Written sources indicate Jews in Tábor from the end of the 16th century. In 1618, there were 2 Jewish families living in the city, in 1653 there were 8 families, which was the highest number until the middle of the 18th century. In 1769, there were 18 Jewish families living in Tábor, in 1840 there were 212 Jews, in 1880 there were 495 Jews (6.6% of all the city’s inhabitants), 459 Jews in 1900 (4.2%), and in 1930 only 311 Jews (2.1%).
There was never a Jewish ghetto in Tábor. An agreement with the city representatives meant that the Jews could live anywhere in the city except for on the town square and the main (Pražská) street. The synagogue was built between 1883 and 1885 between today’s streets Hradební and Na Parkánech. Services were held there until the Nazi occupation, then during and after the war it was used as a warehouse. In 1977 it was needlessly destroyed, and today there is a parking lot in its place. In 1992 a plaque commemorating the synagogue’s existence was unveiled on the neighboring wall.
The old Jewish cemetery was established in 1634 on a hillside between today’s Korandová Street and the lower (river bank) part of Bechyňská Street. Its area was later increased several times with the purchase of additional adjacent lands. The last burials took place here around 1893 when the cemetery was completely full. In 1941, this valuable cemetery was devastated by the Nazis, all the gravestones were taken away, and after the war the area was converted into a park. On 23 October 1955, a stone book memorial to the victims of the war was unveiled in the lower part of the cemetery, then in 2002 a monument was installed bearing the names of the victims of the Holocaust.
The new Jewish cemetery was opened in 1894 between today’s streets Československé armády, Kapitána Jaroše, and Dukelských bojovníků. It was used for burials until 1941, with about 400 people buried here during its existence. In 1941, the Nazis completely destroyed it, the tombstones were removed, and after the war the ceremonial hall was demolished. The cemetery is now modified into a park, and the existence of a cemetery is marked only by a monument unveiled in 1992 in the middle of a grassy area.