstone dates from 1876. According to residents in the area of the cemetery, victims of the Holocaust are buried in unmarked mass graves. About four hundred gravestones remain, many of which are lost in the sand. Many gravestones were used by the Nazis to strengthen the banks of the Vistula River. Shifting sand still reveals human bone. In recent years, the cemetery received a low fence. Sadly, however, rubbish, probably discarded by local residents, is found here, too. Photos. [May 2009]
CEMETERY:
US Commission Restoration Project [May 2010]
Located in Koninskie (in ul. Szkolna) at 52°06 18°53. used Dabie also.
- Burials date from 1878; about 50 tombstones remain. Source: Miriam Weiner Source: Gruber, Ruth Ellen. Jewish Heritage Travel A Guide to East-Central Europe. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1992. p. 48-49; gravestones 48
burial list and gravestone photos [August 2014]
burial list [Jan 2015]
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [March 2016]