Kholmets Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Ukraine
Region
Zakarpattia
District
Uzhhorod
Settlement
Holmets
Site address
Passing between the houses 83-85 on the main street (Frunze Street), proceed 200 metres along the path, before turning left and heading along the dirt road for 300 metres. The cemetery is located on the right side of the road, in the woods.
GPS coordinates
48.52944, 22.38305
Perimeter length
184 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
The cemetery is surrounded by a metal mesh fence with gabion sections, erected by ESJF in August 2017.
Preservation condition
Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery
General site condition
This is a fenced and well-maintained Jewish cemetery.
Number of existing gravestones
20
Date of oldest tombstone
1875
Date of newest tombstone
1906
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 Kholmets’ was established in the 19th century. According to epigraphic data, it already existed in 1875. It was used at least until the 1910s. The latest preserved gravestone dates to 1906.

Jews are believed to have arrived in the Kholmets’ area in the late 18th century. In 1880, there were 80 Jews living in the town. In 1910, the population had increased to 83. In 1921, during the Czechoslovakian period, the Jewish population decreased to 58 individuals, and by 1930, there were 61 Jews living in the town. Hungarians arrived in Kholmets’ in March 1939, with the consequence that Jews were persecuted and forced out of their occupations. By 1941, the Jewish population numbered 75. Jews from the area were drafted into forced labour battalions. Others were sent to the Eastern front, where most perished. Some families without Hungarian citizenship were expelled to Kamenets-Podolski in Nazi-occupied Ukrainian territory and murdered. The remaining Jews of Kholmets’ were deported to Auschwitz late May 1944. No Jews live in the town today.