The Jewish community of Ruzhin emerged in the 18th century reaching its peak Jewish population of 2,197 in 1897, some two thirds of the total in the town. From the 1820’s, Ruzhin became the seat of an important and large chassidic court led by Reb Yisroel Friedman until his arrest in 1838. Today there are 784 tombstones remaining in the Jewish cemetery dating from the 1870s to the beginning of the 21st century.

In 2019 ESJF with the support of Geder Avos and American Jewish philanthropic organizations cleared the site and erected a fence around the cemetery.

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