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LOCALITIES ARE LISTED BELOW GENERAL INFORMATION

- THE JEWISH COMMUNITY -

Map of Ukraine [February 2009]

Medieval Ukrainian lands were a loosely knit group of principalities. By the late 1300s, most Ukrainian lands were controlled by either the Grand Duchy of Lithuania or the Mongolian-Tatar Golden Horde. In 1569, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania became the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Poland controlled Western Ukrainian lands while eastern Ukrainian was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. In 1772, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at which time several Ukrainian areas became part of Galicia, a province of Austria. By 1795, Austria controlled western Ukraine and Russia controlled eastern Ukraine. During the 1930s, all of western Ukraine was governed by either Poland and/or Czechoslovakia. By the end of WWI, Ukrainian territory was divided into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Romania. In 1939 the Jewish population of Ukraine was 1.5 million (1,532,776) or 3% of the total population of Ukraine. One half to two thirds of the total Jewish population of Ukraine were evacuated, killed or exiled to Siberia. Ukraine lost more population per capita than any other country in the world in WW II. After WWII, the borders of the Ukrainian SSR expanded west, including those Ukrainian areas of Galicia. At the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Ukraine became an independent state. JewishGen's ShtetlSeeker references border changes of a given town with more information at JewishGen ShtetLinks for Ukrainian towns. [February 2009]

Ukraine SIG facilitates research of former Russian Empire Guberniyas now in Ukraine; Podolia, Volhynia, Kiev, Poltava, Chernigov, Kharkov, Kherson, Taurida and Yekaterinoslav. [February 2009]

HISTORY: Wikipedia article: "History of the Jews of Ukraine" and The Virtual Jewish History Tour - Ukraine [February 2009]

US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, 1101 Fifteenth Street, Suite 1040, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone 202-254-3824. Executive Director: Joel Barries. US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad supplied most Ukraine information. The data is alphabetical by the name of the town. The Ukrainian government has ordered an immediate and absolute moratorium on all construction or privatization of sites that have been identified as Jewish cemeteries either now or in the past. A Joint Cultural Heritage Commission to develop and agree on a comprehensive solution to preserve and protect Jewish cemeteries. Over 1000 individual sites have been described, which is estimated to be about one-half of the recoverable sites. Contact Samuel Gruber; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for further information and details about the report of the Commission. [Date?]

Historical Research Center for Western Ukrainian communities in all countries: "ZIKARON"

Ukraine Jewish community.

Jewish Cemeteries in Ukraine Report, Winter 1997-98

Ukraine's turbulent past saw sovereignty pass between Poland, Russia and other nations, but has a rich history: one Crimean tribe converting to Judaism in the eighth century, the first shtetls built by Jews working for Polish aristocrats (18th century), and rise of Hasidism. The Germans murdered 1.4 million of the two million Jews. Communism then suppressed religious life of those that survived. Despite this, Ukraine is now home to one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe (100,000-300,000). Some 1500 Jewish heritage sites published by the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad (2005)

BOOKS ABOUT UKRAINE:

• Yizkor Books:

1. Chelm, M. Bakalczuk-Felin, 1954, in Yiddish.
2. Dnepropetrovsk-Yekaterinoslav, Harkavy and Goldburt, 1973, in Hebrew.
3. Pinkas Hakehillot Poland, Volumes I-VII.

• Frank, Ben G. A Travel Guide to Jewish Russia & Ukraine. Paperback (October 1999) Pelican Pub Co; ISBN: 1565543556
• Gitelman, Zvi. Chapter The Jews of Ukraine and Moldova" published in Miriam Weiner's Jewish Roots in Ukraine
  and Moldova (see below) online.
• Goberman, D. Jewish Tombstones in Ukraine and Moldova. Image Press, 1993. ISBN 5-86044-019-7) shows many interesting styles.
• Greenberg, M. Graves of Tsadikim Justs in Russia. Jerusalem, 1989. 97 pages, illustrated, Hebrew and English. S2 89A4924. Notes: Rabbis tombstone restoration, no index, arranged by non-alphabetical town names.
• Gruber, Ruth Ellen. Jewish Heritage Travel: A Guide to Eastern Europe, Washington: National Geographic, 2007
• Ostrovskaya, Rita (Photographer), Southard, John S. and Eskildsen, Ute (Editor). Jews in the Ukraine: 1989-1994: Shtetls. Distributed Art Publishers; ISBN: 3893228527
• Weiner, Miriam. Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova: Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories (The Jewish Genealogy Series). Routes to Roots Foundation/YIVO InstituteYIVO Institute; ISBN: 0965650812. see Routes to Roots Foundation, Inc.
  
• BELGIUM: Contact Daniel Dratwa; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for books among the collection at the Jewish Museum of Belgium.
• ISRAEL: Tragger, Mathilde. Printed Books on Jewish cemeteries in the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem: an annotated bibliography. Jerusalem: The Israel Genealogical Society, 1997.
• David Chapin, Plano, Texas; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it can answer questions about general structure of tombstones in this country.

BOOKS ABOUT CRIMEA:

• Chwolson, D. Corpus inscriptionum hebraicarum (All the Hebrew Inscriptions). Hildesheim, 1974 (1st print: St. Petersburg, 1882). 527 pages, Latin title and German text. SB74B2774. Notes: 194 tombstones, 9th-15th centuries, based on Firkowiz's book scripture analysis.
• Chwolson, D. Achtzehn hebraische Grabschiften aus der Krim (Eighteen Hebrew grave inscriptions in Crimea).. St. Petersburg, 1985 in "Memories de L'Academie Imperial de St. Petersburg", 7Šme, series, volume IX, no. 7, III XVIII, 528 pages, illustrated. [translation] of the author's Russian book s29V5256]. German text and Hebrew inscriptions. PV255, series 7, book 9, no.7. Notes: 18 tombstones, 6-960, scripture analysis based on Firkowiz's book.
• Firkowiz, A. Y. Avnei zikaron behatsi ha'i krim, besela hayehudim bemangup, besulkat ubekapa (Jewish memorial stones in Crimea and in [the Caucasian towns of Mangup, Sulkat and Kapa [Theodesia). Vilnius, 1872. 256 pages, illustrated, Hebrew. 29V4818. Notes: 564 tombstones, 3-1842.
• Harkavy, A.L. Alte juedusche Denmaeler aus der krim (The old Jewish monuments in Crimea),. St. Petersburg, 1876, X, 288 pages. German and Hebrew inscriptions. PV255, VII, 24/1. Notes: 261 inscriptions, 604-916?, scripture analysis based on Firkowiz's book.