Bystrytsya Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Ukraine
Region
Zakarpattia
District
Mukachevo
Settlement
Bystrytsya
Site address
The cemetery is located on the southern outskirts of Bystrytsya. Proceed for 600 metres in the direction of Bukovynky from the central village square. The cemetery is to the left side of the road.
GPS coordinates
48.46530, 22.82719
Perimeter length
340 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
no
Type and height of existing fence
The cemetery is surrounded by a concrete fence with metal gates, constructed by ESJF in November 2015.
Preservation condition
Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery
General site condition
This is a fenced and well-maintained Jewish cemetery.
Number of existing gravestones
4
Date of oldest tombstone
1918
Date of newest tombstone
1939
Urgency of erecting a fence
Fence is not needed
Land ownership
Property of local community
Preserved construction on site
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

Presumably, the Jewish cemetery in Bystrytsya was established in the 19th century. According to epigraphic data, it already existed in 1918. The cemetery was used presumably until WWII, aтв the latest preserved gravestone dateы to 1939.

Jews are believed to have arrived in the area of Bystrytsya in the first half of 18th century. In 1880, there were 57 Jews living in the town. In 1910, the Jewish population had risen to 150. By 1921, during the Czechoslovakian period, the Jewish population numbered 139 of a total population of 999 inhabitants. In 1930, the town’s Jewish population numbered 151 individuals. Hungarian forces arrived in Bystrytsia in March 1939, with the consequence that the Jews were persecuted and forced out of their occupations. Some Jews were drafted into forced labour battalions. Others were sent to the Eastern front, where most perished. A number of Jews without Hungarian citizenship were expelled to Kamenets-Podolski in Nazi-occupied Ukrainian territory and murdered. The remaining Jews of Bystrytsya were deported to Auschwitz in late May 1944. No Jews live in the town today.