Strážnice Jewish Cemetery The present cemetery dates back roughly 200 years. However, older stones were moved from the earlier burial grounds, so today we can find stones from the 17th century (and still legible!). The cemetery surrounds the synagogue on three sides, which is unusual in Moravia. The cemetery is well-protected by a high stone wall and locked gate, and there is little evidence of vandalism.

In 2008, Daniella Torsh and Michael Gordy initiated a project to photograph and document the Strážnice Jewish Cemetery for submission to the JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR). We covered a quarter of the cemetery in that first round, and then another quarter in a second round in 2010, and finally finished the project in the summer of 2016. Most of the Hebrew stones have been translated by Sara Mages, Gilberto Jugend, and other volunteers of the JOWBR project. For more information: JOWBR project CZ-02524 An account of the renovation of the synagogue and initiation of the cemetery project in 2008. To search the database, go to the JOWBR Search Form, and be sure to enter Straznice in a field with Data Type "Town". In 2009, Jaroslav Klenovský organized the re-erection of 90 fallen stones. This was financed by Czech Ministry of Culture, the town of Strážnice and the Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic. A project for the restoration and conservation of the oldest stones began in 2011.

Planning your visit

The key to the cemetery is kept by the local caretaker, Rudolf Mašek. You can reach Mr Mašek by telephone at +420 723 840 395. Be sure to consult the Jewish Community of Brno website for helpful information on visiting hours and contacts.

Unlike most modern cemeteries, there are no blocks or gates or rows to guide you to a stone. The plot numbers in the JOWBR data refer to a cemetery plan drawn up by Ing. Arch. Jaroslav Klenovksý. Be sure to carry a copy when you visit! Keep in mind that a small number of stones have been moved, so the map won't align perfectly in some spots.