Source: Mazovian Voivodeship Conservator
New discoveries are unfolding daily as archaeological research is being conducted at the Jewish cemetery on Okopowa Street in Warsaw, conducted under the supervision of the Mazovian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments.
On July 10, 2026, the Conservator of Monuments reported: Each day of work brings new discoveries and offers a better understanding of the history of a site that remained hidden beneath layers of earth for decades. With every centimeter of fill removed, the layout of the cemetery synagogue and the funeral halls – demolished by the Germans in May 1943 – emerges ever more clearly.
Recenlty, archaeologists have found, among other things, a brick floor, as well as further wall sections and building fixtures. “Small objects are also periodically unearthed – silent witnesses to the daily life of the community that was connected to this site for decades,” the Conservator of Monuments reported.
The synagogue was built in 1877 based on a design by architect Adolf Schimmelpfennig. It was accompanied by two (women and men) funeral halls .
On its Facebook page, the Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw called the find a “moving discovery.” It noted: “Over 20 years ago, an underground hideout used by Jews during World War II was identified at the cemetery, yet the story remained largely unexplored and unknown until Natalia Romik and Aleksandra Janus took up the subject and interviewed the only surviving person who had hidden there: Avraham Carmi. The results of their detailed, interdisciplinary research have been published in both Polish and English.”
The history unfolds
The Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw detailed the history of the synagogue in its post:
“The research revealed that the cemetery director (or “intendant,” as the title was known at the time), Abram Pozner, brought his female cousins and relatives – along with their children – to the site early in the war so they could live safely in the pre-burial house, posing as staff members if necessary. With several funerals taking place daily, dozens of workers were constantly moving about the grounds. The cemetery was somewhat secluded, allowing for a relatively comfortable and quiet life, especially during the early days of the Ghetto’s existence.
“Carmi recalls that teachers came to him daily for language and academic lessons, ensuring he received an excellent education; in the evenings, bonfires were lit in the cemetery courtyard, artists arrived from the Ghetto, and all-night concerts, poetry readings, and theatrical performances were organized. As time went on, the situation grew more dangerous and grim; people began to perish in vast numbers, and the net was closing in. It was then, at Pozner’s initiative, that an additional underground hideout was created deep within the cemetery. Only two members of that group survived the war, and only one is still alive today.”