Podwilk

A memorial bearing the names of 154 Holocaust victims from Upper Orava, erected in 2025 on the surviving floor of the former House of Purification. The list of victims exists thanks to many years of work by Lucyna Borczuch.

A short history

In the interwar years the seat of the Jewish community was Jabłonka. It also included the residents of both Lipnicas, both Zubrzycas, Podwilk, Piekielnik, Orawka and Chyżne. Prayers were held every week in private homes; on the major holidays the Jews of Podwilk gathered in the house of Leopold Einhorn.

In Podwilk, Leopold Einhorn traded in cattle, Moric Rendel and A. Schanzer sold general goods, and Hermina Stieglitz ran a tavern. The Jewish community of Upper Orava ceased to exist on 6 June 1942.

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.