Teofipol Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Ukraine
Region
Khmelnytskyy
District
Teofipol
Settlement
Teofipol'
Site address
From the South end of Naberezhna Street, cross the bridge over the reservoir then turn West and cross the next bridge to find the cemetery.
GPS coordinates
49.83129, 26.4161
Perimeter length
404 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
no
Type and height of existing fence
The cemetery is surrounded by a concrete wall with a metal fence installed in October 2016 by ESJF.
Preservation condition
Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery
General site condition
This is a fenced and well-maintained Jewish cemetery.
Number of existing gravestones
About 60
Date of oldest tombstone
The oldest preserved tombstone is dated 1895
Date of newest tombstone
1998
Urgency of erecting a fence
Fence is not needed
Land ownership
Property of local community
Preserved construction on site
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. The oldest tombstone dates to the late 19th century so it can be assumed the cemetery emerged during that period. It first appears on a Russian map from 1915 and, later, on a Polish map from 1939, but not as a Jewish cemetery. The cemetery is not marked on earlier maps from the 1880s. The site was fenced by ESJF in 2016.

Jews were present in the area from the 18th century. In 1765, 516 Jews resided here. The Jewish population reached a peak of 2,914 (65% of the total) in 1897. In the early 20th century, two Jewish elementary schools for boys and girls functioned. The pogroms, staged in 1917 and 1919, claimed the lives of 300 Jews. In 1936, 94 families were members of the Jewish kolkhoz created in 1929. The Jewish population dropped to 1,266 people in 1939. A ghetto for the Jews of Teofipol’ and the neighbouring villages was created immediately after the Nazis occupation on July 6, 1941. Nearly 1,000 Jews were executed in December 1941.