Alternate names: Wiskitki [Pol], Viskit, וויסקיט [Yid], Viskitki, Вискитки [Rus], Wiskiti. 52°05' N, 20°24' E, 28 miles WSW of Warsaw, 44 km (27 mi) west of Warsaw, 3 miles NW of Żyrardów, with which it shares a yizkor book.
Yizkor: Pinkas Zyrardow, Amshinov un Viskit. (Buenos Aires, 1961).
Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), XIII, p. 571: "Wiskitki". .1900 Jewish population: 1,138. This village with a population of 1,420 in Żyrardów County, Masovian Voivodeship in east-central Poland is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Wiskitki. Gmina Wiskitki contains the villages and settlements of Aleksandrów, Antoniew, Babskie Budy, Cyganka, Czerwona Niwa, Czerwona Niwa-Parcel, Duninopol, Działki, Feliksów, Franciszków, Guzów, Guzów-Osada, Hipolitów, Janówek, Jesionka, Józefów, Kamionka, Kamionka Mała, Łubno, Miedniewice, Miedniewice-Kolonia, Miedniewice-Łąki, Miedniewice-Parcela, Morgi, Nowa Wieś, Nowe Kozłowice, Nowy Drzewicz, Nowy Oryszew, Oryszew-Osada, Podbuszyce, Podoryszew, Popielarnia, Prościeniec, Różanów, Siarkowiec, Smolarnia, Sokule, Stara Wieś, Stare Kozłowice, Starowiskitki, Starowiskitki-Parcel, Stary Drzewicz, Stary Hipolitów, Tomaszew, Wiskitki and Wola Miedniewska. [July 2009]
Jewish settlement dates from the first half of the 18th century. By 1883, 1,602 Jews were among the 3,449 residents. By 1897, the Jewish population was 1,138; thereafter declining due to immigration meant in until 1921 only 951 Jews lived there. During WWII, the ghetto enclosed 2,000 people, including Jews from other towns. In February 1941, the ghetto inhabitants were deported to Warsaw and later to Treblinka. [July 2009]
CEMETERY:
Established in the first half of the nineteenth century and active until WWII, dozens of matzevot are visible among thickly overgrown vegetation. Granite gravestones with delicate inscriptions to the primitive sandstone or concrete monuments with traditional symbols demark the older and the newer parts of the cemetery. On the edge is an interesting matzevot of a convex inscription. The fence was stolen from the 6,438 sq m cemetery landmarked in 1992. Directions: Drive toward Zyrardow Guzów and Sochaczew. At the market, turn at the second street on the left. The cemetery is about 300-meters ahead on the right just behind the buildings on Anndor Street and next to a park on the border with Stare Wiskitki. A little further ahead and on the other side of the road is a Russian military cemetery from WWI. Photos. Photos. [July 2009]]
burial list [Jan 2015
US Commission No. POCE00220
Alternate Yiddish name: Wiskit. The town is located in region Skierniewickie at 52º5 20º25, 45 km from Warsaw and 71 km. from Lodz. Cemetery: NW outskirts of town. Present town population is 1,000- 5,000 with no Jews.
- Local: Urzad Gminy, plac Wdnosci 30, tel. 52-12.
- Regional: Wojewodzki Konserwator Zabytkow, 96-100 Skierinewice, ul. Poindogicrna 10.
The earliest known Jewish community dates from 1829. 1921 Jewish population was 951.The Jewish cemetery was established in the first half of the 19th century with last known Orthodox Jewish burial 1939-45. Landmark: Official Register of Jewish Cemeteries of 1981 [Rejestr cmentarzy zydowskich Urzdu ds. Wyznan z 1981]. The isolated rural/agricultural 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 pre- and post-WWII cemetery size is 0.5 ha. 20-100 stones with some in original location and less than 25% toppled or broken date from 1842-20th century. The granite and sandstone rough stones/boulders, flat shaped stones, or flat stones with carved relief decoration have Hebrew inscriptions. There are no known mass graves. The municipality owns the property used for Jewish cemetery. Adjacent property is agricultural and residential. Rarely, organized Jewish individual tours and private visitors stop. It was vandalized during World War II and occasionally since. No maintenance or care. Within the limits of the cemetery are no structures. Vegetation is a seasonal problem, preventing access. Vandalism and security are a slight threat.
Pawel Fijalkowski, 96-500 Sochacrew, ul. Ziemcwita 11, tel. 227-91 completed survey on 4 September 1991 using private photo archives. He visited in August 1991.
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [April 2016]