Tarłów is a village in Opatów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Tarłów. It lies approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) north-east of Opatów and 79 km (49 mi) east of the regional capital Kielce. It is approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) north of the town of Ozarow. The village belongs to historic province of Lesser Poland.

A golem is an animated, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century rabbi of Prague. According to Moment magazine, "the golem is a highly mutable metaphor with seemingly limitless symbolism. It can be a victim or villain, man or woman—or sometimes both. Over the centuries, it has been used to connote war, community, isolation, hope, and despair."