Belohirya
Belohirya is an urban-type settlement and the district centre in the Khmelnytskyi region. In 2011, the population was 5,483. The settlement is located along the Gorin River. Before 1946, the settlement was known as Lyakhovtsi. Lyakhovtsi was first mentioned in historical documents in 1441. From the 16th to 18th centuries, it was a city in the Kremenets County of the Volyn Voivodeship within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1793, Lyakhovtsi became a part of the Russian Empire. In the 19th to early 20th century, it was a shtetl in the Ostroh County of the Volyn Governorate. Much more information about Lyakhovtsi can be found in this website. In 1708, the Jews of Lyakhovtsi suffered greatly from raids by Cossack, Swedish, and Russian troops. Representatives of the Jewish population and the bourgeoisie declared on December 5, 1708, that the city had been destroyed. In...
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Yampol
Yampol is a village in the Belogorie district of the Khmelnytskyi region. It should be distinct from Yampol in the Vinnytsia region, as these are two different places. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the village was called Yanushpol. So, likewise, it should be distinct from Yanushpol in the Zhytomyr region. More information about PreWWII Yampol can be found in Yampol memorial book. Yampol was part of the Volyn Voivodeship, Kremenets Powiat, during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the early 18th century, the inhabitants of Yampol, including Jews, were devastated by the armies of Cossacks, Swedes, Poles, and Russians. In 1765, the population was 476. At the beginning of the 19th century, Yampol was part of the Volyn Province, Kremenets District. Information about the lives of Jews in Yampol in the 1930s-1940s was taken from a two-hour interview with a...
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Teofipol
Teofipol is a town in the Khmelnytskyi district of the Khmelnytskyi region. In 2013, the population was 7686 people. The Jews called this town Tshon. Several short stories about the Jews of Teofipol before the Revolution can be found here. During the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Teofipol was part of the Volhynian Voivodeship, Kremenets Powiat. Teofipol was under the influence of the Kremenets kahal. However, in 1758, a separate kahal was organized in Teofipol and Jews from surrounding villages were subordinated to it. In 1765, there were 516 Jews in Teofipol and the surrounding villages. In the Russian Empire, Teofipol was a town of the Starokostiantyniv district, Volyn province. In 1897 the Jewish population of 2,914 comprised 65 percent of the total population. There were (in 1910) a private Jewish boys’ school and a private Jewish girls’ school. The main occupations...
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Khmelnik
Khmelnik is a city and the administrative centre of the Vinnitskiy district. As of 2013, the population of the city was 28,217 people. Khmelnik is located on the Southern Bug River, dividing it into Old and New cities. The city was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1363. It was situated 6 km from the Black Road, used by Tatars and Turks during their attacks on Ukraine, and was a gateway to Podolia from the northeast. Therefore, Khmelnik gradually fortified itself, and by 1434, when it became part of Poland, it was a fortified castle with houses around it. In 1448, Khmelnik was granted the Magdeburg law. In 1793, Khmelnytskyi became part of the Podolian Governorate of the Russian Empire. In 1881, Khmelnytskyi had one of the largest Jewish communities in the Podolian Governorate. During the Civil War, a...
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Orynin
Оринін (Ukrainian), Орынин(Russian) Orynin is a town of Kamenets-Podolskiy district. The town’s estimated population is 2664. Orynin was first written about in 1474. Since 1569 it was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth In 1672-1699, it was under the power of the Ottoman Empire. Since 1793 it was incorporated into the Russian Empire. Since 1797 Orynin was a town of Kamenets-Podolskiy uyezd, Podolia gubernia. Information for this article was taken from a book written by Beril Segal and Naum Bernstein. The head of Kamienets-Podolskiy community Aleksandr Shulyk originated from Orynin and Orynin historian Vladimir shared their memories. My locationGet Directions Beginning Orynin is first mentioned in archival documents dating back from 1474. A Jewish community in Orynin dates back to 1582. During the times of Khmelnitskiy uprising the shtetl was ruined, many Jews and Frankists left it, a lot of them...
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Sokolets
Sokolets is a small village in Dunayivtsi district, Khmelnitskiy region. In 2001, 676 people lived in the village. In the era of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Sokolets had been a shtetl of Podolia voivodship (district) by 1793. In the early XX century, it was a shtetl of Podolia district, Ushitsa uezd. An abandoned part of the village is located in the bottom of the picturesque Ushitsa gorge. My locationGet Directions Beginning Jews started to settle in Sokolets in the XVIII century. After the murder of local Jews during the Haidamak uprising (1768), the Jewish population of Sokolets dropped significantly. Jewish population of Sokolets: 1765 – 356 Jews 1847 – 457 Jews 1897 – 747 (27% of total) 1926 – 616 Jews 1931 – 425 Jews In 1765, there were 356 Jews in Sokolets and nearby villages. In XVIII century Polish...
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Liantskorun
Лянцкорунь, Зарічанка (Ukrainian) Zarichanka (Liantskorun by 1947), is a village in Chemerovtsy district of the Khmelnitskiy region. The village is located on the river Zhvanchik and the tributary Letavka. In 1793 it was incoperated into the Russian Empire. By the late XIX – early XX century it was a shtetl in Kamenets district of Podolye province. In 1923-1928 it was a district center. According to the census of 2001 its population was 892 people. In 2000 a local resident Ruslan Kozak (born in 1979) tried to write down the history of Liantskorun while he was studying in Kamenets-Podolskiy University. A lot of facts about the life of Jews from Zarechanka were mentioned in his work. Beginning The name Liantskorun appeared in the first half of the XVIII century when the family Liantskoronskiy owned the village and managed to elevate it to the...
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Zhvanets
Zhvanets is a town in Kamenets district of Khmelnitskiy region. The town’s estimated population is 1,529 (as of 2001). It is situated on the iver Dniester 20 kilometers away from the district center. It has been a town of Kamenets district since the mid 1920s. Before Revolution it was a shtetl of Kamenets ueazd, Podolia gubernia. Beginning The first mention of Zhvanets that appeared in historical record was in 1431. In 1646 the town received Magdeburg right. It is known that there was a conflict between the Jews and bishop Chizhevskiy in 1663. Jewish population of Zhvanets: 1765 – 1134 Jews 1784 – 617 Jews 1847 – 1619 Jews 1897 – 3353 (67% of total) 1902 – 3494 Jews 1923 – 1196 Jews 1926 – 1383 (40,2%) 1939 – 626 Jews 1989 – 5 Jews 1993 – 0 In...
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Smotrich
Smotrich is a historic town located in Dunaevtsy district of Khmelnitskiy region. The town’s estimated population is 2,087 (as of 2001). During the time of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795), Smotrich was a town in Podolsk voivodeship (it received the Magdeburg Charter in 1488). Smotrich became a part of Russia Empire in 1795 , in XIX – beginning of XX century it was a shtetl of Kamenets Yezd of Podolia Gubernia. Smotrich is approx. 25 km from Dunaevtsy and in 34 km from Kamenets-Podolskiy. Beginning By the beginning of 18th century there was a Jewish community in Smotrich. A large synagogue, noted for its beauty, was built there in the 18th century. Jewish population of Smotrich: 1765 – 375 Jews 1847 – 1,274 Jews 1897 — 1,725 (40%) 1939 – 1,075 (18.5%) 2016 ~ 3 In 1712, a Jewish community with...
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Sudilkov
סודילקאוו (Hebrew), Судилків (Ukrainian), Судилков (Russian), Sudyłków (Polish) Much of information for this article was taken from Max Grossman’s personal website. Sudilkov is a village located in the Shepetovka district of Khmelnitski (former Kamenets-Podolski) region. The village’s population is estimated at 5,277 (as of 2007). Sudilkov is approx. 34 km from Polonne and in 280 km from Kiev. In the beginning of the XX century Sudilkov was located about 6 km from Shepetovka but is now a suburb of Shepetovka. The population of Sudilkov has not changed in the XX century due to the extermination of the Jewish population and natural growth within Ukrainian population. The town became a part of the Russia Empire in 1793 after the third Partition of Poland. Before the Revolution it was a shtetl of the Zaslav yezd, Volyn guberniya. Beginning Sudilkov was first mentioned in...
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Shepetovka
Шепетівка (Ukrainian), Шепетовка – Shepetovka (Russian), שעפּעטיווקע (Yiddish), Shepetovka is a city located in the Khmelnitskiy region. It is located on the Rivers Guska and Kosetska. The city’s estimated population is 43 661 (as of 2010). Shepetovka is approx. 100 km from Khmelnitskiy and in 270 km from Kiev. My locationGet Directions The first mention of Shepetivka appears in Polish sources dating from 1594. It was given Magdeburg Rights at the end of the XVI century. We can assume that the first Jewish community of Shepetivka, was destroyed along with Polish population during The Khmelnitskiy Uprising of 1649. Following the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, the city became a part of the Russian Empire. Before the Revolution it was a shtetl of Izyaslav yezd, Volyn guberniya. Beginning We can assume that Jews appeared in Shepetovka at the end...
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Izyaslav
Izyaslav (formerly Zaslavl) city in Khmelnitski region. Situated on the Horyn river, the city dates back to the 11th century. As of 2009, the population of Izyslav was 17,232. It is one of the oldest cities in Volhynia. Before 1917, it was a сenter of Izyaslav uezd of Volyn gubernia. More information about Izyslav jews can be found in the book of the Head of local Museum L. Levitskaya. Also another article about historical center of Izyaslav was published here. History of Izyaslav Jews in one video: Beginning The first evidence about the Jewish community there dates back to the first half of the 16th century. Most of the Jews fled to the neighbouring cities (Ostrog, Mezhirich and Dubno) during the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648. Among them was Nathan ben Moses Hannover who described these tragic events in his book...
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Medzhibozh
Międzybóż (Polish), Меджибіж (Ukrainian), Меджибож – Medzhibozh (Russian), מעזשביזש, Mezbizh (Yiddish) Medzibozh, a small town in the Khmelnitsky district (former Kamenets-Podolski district), Ukraine; until 1793 a part of Poland and then a part of the Russian Empire until 1917 it came under the jurisdiction of the province of Podolia. My locationGet Directions Beginning Medzibozh Jewish community is one of the oldest in Ukraine, a Jewish community here is mentioned in the Polish sources dating back to 1509 when a Medzhibozh Jew called Liberman was appointed as a tax collection supervisor. Jewish gravestones from the first half of the 16th century in what is now called the Old Jewish Cemetery also indicate the presence of the Jews in Medzibozh in the medieval period. 1571 census recorded the population of Medzibozh as being made up of 95 Ruthenians, 35 Jews, and...
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Kamenets-Podolski
Kamenets-Podolski, a town in the Khmelnitski district of Ukraine and a district capital until the 1950s. The area was under the Lithuanian control from the XIV century, and remained so after the unification of Poland and Lithuania in 1569, except for a short but formative period of the Ottoman rule between 1672 and 1699; the territory passed to Russia in 1795, and from then on until the Revolution of 1917 Kamenets-Podolski remained the capital of the province of Podolia. My locationGet Directions The roots of Kamenets-Podolski Jewish community For a long time the municipality of Kamenets-Podolski prevented any attempts of the local Jews to settle in this important trading and commerce center in the southeastern Poland-Lithuania. In 1447 any Jews were prohibited from staying here for more than three days. In 1598 King Sigismund III prohibited Jews from settling...
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Dunaevtsy
Dinovitz (Yiddish), Дунаевцы – Dunaevtsy (Russian), Дунаївці (Ukrainian) Dunaevtsy is the capital city of Dunaevtsy Region, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located on the river Ternavka, 22 km from the Dunaevtsy railway station and 68 km from the town of Khmelnytsky. As of 2001, the population of Dunaevtsy was 16,448 (2001). My locationGet Directions Where it all began The Jews have lived in Dunaevtsy since the 16th century. In the 17th – 18th centuries the main Jewish occupations were trade and crafts, represented by the guilds of weavers, shoemakers and painters. In 1648, almost all Jews were slaughtered by the Bogdan Hmelnitskiy army. In the second part of 17th century the Jewish community was revived. In 1748 the Jews became the victims of “blood libel.” The Jewish community numbered 1,129 in 1765, but by 1775 it was ...
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Pilyava
Pilyava is a village located in Starosinyavskiy district, Khmelnitskiy region of Ukraine. Kozelets is located on the Ikva River, a tributary of the Southern Bug. The villag’s estimated population is 672 (as of 2001). Pilyava became a part of Russia Empire in 1793, in XIX – beginning of XX century it was shtetl of Litin Yezd of Podolskaya Gubernia. Known since 1501. In the XVI-XVIII centuries Pilyava was a part of Commonwealth, since 1793 – in the Russian Empire. In the XIX – early XX it was a shtetl of Litin County town in Podolsk province. Population according to 2001 census – 672 persons. Near the village take place great Battle of Pyliavtsi (September 23, 1648) was the third significant battle of the Khmelnytsky Uprising. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth forces met a numerically superior force of Cossacks and Crimean Tatars under the command of Bohdan Khmelnytsky...
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Krasnostav
Krasnostav is a small village in Slavuta district of Kmelnitskiy region. Population in the beginning of XXI century is only 535 person. But before Revolution it was a mestechko (shtetl) of Berezdov district, most population were a jews. In Ukraine exist 3 villages with same names (in Zhitomir, Chernihiskiy and Volinskiy regions) but they didn’t have such big Jewish population as this village. Don’t miss this Krasnostav with city in Lublin voevodstvo in Poland – Krasnystav. More information about PreWWII Jewish history of Krasnostav can be found in tkfgen.org here, here, here, here and here. Beginning Hlapotin (it was initial name of current Krasnostav) mentioned in first time in 1386. Krasnostav became a city at June 2, 1573. So we can assume that first Jews appear here in XVI century. City get Magdeburg rights in 1616. In the beginning of...
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Berezdov
Berezdovis a village in the Slavuta district of Khmelnitsky region. In the XVI-XVIII centuries it was a Lutsk povit of Volyn province. Since 1793- part of Russia Empire. In the XIX – early XX century Berezdovo (other title is Berestov) was a shtetl of Novograd-Volynskiy yezd, Volyn province. Population in 2000 was 1437 persons. Beginning The earliest known Jewish community exist there in XVII century. In 1618, Krim Tartar abducted local residents. In 1765 there were 49 Jewish houses, in 1784 – 33, in 1787 – 29.From the middle of XIX rabbi was Avrom Stepansky, from 1880 rabbi was hisson Chaim Stepansky (1854 -?). I didn’t find information about events in Berezdov during Revolution and Civil War. During the NEP trade and crafts have revived in Berezdov, dozens of private shops appeared on market square. Artisans were mainly Jews,...
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Kilikiev
Kilikiev is a village in the Slavuta district of Khmelnitsky region. Since 1793 – in Russia Empire. In XIX – beginning XX century – mestechko Ostrozhskiy yezd of Volyn gubernia. Population in the beginning of XXI century – 863 persons. Kilikiev mentioned in archiv as a city at first time in 1596. The earliest known Jewish community was XVII century. In the end of XIX century there was a synagogue and Jewish cemetery. At the beginning of XX century Jews built the mill with a steam engine, which grind grain not only for locals but also people from surrounding villages. Bath was built in the center of the village (now Pershotravneva Str.) In 1914 all 3 grocery store belong to Jews. I didn’t find information about events in Kilikiev during Revolution and Civil War. Find only one document in JDC archiv here....
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Annopol
Аннополь – Annopol (Russian), Ганнопіль (Ukrainian) Annopol (before 1761 – Glinniki), a village in the Slavutsky district, Khmelnitsky region. Settlement mentioned first time in 1602. Since 1793 became a part of Russia. In the XIX – early XX it was a shtetl in Ostrog yezd, Volyn guberniya. In 1923-1930 Annopol was a center of a district. My locationGet Directions Beginning Jews settled there in the XVII century. Since the 1770s Annopol played a prominent role in the Hasidism movement. In Annopol lived Dov-ber from Mezerich and his son Avrom “Ha-Malach” (“Angel”) (1741-1776, Fastov), who later became a Tzaddik in Fastov. Dov Ber ruled in religious communities of Rivne and Mezhyrich, for which he received a title of Great Magid from Mezhirichi. For further spread of Hasidism to west tzadik Dov Ber chose Hannopil where lived a large Jewish community. He lived...
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Slavuta
Slavuta, has been a city in Khmelnitskiy region. Slavuta was annexed by Russia after the second partition of Poland in 1793 and was part of the Volhynia province until the Revolution of 1917. In 1932 Slavuta was assigned to Vinnitsa region, in 1937 Slavuta became a part of Kamenets-Podolskiy district. In 1954 the city became a part of Khmelnitskiy region. More information about Jewish community of Slavuta can be found in Facebook group Славутская еврейская община. Воспоминания и реальность. Where it all began Slavuta was founded as a family seat of the Sanguszko princes. In 1633 Slavuta received Magdeburg self-governing town rights. The first mention of a synagogue in Slavuta appeared in the archive documents in 1731. In 1765 poll tax was paid by 246 Jews registered in Slavuta. My locationGet Directions Moshe Shapira was a rabbi in Slavuta...
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Polonnoe
Polna, Polonnoje, Polonna, Polonne, Polona (Yiddish), Połonne (Polish), Полонне (Ukrainian), Полонное – Polonnoe (Russian) Polonnoe, city (from 1938) in the Khmelnitski (Proskurov) district, Ukraine. Beginning Jews were mentioned in 1601, and by the middle of the century it was an important community in Volhynia. My locationGet Directions In 1648, the time of the Chmielnicki massacres, when the Cossack armies approached the town about 12,000 Jews found refuge in its fortress, defending themselves, together with Poles, against the enemy. When the Cossacks overran the town about 300 Jews gathered in the bet hamidrash and, led by the kabbalist R. Samson Ostropoler, they wrapped themselves in their tallits and met death with a prayer on their lips. The number of dead in the town was estimated at 10,000. Jewish population of Polonnoe: 1847 – 2647 jews 1897 – 7910 (48,5%) 1910...
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