The new Jewish cemetery in Sanok (ul. Kiczury) came into being in the 19th century in the part of town known as Wójtostwo; it was accessible from ul. Głogowa. During World War II the Germans vandalised the cemetery. In the years 1942-1943 a dozen or so streets in Sanok were paved with headstones – including ul. Rejtana – as well as the road to Trepcza. Starting in 1942 the cemetery was a place where Polish citizens were executed; this also included people of Jewish ancestry. The last burial here took place in 1957.
In July 1988 the Nissenbaum Family Foundation conducted maintenance work in the cemetery. A fence was constructed and a momument was erected commemorating the Jews murdered during the German occupation. The previous fence had been destroyed during the German occupation.
In August 2008, thanks to the support of The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland and the local authority in Sanok, ŻOOM (Polish Jewish Youth Organisation) held a summer camp in the city, during which the Jewish cemetery was cleaned and an inventory was taken of the remaining headstones.
The cemetery is situated on the slope of a small hill which falls gently towards ul. Głogowa. In the south-west corner of the graveyard a few dozen preserved matzevot from the 19th and 20th centuries have been placed.
In the central part of the cemetery there is a cuboid monument dedicated to the victims of Nazism; it is adorned with sculptures of human faces and the Polish national emblem interwoven with the Star of David. The following inscription is engraved into the sides of the monument: "Let those who stand before this monument bow their heads and recall the martyrs who died for their homeland and their faith, and for the diginity and freedom of all people, opposing the brutality of genocidal racism. May their remains rest in peace! In this place during World War II Jews, Poles, Lemkos and Old Ruthenians were murdered by the Nazis. Israel Singer, the Nissenbaum Family Foundation. 1988."
The upper part of the hill is overgrown with trees and bushes, among which the concrete foundations of destroyed headstones and a few overturned matzevot can be found.
The cemetery grounds are enclosed by a fence. Keys to the entrance gate can be obtained from employees administering the nearby municipal cemetery.
