Berestechko Jewish Cemetery

The Jewish cemetery of Berestechko was most probably founded with the emergence of the community in the late 16th century. The cemetery appeared on maps in the mid-19th century. The cemetery was finally destroyed in 1952.

Jews had settled in Berestechko from the mid-16th century. In 1577, 50 Jews lived in the town. By 1648, the population had grown to 1,050. The Khmelnitsky massacre significantly reduced the Jewish population: 200 families were killed and only 12 Jewish houses remained standing. By the second half of the 18th century, all but five residents of the shtetl died from the plague. When the town became a transit point for Russian-Austrian trade, the Jewish community grew. By 1897, the Jewish population reached 2,251. In the second half of the 19th century, the town counted four synagogues, two of them belonging to the Olyka and Trisk Hasidic movements. In 1901, there was a Jewish specialised school for men led by I.Kagan, a poor-house, and a Jewish library in Berestechko. The Bund and Zionist youth organisations were functioning in the early years of the 20th century. During the interwar period, a Hebrew school and library were opened in 1918, and a Jewish national bank was established in 1930. In 1937, the Jewish population of the town reached 2,625. The Wehrmacht occupied Berestechko from June 24, 1941, until April 2, 1944. The first Aktion took place on August 8, 1941, in which 300 Jews were shot. At the beginning of October 1941, the ghetto was set up, into which Jews from surrounding villages were forcibly relocated. During its liquidation from September 7th to 9th, 1942, 3,000 Jews were shot. A monument on the site of the execution was erected in 1990.