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Read MoreSavran
Kanetspol – XVIII, Sawrań (Polish), Саврань – Savran (Russian) Savran has been an urban-type village since 1957, a district center of the Odessa region. It has existed since the late XIV century. In the XVI – XVIII centuries, it was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1793 it was incorporated into the Russian Empire. In the XIX – early XX centuries, it was a shtetl of the Balta uyezd, Podolia gubernia. Since 1926 Savran has been a center of a Jewish national village council. We visited Savran during our expedition in the summer 2018. In 2019, Vladimir Chaplin, a director at the Odessa Jewish Museum provided us with audio records and photos of the ethnographic expedition to Savran in 2012. An interview with unofficial head of the Jewish community of Savran Mikhail Usilnikov was especially valuable for us. He died in 2016. Get Directions Beginning I didn’t find information about Jewish community of Savran in the XVIII-early XIX century. In 1870, two synagogues were functioning in Savran. In 1889 there were three, in the early XX century – four. In 1912, there was a Jewish savings-and-credit society in Savran. In the XIX – early XX centuries, the main occupations of the Jewish population of Savran were crafts and trade. In 1914, Jews owned four drugstores, both hotels, both forest warehouses, two mills, the only creamery, 66 stalls and shops, including all 17 groceries, all 17 textile shops, all three shoe-making shops, the only furniture shop, all three wine stores and all six bakeries. Savran Hasidic Dynasty Rabbi Moshe Tsvi Giterman was born in approximately 1775. He is considered to be the first Savran rabbi, a great student and follower of Levi Itskhak from Berdichev. and also of Rabbi Barukh from Medzhibozh, a grandson of Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judisiam. (after Levi Itskhak’s death Giterman become a rabbi in Berdichev) Jewish population of Savran: 1847 — 2548 Jews 1887 – 2900 (68%) 1897 — 3198 (54%) 1923 – 2851 Jews 1926 — 3415 Jews 1939 — 1101 Jews 2012 — 6 Jews 2018 – 1 Jew In 1811, rabbi Moshe Tsvi Giterman became a rabbi of Savran shtetl and a leader of Hasidim. He founded one of the most powerful Hasidic dynasties. His authority as a Tzaddic increased gradually, he became as famous as rabbi Israel from Ruzhin and rabbi Mordekhay from Chernobyl. He arranged assistance to hasids by collecting money in Israel. Rabbi Moshe Tsvi’s...
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Read MoreLadyzhinka
Ладижинка (Ukrainian) Ladyzhinka is a village in Uman district, Cherkassy region. Since 1726 it was a part of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1793, it was incorporated into the Russian Empire. In the XIX – early XX centuries, it was a shtetl in Uman uyezd, Kiev gubernia. Beginning Jews lived in Ladyzhinka from the XVIII century. In 1795, the Jewish community consisted of 400 people. Get Directions In the second half of the XIX century, the village grew into a town, and craftsmen began to settle there, particularly tailors, weavers and blacksmiths, who were mostly Jews. They lived in the center of the town, built houses and shops there and a few wealthy families were tenants. There were also three inns in Ladyzhinka and the owners were Jews. The population consisted of 1,470 Orthodox Christians, 12 Roman Catholics and 825 Jews. By the end of the XIX century, Jews accounted for 31,5% of the total population (1173 people). The town had two synagogues and a Jewish cemetery. During the pogroms in 1906, many Jews left Ladyzhinka. In the 1910s, a Jewish savings and loan society operated, Jews owned eight stores, two inns, a restaurant and a pharmacy. In 2017, one local citizen recalled rich Jewish woman Gesia who used to rent three ponds and owned a mill before the revolution. There was one large synagogue and perhaps a smaller one in the shtetl. The location of the second synagogue is unknown. The main synagogue was destroyed during the pogroms of 1919. An inn was situated near the main synagogue. It was destroyed after the war. Pogroms The pogroms in Ladyzhinka did not differ in severity from those throughout the Uman area and there was looting and attacks on old people, women and children. Particularly brutal was the gang from Semiduby. On May 14, 1919, during the pogrom, 100 Jews were killed. In July 1919, almost all the Jews left Ladyzhinka in search of asylum, most fleeing to Golovanevsk, Uman and Odessa. Jewish population of Ladyzhinka: 1795 ~ 400 Jews 1897 — 1173 (31%) 2017 – 0 In May-June 1919, more than 100 Jews of Ladizhinka were killed by their Ukrainian neighbors. The biggest pogrom in the shtetl happened on July 12, 1919 during a weekly fair. The horrors of this pogrom are described in Russian below. Peasants cut both arms off of the local rabbi and stabbed him with pitchforks. After the pogrom 69 dead bodies were buried as...
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Read MoreGolovanevsk
Golovanevsk is a district center of Kirovograd region. Population is 5 982 people (2016). In the XIX – early XX centuries, it was a shtetl of Balta uyezd, Podolia gubernia. Jews lived in Golovanevsk starting in the late XVIII century. In the shtetl there were two synagogues in 1889, a private male training school in 1909, and a Jewish savings and credit society in 1912. Get Directions In 1905, a pogrom nearly happened in the shtetl. 15 Jews from Golovanevsk were fiercely beaten at the fair in the neighboring village of Troyany (now Zaporozhye region – editor’s note), a Jewish market was looted. After that event there was great anxiety among Jews of the shtetl. The non-Jews who came from Troyany after the fair to the village were beaten severely. A man was sent to Balta in order to buy 15 revolvers for the shtetl. Khaim Ostroy organized a self defense detachment in the village. He collected money from wealthy Jews and bribed some officers in Balta, so they sent 100 soldiers to guard the shtetl. Thus, the pogrom was prevented in 1905. Civil War pogroms On December 18, 1917 a pogrom took place in Golovanevsk. It was stopped by the forces of the self-defense detachment. Nine non-Jews were killed. In 1918 Chaim Ostroy organized a Jewish self-defense unit that numbered several hundred armed people. The unit successfully protected the county population from pogroms and attacks of gangs. Thanks to the self-defense detachment, Golovanevsk became an asylum where thousands of Jews fled from nearby shtetls that had been seized by pogroms. Because of the overcrowding, a typhus outbreak occurred in the shtetl killing hundreds of people. Unfortunately, the self-defense detachment couldn’t confront huge military forces. In August 1919, the detachment was defeated by the Volunteer Army under the command of General Slaschev. Khaim and Yakov Ostroy were shot on Saturday, 12 days before Rosh ha-Shana. As a punishment for the fierce opposition of the detachment, the White Guards massacred 200 Jews in Golovanevsk. However, the local Roman Catholic priest hid the families of the detachment fighters, and consequently many Jews survived including Esfir, Khaim Ostroy’s daughter. It happened on August 4, 1919. Boris Shmidt and Yakov Zaydman, members of the detachment, testified about the Ostroys’ murders in the Golovanevsk People’s Court which took place on the 28th of October 1931. The pogroms caused a wave of internal emigration. According to statistical data, 43 families of Jewish refugees from Golovanevsk lived...
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Read MoreUshomir
Ushomir is a village in Korosten district, Zhytomir region. The village’s population is 1323 (as of 2019). Ushomir is located on the Uzh River, a tributary of the Pripyat. In the late XIX – early XX century, Ushomir was a shtetl in Zhitomir district, Volin guberniya. In 2017, local teacher Nikolay Palamarchuk was our guild in the village. He provided a detailed map of Jewish places of former shtetl which you can see below. Get Directions Beginning The first mention of Jewish families in Ushomir date back to the XVII century. For 20 years (between 1870 and 1890) there were breweries, two leather factories, three tar factories, and glass factories functioning in Ushomir. A brick factory and a pottery shop had been expanded. Almost all enterprises employed Jews – from masters to workers. Some of the industrial enterprises also belonged to the Jews. Jewish population of Ushomir: 1847 – 1080 Jews 1897 – 1754 (73%) 1926 – 1749 (69%) 1931 – 1593 Jews 2017 – 0 In 1847, 1,080 Jews lived there. Then, half a century later, in 1897, there were 1,754 Jews out of 2,381 inhabitants of the town. There were three synagogues in the shtetl. Most of the population were artisans, tailors, shoemakers, potters, saddlers and many others. Jews were prohibited to be engaged in farming. Most of the population of the town was poor. Pogroms In the summer of 1919, peasants from the neighboring villages occupied Ushomir and forced all local Jews between the ages of 16 and 40 years old, to pay 10 rubles. On October 9, 1920, a detachment of Polish troops plundered the shtetl and killed four Jews. I could not find more mentions of any anti-Semitic incidents during the Russian Civil War. If we take into consideration the Jewish population in the 1920’s, we can conclude that the Jewish community was not badly affected during the pogroms of the Civil War because the number of Jews did not decrease at this time, as it did elsewhere. Between the Wars In the 1920’s, a Jewish village council was formed in the shtetl. Also in the 1920’s, the entire center of Ushomir was occupied by Jewish business including blacksmiths, taverns, and stalls. In 1926, 1,749 Jews lived in Ushomir. It was 69.29 % of the whole population. I. Nudelman and Mendel Bresker represent Ushomir in Korosten Rabbi’s conference. Guess, both of them were local rabbis. Father of rabbi Mendel Bresker, Yankel-Rafuil Bresker was a rabbi in...
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Read MoreAnanyev
אַנאַניעוו (Yiddish), Ана́ньїв (Ukrainian), Ананьев (Russian) Ananyev is a city and the administrative center of Ananyiv district in the Odessa region. It stands on the Tyligul River. Population: 8,495 (2015 est.) Ananyev became part of the Russian Empire in 1792, registered as a district town (uyezd) of Kherson gubernia in 1834-1920, then assigned to the Odessa gubernia in 1920. In 1924-1940, Ananyev was part of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Republic of Ukraine. David Vladimirovich Neifleisch (born in 1948), a deputy of the local town council and one of the last remaining Jewish residents of Ananyev shared his memories of the post-war Ananyev in the summer of 2018. His father’s first family, a wife and two children (a boy and a girl) perished in Ananyev during the Nazi occupation. Neifleish could remember the photo of his father’s killed son which remained on the wall of their house for the rest of his father’s life. Some documents relating to the Jewish history of Ananyev are being kept in Tiraspol, the capital of as yet internationally unrecognized Transnistrian Republic. These documents are therefore very difficult to access as travel permits remain problematic. Get Directions Beginning Ananyev was founded in 1753. In 1792 it became part of the Russian Empire. Jews began to settle there in the beginning of the XIX century. A Talmud Torah operated from 1880. Most Jews in Ananyev were engaged in tailoring and trade. In the 1810s, there was just one synagogue in Ananyev, with four more and two Jewish cemeteries by the turn of the XX century. PreRevolution photo of Ananyev from collection of local museum: In 1837, the Khevra Kadish was established, in 1899, the Society for the Assistance to the Poor, in 1893, a State Jewish college and a private Jewish Women’s college, in 1903, a Society for the Assistance for the Students, in 1912, a Jewish Savings and Credit Society. Jewish population of Ananyev: 1856 — 532 Jews 1864 – 992 Jews 1897 — 3257 (20%) 1920 – 4135 1926 — 3516 (19,3%) 1939 — 1779 Jews 2018 – 3 Jews In the 1860s, Solomon Nukhimovich Chernetsky was appointed a rabbi in Ananyev. Solomon Markovich Zgut and Felix Fantukh were the district rabbis. Since 1908, Abram-Volf Berenshteyn (1872 – ?) served as a rabbi in Ananyev. On April 27, 1881, a pogrom broke out in the shtetl. As a result, 175 houses were destroyed. Mikhail Krasniansky recalls: My grandfather was one...
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Read MoreKrivoye Ozero
Krivoye Ozero is an urban type village founded in the 18th century. It is located on the banks of the Kodyma River and holds a long history of both vibrant and tragic Jewish life. Since the 1970s, the village became the district center of the Nikolayev region, having previously belonged to the Odessa region. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, Chumaky Way, a trade road through which products from Southern Ukraine were delivered to the center, laid across Krivoye Ozero, including during the time of the Russian Empire. In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the village became part of the Balta Uyezd (Podolia Gubernia). Get Directions Beginning Jewish life in Krivoye Ozero came about parallel to the founding of the village in 1762. Almost a century later, there were three functioning synagogues. In 1896, five years after a pogrom took place, Nokhum Zeyev Tabachnik became the village rabbi. However, it was in 1905 after a wave of pogroms in neighboring villages that Jews began to settle more in Krivoye Ozero, leading to the rapid development of shtetl life. By 1910, there were six synagogues, one Jewish cemetery and a private Jewish college. Two years later, a Jewish savings and credit society was organized. In 1914, Leyba Eyzelevich Lemberg became the official rabbi of the shtetl. During this time, the main occupations of the Jewish population were craft and trade. Jewish owners also operated: three drug stores, one inn, ten forest warehouses, two creameries, 23 stalls, 33 manufactories. Krivoye Ozero entrepreneurs list from Russian Empire Business Directories by 1913: Amongst the Jewish population there were: two doctors, a jeweler, 20 blacksmiths, 20 carpenters, nine tinsmiths, twelve glaziers, 60 cobblers, 100 employees in 10 different creameries. Jewish population of Krivoye Ozero: 1847 — 1116 Jews 1897 — 5478 (70%) 1923 — 3939 Jews 1939 — 1447 Jews 1997 – 17 Jews 2002 – 6 Jews 2018 – 0 From December 1919, a pogrom committed by detachments of a volunteer army lasted several weeks. As a result Jewish homes, warehouses and shops were looted and destroyed. The number of deaths is unsure. While some sources claim 280, others claim that approximately 600 Jews were killed, and hundreds were wounded. Many Jews fleeing the pogrom froze to their death in the harsh winter conditions. Another pogrom was committed by Denikin’s soldiers. They killed hundreds of men on their way to Shabbat prayer on a Friday evening. The next pogrom was committed by Petliura’s people, who killed anyone who came into their sight. This...
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Read MoreBelilovka
Belilovka is a village in the Ruzhin district of the Zhitomir region. In the XVI through XVIII centuries, it was a village of Kiev county and voivodship, a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1793, it was incorporated into the Russian Empire. In the XIX and early XX centuries, it was a shtetl of Berdichev uyezd, Kiev gubernia. The first records of Jews in Belilovka date back to 1719. Get Directions We learned that in April 1735 an attorney of Duke Liubomirsky, the owner of Belilovka, complained about several dozens of cossacks having attacked the village. They robbed, beat, and humiliated people of the shtetl, particularly Jews. Three Jewish citizens were tortured to death. In 1863, there were two synagogues in Belilovka. Shloyme Makhrinsky (1880 – ?) was a rabbi in Belilovka starting in 1900. In 1912, a savings and credit society was functioning in Belilovka. The main occupation of the Jewish population of Belilovka was traded. However, there were also Jewish pharmacists, dentists, and tailors in the shtetl. There was a tannery and a grits factory in the shtetl as well. Up to 200 Jewish families lived in Belilovka. The biggest house in shtetl belonged to local first-class merchant Avram-Girsh Blishtein. In 1919, the Jewish population of the shtetl suffered from a pogrom. Belilovka Jews were looted. I didn’t find more information about this period 🙁 In the 1920’s, a Jewish school was opened in the shtetl. In the 1930’s, it was turned into a Ukrainian school but locals kept calling it “Jewish” even after WWII. The school building existed until 1981, and then a new school was built. Jewish population of Belilovka: 1763 – 124 Jews 1847 — 1008 Jews 1897 — 2223 (46%) 1923 — 2130 Jews 1939 — 633 еврея (11%). 2017 – 1 Jews 2018 – 0 Holocaust In 1939, 633 Jews lived in Belilovka. They were 11% of the total population. It was occupied in July, 1941. Some of the Jews had evacuated to the East before the occupation. Also, many young men had been called up for military service in the Red Army. About 300 Jews remained in the village… In July – October 1941, the village was ruled by the German military commandant’s office. Starting in November 1941, Belilovka was incorporated into Ruzhin gebit in Zhitomir General County of Reichskommissariat Ukraine. In Belilovka, Jews were ordered to wear the Star of David, to surrender all their gold and valuable, they were forced...
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Read MorePiatigory
Пятигоры (Russian), П’ятигори (Ukrainian) Piatigory is a village in the Tetiyev district of Kiev region. In the XVI – XVIII centuries, it was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Starting in 1793 it was in the Russian Empire. In the XIX – early XX centuries, it was a shtetl of Tarascha uyezd, in the Kiev gubernia. Get Directions In 1787, there were ten traders among the Jews. In 1873, a synagogue was functioning in Piatigory. In 1865 – 1910, Moyshe Lerman (? – 1910) was a rabbi in Piatigory. When M.Lerman had died his son Tsvi-Itskhok (1866 – ?) took his place and was a rabbi in the shtetl starting in 1910. In 1914, two synagogues were opened in Piatigory. There was a Jewish cemetery in the shtetl. Jewish population of Piatigory: 1847 – 603 Jews 1897 – 1385 (31%) 1923 – 244 Jews 1926 – 531 Jews 2018 – 3 Jews Jews owned both chemists’ warehouses, both mills, and 46 stalls in Piatigory, including all 15 groceries, all nine manufactories and all 11 bakeries. During the Civil War the Jewish population of Piatigory suffered pogroms, including the pogroms committed by the parts of the Volunteer Army in 1919. The majority of Jews left Piatigory. In 1925, a society of immigrants from Piatigory was organized in the USA which helped the Jews living in Piatigory. In the 1920’s, a Jewish school was open in the shtetl. In the end of 1930’s, Klotsman (his name is unknown) was a head of the village council. Holocaust Before the war Piatigory had the largest Jewish population in the Tetiyev district. 200-300 Jews lived here and there were about 50 Jewish houses. (Tetiyev Jewish community was exterminated in pogroms in 1919-1920.) Because of this, Jews from the entire Tetiyev district were brought here to be killed. The majority of Jews hadn’t evacuated and stayed in their village. On July 19 1941, Piatigory was occipied by Wehrmacht regiments. On the 31 of July 1941, two Jewish hostages were killed in Piatigory. On August 28 1941, all Jewish men age 14 and older were ordered to come to school for a meeting. The 17 Jews who came were all killed. Bunia Klotsman and Avram Strizhevsky were among them. In November – December 1941, Piatigory was incorporated into Tarascha gebit , Kiev general district. Soon a ghetto was formed. On April 25 1942, all able-bodied Jews of Piatigory were deported to the labor camp in Buki The rest...
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Savran
Kanetspol – XVIII, Sawrań (Polish), Саврань – Savran (Russian) Savran has been an urban-type village since 1957, a district center of the Odessa region. It has existed since the late XIV century. In the XVI – XVIII centuries, it was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1793 it was incorporated into the Russian Empire. In the XIX – early XX centuries, it was a shtetl of the Balta uyezd, Podolia gubernia. Since 1926 Savran has been a center of a Jewish national village council. We visited Savran during our expedition in the summer 2018. In 2019, Vladimir Chaplin, a director at the Odessa Jewish Museum provided us with audio records and photos of the ethnographic expedition to Savran in 2012. An interview with unofficial head of the Jewish community of Savran Mikhail Usilnikov was especially valuable for us. He died in 2016. Get Directions Beginning I didn’t find information about Jewish community of Savran in the XVIII-early XIX century. In 1870, two synagogues were functioning in Savran. In 1889 there were three, in the early XX century – four. In 1912, there was a Jewish savings-and-credit society in Savran. In the XIX – early XX centuries, the main occupations of the Jewish population of Savran were crafts and trade. In 1914, Jews owned...
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Ladyzhinka
Ладижинка (Ukrainian) Ladyzhinka is a village in Uman district, Cherkassy region. Since 1726 it was a part of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1793, it was incorporated into the Russian Empire. In the XIX – early XX centuries, it was a shtetl in Uman uyezd, Kiev gubernia. Beginning Jews lived in Ladyzhinka from the XVIII century. In 1795, the Jewish community consisted of 400 people. Get Directions In the second half of the XIX century, the village grew into a town, and craftsmen began to settle there, particularly tailors, weavers and blacksmiths, who were mostly Jews. They lived in the center of the town, built houses and shops there and a few wealthy families were tenants. There were also three inns in Ladyzhinka and the owners were Jews. The population consisted of 1,470 Orthodox Christians, 12 Roman Catholics and 825 Jews. By the end of the XIX century, Jews accounted for 31,5% of the total population (1173 people). The town had two synagogues and a Jewish cemetery. During the pogroms in 1906, many Jews left Ladyzhinka. In the 1910s, a Jewish savings and loan society operated, Jews owned eight stores, two inns, a restaurant and a pharmacy. In 2017, one local citizen recalled rich Jewish woman Gesia who used to rent three ponds and...
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Golovanevsk
Golovanevsk is a district center of Kirovograd region. Population is 5 982 people (2016). In the XIX – early XX centuries, it was a shtetl of Balta uyezd, Podolia gubernia. Jews lived in Golovanevsk starting in the late XVIII century. In the shtetl there were two synagogues in 1889, a private male training school in 1909, and a Jewish savings and credit society in 1912. Get Directions In 1905, a pogrom nearly happened in the shtetl. 15 Jews from Golovanevsk...
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Ushomir
Ushomir is a village in Korosten district, Zhytomir region. The village’s population is 1323 (as of 2019). Ushomir is located on the Uzh River, a tributary of the Pripyat. In the late XIX – early XX century, Ushomir was a shtetl in Zhitomir district, Volin guberniya. In 2017, local teacher Nikolay Palamarchuk was our guild in the village. He provided a detailed map of Jewish places of former shtetl which you can see below. Get Directions Beginning The first mention...
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Ananyev
אַנאַניעוו (Yiddish), Ана́ньїв (Ukrainian), Ананьев (Russian) Ananyev is a city and the administrative center of Ananyiv district in the Odessa region. It stands on the Tyligul River. Population: 8,495 (2015 est.) Ananyev became part of the Russian Empire in 1792, registered as a district town (uyezd) of Kherson gubernia in 1834-1920, then assigned to the Odessa gubernia in 1920. In 1924-1940, Ananyev was part of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Republic of Ukraine. David Vladimirovich...
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Krivoye Ozero
Krivoye Ozero is an urban type village founded in the 18th century. It is located on the banks of the Kodyma River and holds a long history of both vibrant and tragic Jewish life. Since the 1970s, the village became the district center of the Nikolayev region, having previously belonged to the Odessa region. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, Chumaky Way, a trade road through which products from Southern Ukraine were delivered to the center, laid across Krivoye...
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Belilovka
Belilovka is a village in the Ruzhin district of the Zhitomir region. In the XVI through XVIII centuries, it was a village of Kiev county and voivodship, a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1793, it was incorporated into the Russian Empire. In the XIX and early XX centuries, it was a shtetl of Berdichev uyezd, Kiev gubernia. The first records of Jews in Belilovka date back to 1719. Get Directions We learned that in April 1735 an attorney...
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