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Alternate names: Chernivtsi-Чернівці [Ukr], Chernovtsy-Черновцы [Rus], Cernăuţi [Rom], Czernowitz [Ger], Tschernowitz-טשערנאוויץ [Yid], Czerniowce [Pol], Csernovic [Hun], Cernovcy, Cernwitze Bukovina, Chernovitsy, Chernovitz, Chernovits. 48°18' N, 25°56' E, Major city of Bukovina, on the Prut River, 71 miles SE of Ivano-Frankivsk now in W Ukraine, near border with Romania and Moldova. 1900 Jewish population: 22,000. Yizkors:
BOOK: Carved Memories: Heritage in Stone from the Russian Jewish Pale by David Goberman, NY: also see introduction to Ukraine. CHERNOVTSY I: US Commission No. UA25010101
The earliest known Jewish community was 16th century. 1939 Jewish population (census) was 42932. Effecting the Jewish Community were 1836 Jewish Tiphography opening, 1908 Jewish Narodny Dom discovery, and the 19th century struggles of Hasids and Reformists. Living here were Rabbi Igel(1854-1894) and Rector of Chernovitsky University Isaak Gilberg. The Jewish cemetery dates from the 19th century. Buried in the cemetery are poets Eliezer Shternbard and Moshe Altman and actors Sidetal and Goldman. The last known Jewish burial was 1990. Jewish community was Hasidic and Progressive/Reform. No other towns or villages used this unlandmarked cemetery. The isolated urban flat land has no sign, but has Jewish symbols on gate or wall. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. A continuous fence with locking gate surrounds the cemetery. More than 5000 stones, most in original location with less than 25% toppled or broken, date from the 19th to 20th century. Locations of any removed stones are unknown. Some tombstones have traces of painting on their surfaces, with other metallic elements, portraits on stones and/or metal fences around graves. The cemetery contains marked mass graves. The municipality owns property now used for Jewish cemetery only. Properties adjacent are commercial or industrial. The cemetery boundaries are larger now than 1939. Frequently, organized Jewish group tours or pilgrimage groups and Jewish or non-Jewish private visitors stop. The cemetery was not vandalized in the last ten years. Jewish individuals within country cleared vegetation and fixed wall in 1980-1990. Occasionally, individuals clear or clean. Within the limits of the cemetery is a pre-burial house with tahara (table) and Prayer house. Vegetation overgrowth is a seasonal problem, preventing access. Water drainage is a seasonal problem. Moderate threat: vegetation. Slight threat: uncontrolled access, weather erosion, pollution, vandalism, and existing and proposed nearby development. Hodorkovsky Yuriy Isaakovich of 252037, Ukraine, Kiev, Vozduhoflotsky 37a, #23 [Phone: (044)2769505] visited site on 1/23/95. Interviewed was Tau Yakov Adolphovich on 1/23/95. Hodorkovsky completed survey on 02/06/1995. CHERNOVTSY II: US Commission No. UA25010501 The mass grave is located at NW of town. The Jewish mass grave was dug in 1941 with last known Jewish burial 1944. No other towns or villages Jews were murdered at this unlandmarked mass grave. The isolated urban hillside has signs or plaques in Hebrew and Jewish symbols on gate or wall mentioning Jews and the Holocaust. Reached by turning directly off a public road and Podgayetskaya St., access is open to all. No wall, fence, or gate surrounds. 1 to 20 common tombstones, all in original location with none toppled or broken, date from 20th century. No stones were removed. The site contains marked mass graves. The municipality owns property now used for mass burial site. Properties adjacent are recreational. Occasionally, organized individual tours and Jewish or non-Jewish private visitors stop. This mass grave was not vandalized. Local/municipal authorities did re-erection of stones. Occasionally, individuals clear or clean. Water drainage at the mass grave is a seasonal problem. Slight threat: weather erosion, pollution, vegetation, vandalism, and existing and proposed nearby development. Hodorkovsky Yuriy Isaakovich of 252037, Ukraine, Kiev, Vozduhoflotsky 37a, #23 [Phone: (044) 2769505] visited site on 1/23/95. Interviewed was Tau Y.M. of Chernovtsy on 1/23/95. Hodorkovsky completed survey on 02/07/1995. Alternate names: Chernovtsy, Cernauti, Cernivci, Chernivtsi, Chernovits, Chernovitsy, Chernovitz, Chernowitz, Czerniowce, Czernovitz, Czernowitz, Tschernowitz and Chernivetska (Ukranian) Located at 4818 2556. East from the center, 15 minutes down a really busy noisy street and off a side street are the town cemeteries. I visited the Jewish cemetery and was taken aback by two things: the enormous size of it and its disastrous condition. The weeds are growing so tall between the graves that the isles have been eliminated. You literally cannot get to graves that are more than 5-10 feet from the main paved isle going through the middle of the cemetery. A lot of gravestones are falling apart, but some are just huge and really beautiful and elaborate. The caretakers seem to be 2-3 very poor Romanians who spoke so badly that neither I nor my Ukrainian-Romanian friend Olga could understand what their were saying. The condition of the cemetery echoes the huge Jewish population that lived in the city at one time. Permission to use information from website was given to Rom-SIG, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; Chicago, Illinois [2000] See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_cemetery_in_Chernivtsi [Aug 2009]
Photos courtesy Merke Kastner [July 2012]
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| Last Updated on Thursday, 27 December 2012 16:14 |