Smotrych Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
Historical overview
The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. According to the dates on the preserved gravestones, it can be assumed that the cemetery emerged in the early 18th century. First, the place was marked on a Russian map of 1900.
The Jewish community of Smotrych existed from 1712. 275 Jews resided here in 1765. By 1897, the Jewish population reached 1,725 (44,2% of the total). In the late 19th, a branch of Hovevei Zion became active. The Zionist groups Poalei Zion and Mizrachi, the Bund and other organizations started their activity later. From 1921, the Jewish youth immigrated to Palestine with the assistance of the Hehalutz branch. In the 1920s and 30s, 62 Jewish families worked in a kolkhoz. 1,075 Jewish residents (18,47% of the total population) lived in Smotrych in 1939. On July 9, 1941, Smotrych was occupied by the German units. 670 Jews were murdered during the occupation. Some Jews of Smotrych were deported to the Dunayivtsi ghetto. A monument dedicated to the Holocaust victims was erected on the site.
