Bobryk Pershyy Jewish Cemetery

The cemetery is marked on a Russian topographic map published in 1927, using data from the 1910s. It is also marked on a map from 1941. Presumably, it was demolished during WWII or after during the Soviet period. The Jewish farmer’s colony of Helbynovo was founded in 1851 by migrants from the regions of Volyn’, Kyiv and Kherson. In 1859, 1,599 individuals (150 families) were residing in the colony. A synagogue was built in 1863. The Jewish community rented out farmland to Gentile peasants, because of their own lack of labour skills and farming tools. In 1870, almost all the cultivated land owned by Jews was expropriated. Only a garden allotment remained in Jewish possession. In 1898, the Jewish population was reduced to 257 individuals, but increased to 367 by 1905. Exact data regarding the Jewish population of Helbynovo after this year is unavailable, but it is assumed that WWI and civil wars contributed to its decline. During the 1920s, a reading house (a kind of small library) and two-year school were active. In 1929, a kolkhoz was established. The famine of 1930 to 1933 decimated the population. The Jewish population of Gelbinovo ceased to exist during WWII.м