Alternate names: Wąchock [Pol], Vonkhotzk, Вонхоцк [Rus] בונכוצק / וונחוצק [Yid]. 51°04' N, 21°01' E, 22 miles NE of Kielce, 12 miles SW of Iłża (Drilch). 1900 Jewish population: 638. Yizkor: Pinkas ha-kehilot; entsiklopediya shel ha-yishuvim le-min hivasdam ve-ad le-aher shoat milhemet ha-olam ha-sheniya: Poland vol. 7: Kielce and Lublin (Jerusalem, 1999). The town in Wachock gmina, Starachowice powiat, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship near Starachowice. The 2006 population was 2,777. Beside town of Wąchock, Gmina Wąchock contains the villages and settlements of Marcinków, Parszów, Rataje, Węglów and Wielka Wieś. [July 2009]
CEMETERY: Located on Krzemienica Street on the left side of a railway track leading to Starachowice, the 0.2-hectare cemetery was established in 1908 or 1911. with the last known burial in the early 1942. The Germans destroyed the cemetery during WWII. 35 [?] gravestones remain with some toppled. The oldest dates from 1924. All have lovely decorative carvings and inscriptions in Hebrew and Yiddish. Fragments of the stone wall surrounding the cemetery were extant, but a new wall was built during the restoration. photos. The restored Wachock cemetery rededication ceremony was held on May 18, 2006. photos. [July 2009]
I recently visited the cemetery in Wachock with my daughter. We found the well-marked graves of my great-great grandparents Avraham and Breindl Shtarkman. The inscriptions in Hebrew were easy to read. It was a real thrill to be there. I would be interested in finding other descendants of Wachock Jews who have relatives buried there. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [September 2013]
US Commission No. POCE000281
Wachock is located in the Kielce region at 51º05' 21º01', 14 km from Skarzysko-Kamienna. The cemetery is between street Polna. Present population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.
- Town: Wojt Gminy Wacheck, 27-215 Wachock, 3 Wielkowiejska St., tel. 43.
- Regional: region Konserwator Zabytkow, 3 IX Wiekow Kiele St., Kielce, tel. 45634.
The earliest known Jewish community was in 1860 or 1911. 1921 Jewish population was 468. The unlandmarked Jewish cemetery was established in 1908 or 1911 with last known Orthodox or Conservative burial in 1942. The isolated suburban flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with a broken masonry wall and no gate. The cemetery is .16 hectares. 20-100 gravestones, regardless of condition, all in original locations with 25%-50% toppled or broken, date from 1924-20th century. There are no special sections. The sandstone finely smoothed and inscribed or flat stones with carved relief decoration have Hebrew and Yiddish inscriptions. Some stones have traces of painting on their surfaces. There are no known mass graves and no structures. The municipality owns site used for Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are agricultural and residential. The boundaries were reduced by agriculture or are the same size. [sic] Rarely, private Jewish visitors stop. The cemetery was vandalized during WWII but not in the last ten years with no maintenance or care. Weather erosion and vegetation are slight threats. Security, pollution, vandalism and incompatible nearby development, existing and planned, are moderate threats. Dr. Adam Penkalla, deceased, completed survey from his own documentation. He visited the site. [No dates are given.]