Alternate names: Nowe Brzesko [Pol], Bzhisk, בז'אסקו נובה [Yid], Brzesko Nowe, Nove-Bzhesko. Нове-Бжеско [Rus]. 50°08' N, 20°23' E, 22 miles SE of Miechów. 1900 Jewish population: 213 (in 1897), 457 (in 1921). Nowe Brzesko is a village in Proszowice powiat, Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland and the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Nowe Brzesko, 10 km(6 mi) SE of Proszowice and 33 km (21 mi) E of the regional capital Kraków. The village had a 2008 population of about 1,700. Artist Simcha Nornberg was born here. [June 2009]
US Commission No: AS 164
Nowe Brzesko is located in Krakow region at 50º08 N 20º22E, about 43 km E of Cracow. The cemetery is located approximately 2 km NW of the city center (from the market on Krakowska St, then Partyzantow St, and then to the right alongside road to Proszowice, heading in the direction of the brick mill (cegielnia) in Szpitary). Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Local: Urzad Miasta (City Council), at 43 Krakowska. (1) Urzad Wojewodzki (Woivodship Office), Krakow, 22 Basztowa Street, ph: 160200, fax: 227208; (2) Urzad Wojewodzki, Wydziai Spraw Spolecznych (Woivodship Office, Dept. of Social Affair), Krakow, 22 Basztowa Street, ph: 226828, 223371, 160268-Inspektor d/s Stowarzyszen I Wyznan (Inspector for Associations and Religious Denominations), pok. (room) 273; and (3) Kongregacja Wyznania Mojzeszowego (Jewish Congregation), Cracow, 2 Skawinska St, ph: 562349.
- Regional: Panstwowa Sluzba Ochrony Zabytkow Wojewodzki Konserwator Zabytkow (State Preservation Authority, Conservation Officer for Woivodship), Krakow, 3 Wszystkich Swietych Sq, ph: 225977, fax: 161417; osoba zajmujaca sie cmentarzami (person dealing with cemeteries), ph: 161415.
- Interested: Regionalny Osrodek Studiow I Ochrony Krajobrazu Kulturowego (Regional Center for the Study and Preservation of Cultural Landscape), Krakow. Another interested party is Komitet Opieki nad Zabytkami Kultury Zydowskiej-sekcja Towarzystwa Milosnikow Historii I Zabtkow Krakowa (Committee for the Care of Monuments of Jewish Culture-section of Society of ????? of History and Monuments of Cracow), 12 Swietego Jana St. Information about the site may be obtained from: (1)Sad Wojewodzki-Wydziai Ksiag Wieczystych (Woivodship Court of Justice-Dept. of Land Record Book), Krakow, 7 Przy Rondzie St, ph: 114100; (Archiwum (archive), pok. (room) 119); (2) Wojewodzkie Archiwum Panstwowe (State Archive for Woivodship) Krakow, 2 Sienna St, ph: 224094; and (3) Wojewodzkie Archiwum Panstwowe (State Archive for Woivodship), Kielce.
The earliest known Jewish community in Nowe Brzesko was after 1862. 1921 Jewish population was 457. From 1223-1818, this town was in possession of a monastery in Hebdow with privilege "de non tolerandis Judaeis"; these restrictions continued after 1818, and were enforced because of the proximity of the state border. The restrictions and limitations were lifted in 1862. The Orthodox Jewish cemetery was established after 1862. The last known Jewish burial was probably in 1941. The isolated rural (agricultural) hillside has no sign or marker with no wall, fence or gate. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. Before W.W.II the cemetery was approximately 0.36 hectares; the present size of the cemetery cannot be determined (1960 survey: 0.07 hectares). No granite stones are visible. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. A private owner uses site for agriculture (crops or animal grazing). Properties adjacent are agricultural. Private visitors rarely visit. The cemetery was vandalized during W.W.II, but not in the last ten years. There is no maintenance done on the cemetery, and it is not cared for at all now. There are no structures. Serious security, vandalism and vegetation threats face this cemetery. There is also a moderate pollution threat.
Malgorzata Radolowicz, 37 Florianska St, apt. 3, Krakow visited the site on July 24, 1995 and completed survey. A land survey chart at the local Community Council was used. Interviewed were Marek Wypych, City's Land Surveyor (on July 24, 1995); workers at the brick mill (on July 24, 1995); and Tadeusz Jakubowicz (August 18, 1995).