Vul. Zolota – the New Jewish cemetery

The new Jewish cemetery was opened on 24 August 1855, two days after the old one was closed. It was located on the Pylykhivski hills, behind the Kortumova mount and near Yanivska (now Shevchenka) street. The New Cemetery Synagogue was built there at the cost of Jewish merchant Efraim Wiksel in 1856. Later, in 1875, the Jewish community cobbled Pylykhivska (Pilichowska, now Yeroshenka)street which led to the cemetery from Yanivska street. On 25 November 1890, the Jewish community bought an additional plot for the new cemetery from count Stanisław Skarbek. In the same year architect Alfred Kamienobrodzki drew up a project of a stone fence in the Neo-Romanesque style which was to surround the cemetery from the side of Yeroshenka street. The fence was built later; a fragment has remained intact till now. An administration building under architect Solomon Kroch’s project was also built to the left of the main entrance to the cemetery.

In 1912, construction of a preburial house (Beth Tahara) in the Art Nouveau style was started under Roman Feliński’s and Jerzy Grodyński’s project; the construction works were managed by Michał Ulam, a known architect.

The Jewish community extended their cemetery on 4 May 1930; the new fields were solemnly consecrated by a rabbi. In 1931-1932 the cemetery had an area of 25 morgens. The main lane passed through the central part of the cemetery, with dense rows of graves on both sides. On 9 August 1934 architect Norbert Glattstein drew up a project of a fence around this cemetery.

During the German occupation all the buildings and graves in the cemetery were destroyed. Particularly, in the spring of 1943 the Nazis blew up the preburial house (Beth Tahara).

In the Soviet times the cemetery on the Pylykhivski hills was taken care of by the Jewish community of Lviv. In the first postwar years an obelisk was set up at the cost of the community on the common grave near the entrance from the contemporary Yeroshenka street where the remains of the Jews executed in 1942-1943 and those from the destroyed old burial places were reburied.

After the Jewish community of Lviv was dissolved in 1962, the cemetery was attached to Yanivsky cemetery. However, it has preserved its own numbering of fields.

A lot of distinguished persons belonging to the Jewish community were buried in the new Jewish cemetery. Among others, we can mention dr. Emmanuel Blumenfeld, dr. Emil Byk, rabbi dr. Schwabacher, Nathan Löwenstein, Olesk rebbe Ezekiel Karo, professor of Lviv Polytechnic Berkman, doctor of chemistry and professor Jona Grinberg et al.