Grybów

On 20 August 1942 the German occupiers liquidated the ghetto in Grybów, where around 2,000 people had been confined. On 3 November 2019, after 77 years, 1,774 victims were remembered by name.

A short history

On 20 August 1942 the greatest tragedy in the history of the Grybów area took place. As part of Operation Reinhard, the German occupiers began to liquidate the Grybów ghetto. Around 2,000 people had been confined there: Jews from Grybów, people displaced from nearby villages and from spa towns such as Krynica-Zdrój and Muszyna.

360 people were shot in the nearby village of Biała Niżna. The others were driven on foot to Nowy Sącz and then taken by train to the Bełżec extermination camp, where they were murdered in the gas chambers.

Conduct at a Jewish cemetery

• Men cover their heads.
• Walk only on the paths and never stand on graves.
• Do not touch or move the matzevot (gravestones).
• Instead of flowers, Jewish tradition is to place a small stone on the matzevah.
• Do not eat or drink in the cemetery.
• Cemeteries are not visited on the Sabbath (from Friday evening to Saturday evening) or on Jewish holidays.
• It is customary to wash your hands after leaving the cemetery.