The historic Warsaw Jewish Cemetery on Okopowa Street has been in continuous use since late in the 18^th century and contains an estimated 250,000 individual graves as well as mass graves of thousands of residents of the Warsaw Ghetto. While most of the gravestones have survived, the cemetery burial records were destroyed by Nazi forces during the WW II occupation of Warsaw.

Over the years, former Cemetery Director, Boleslaw Szenicer, and his later father Pinkus before him, work diligently to create an index to replace the destroyed burial records and by the time of Szenicer’s retirement, approximately 50,000 gravestones had been recorded.

Starting in October 2003, Przemyslaw Isroel Szpilman, the new Cemetery Manager, commenced an aggressive project with a goal of documenting all the gravestones and their locations in the shortest possible time. Using a digital camera provided by JRI-Poland, work has proceeded at a brisk pace and the Beis Olam database now has more than 15,000 burials.

Family names, given names and locations have been recorded and, where possible, dates or years of birth and death have been included in the index. Click here for a map of  the cemetery and description of section layout and burial policy.

Because so many of the 20^th century Jewish birth, marriage and death records of Warsaw were destroyed during WW II, information from gravestones can be of great significance to genealogists researching their families from greater Warsaw.

To access this information in the past, family members seeking to honor their ancestors or deceased relatives, or genealogists doing research have had to either visit the cemetery or write to inquire about specific family names or individuals.

The search process

In total, there are now more than 15,000 entries to burials in the Warsaw Beis Olam database and these have been integrated into the JRI-Poland database. JRI-Poland will be adding more as they become available. 

Search the JRI-Poland database in the normal way, or narrow the search, by entering "Warsaw" in the "Town" field on the JRI-Poland search page. If a match in the Warsaw Cemetery database is found, it will be identified in a separate table in the search results. The search results will link you to a form guiding you how to request information from the cemetery office and, if you desire, photographs as well.

The Beis Olam Research Service

1. Gravestone information

a. Upon receipt of the "Request for Information" form, Mr. Szpilman will examine previously recorded information and advise inquirers as to what may be found. If necessary, a visit to the gravesite will be made.
b. Mr. Szpilman will also provide a list of all other currently indexed burials for the surname(s) listed. These may be gravestones not yet included in the JRI-Poland Beis Olam database.

2. Photographs

Mr. Szpilman will advise if a photograph of the gravestone is available or can be arranged. If a photograph is requested, every effort will be made to ensure that photographs are readable but the condition of the gravestone and the access for good photographic angles may affect the final results. Accessibility to gravesites may vary due to overgrowth, winter conditions or other circumstances and this may delay the receipt of the desired photographs.

Following up on a successful search of the Warsaw Cemetery Database
Using the suggested order form  below:  

To contact the Cemetery Director, Przemyslaw Isroel Szpilman, write to: beis.olam@jewish.org.pl

Information from Beis Olam, Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw

Request for Information / Order Form 


Date:

To: Mr. Przemyslaw Isroel Szpilman 
Beis Olam - Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw

49/51 Okopowa Street

Warsaw 01-043, Poland

Tel:  (48 22) 838 26 22
Mobile:  (48 602) 693 169
Email: beis.olam@jewish.org.pl


Ordered by: <name and address of researcher>
__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

E-mail Address___________________  (REQUIRED FOR ALL REQUESTS)

Source of Information: Jewish Records Indexing - Poland database 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please accept my order for extracts and/or photographs of the following gravestones: 

SURNAME Given Name(s) Extract Photo 
(available with extracts only)




Please advise all matching entries for surnames listed above [ ]


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Number of Extracts Ordered: ____ at US $10.00 per extract = 
Total Number of Photos Ordered: _____ at US $ 5.00 per photo
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Payment should accompany order. Personal checks drawn on U.S. banks are acceptable. Or enclose a Bank or Cashier’s check in U.S. funds.