The first Sephardic Jews arrived in the area that’s now North Macedonia during the Roman period and eventually settled in Skopje, Bitola and Štip. Never a particularly large community, life for Macedonia’s Jewish men, women and children ended in 1943 when, with the exception of a few partisans away fighting at the time, the entire Jewish population of the country was rounded up by the occupying Bulgarians and sent to the death camp at Treblinka. Jews first arrived in Štip in the 16th century, and this large cemetery, that was completely renovated in 2016, is where the historical pre-war community rests in peace. To find the surviving 73 graves, drive south on the main road out of town and turn left when you see the large Orthodox cemetery on the hill that lies directly beneath it. Don’t forget to leave a stone on a grave before you depart.