Burial Registry
Due to the diligent work of Dr. Szpek, a database of vital details from Bagnowka Jewish Cemetery in Bialystok, present-day Poland was started in 2007. Initially, as a means to organize the biblical texts recorded in inscriptions for academic research, however, it has also become a way for family to connect with ancestors. The original database eventually grew from 1200 to about 1800 entries, with about 1200 surnames and an additional 600 with other data. The current registry preserves more than 5100 records with extant related data (given name, father’s name, most often date of death). Complete surnames are extant for 3719 records. In 2024, Ken-Asher Arbit and his wife Paul-Penina Arbit as well as Deborah Arbit joined in documentation with Dr. Szpek. In 2025, in addition to the Arbits, Lisa Cook and her daughter Shaindel, and Lisa Kleinmann joined in documentation, enabling 1000s of incomplete records to be rechecked as well as newly restored matzevoth documented.
The 2025-26 database was uploaded to the Jewish Online Worldwide Burial Registry JOWBR, coordinated by Ken-Asher Arbit and JOWBR’s Head of Acquisitions, Nolan Altman. Twice yearly (November and May), Bagnowka records will continue to be added to the JOWBR database until restoration on Bagnowka is complete.
The February updated 2025-26 database can be viewed below. Partial surnames appear before Complete Surnames in alphabetical order.
Additional Acknowledgments: Photographs 2006-10, by Dr. Tomek Wisniewski with inscriptions translated by Dr. Szpek (2006-09) and Sara Mages (2010). Photographs 2007-2024 by Frank Idzikowski and Heidi M. Szpek. Photographs from 2024-2025 by documentation team members and BCRF Bialystok liaison board member, Andrzej Rusewicz.
