Židovský hřbitov v Polici

The Jewish Cemetery in Police is a small, well-preserved burial ground located on the southern edge of the village of Police, in the Třebíč district, at the meeting point of three Czech regions – Vysočina, South Moravian, and South Bohemian. While it is far smaller than the famous UNESCO-listed Jewish cemetery in nearby Třebíč, it remains a meaningful trace of a modest Jewish community that once lived in this rural corner of Moravia.

When was the cemetery established?

The cemetery was founded at the latest in the 17th century, with the oldest legible gravestone dated to 1681. It served the local Jewish community continuously until the early 20th century, by which point organized Jewish life in Police had effectively come to an end.

What does the cemetery look like today?

The burial ground covers a densely used area of roughly 2,145 square meters and holds around 300 gravestones spanning Baroque, Classicist, and later, more modern styles. The site is enclosed by a wall, and visitors enter through a former pre-burial (ceremonial) house. Its location was no coincidence: the cemetery stood at the edge of the former Jewish ghetto, directly adjacent to the quarter where the community lived.

What happened to the Jewish community of Police?

Jews had settled in Police since at least the 17th century, and between 1787 and 1848 the village was home to 22 Jewish families, living under the legal restrictions typical of the era, including the so-called Familiants Laws limiting how many Jewish households could exist in a given place. Once those restrictions on Jewish settlement were lifted, many residents began relocating to larger towns in search of better economic opportunities, a shift that gradually thinned out the local community. By 1891, the Jewish congregation in Police was formally merged into the Jewish community of nearby Jemnice, marking the end of independent Jewish communal life in the village.

What else is worth knowing about this site?

Both the cemetery and the former synagogue in Police are today protected as cultural monuments of the Czech Republic. Despite its modest scale, the site offers valuable insight into the everyday lives of small Jewish communities that existed for centuries in the Czech countryside, far from the larger urban centers usually associated with Jewish heritage.

Frequently asked questions

How many gravestones remain in the Police cemetery? Around 300 gravestones survive, in Baroque, Classicist, and more modern styles.

How old is the oldest surviving gravestone? The oldest legible gravestone dates from 1681, though the cemetery itself may have been founded slightly earlier.

Does a Jewish community still exist in Police? No — in 1891 the local congregation was merged into the Jewish community of Jemnice, ending independent Jewish life in the village.

Is the cemetery legally protected? Yes, together with the nearby former synagogue, it is listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.