Lezajsk Jewish Gravestone Database

Background

Early July 2020 Polish news agencies reported an amazing archaeological discovery which has been uncovered in the small town of Leżajsk, Poland. Lying just 20 cm below the surface of the market square, more than 150 Jewish gravestones were discovered. The gravestones were stolen from the nearby Jewish cemetery under the order of the occupying German Nazis and with the help of local Poles during the WWII to help build a road.

Described as one of the biggest 'matzevot' finds in recent times, around 100 of the gravestones are still complete. Another 50 headstones were broken up into small pieces and used to fill in the base of the road.

For those who have already read Memorial Book of the Martyrs of Lezajsk who Perished in the Holocaust, the discovery is no surprise at all, since it is explicitly mentioned in the book (published in Israel 1969) recalled by surviving Jewish witnesses.

German troops occupied the town shortly after the outbreak of WWII in September 1939 and most of the town's Jewish population were expelled to the Soviet occupation zone just 11km away. The remaining 350 Jews were confined in the town's ghetto which was established in 1941, with many murdered in executions in the local cemetery.

The Database

This database has been transcribed and compiled by Avotaynu, based on as many images we could get our hands on. 65 to date.

How to search:

You can search the database either by given name or fathers name. Start by typing in the empty field below. Please note: Only English characters are currently supported. (works best on Desktop or in Landscape)

The Database


The on-line database was compiled by Avotaynu. The search has been made possible in English or in Hebrew.

CLICK TO SEARCH THE DATABASE (English) CLICK TO SEARCH THE DATABASE (Hebrew)