Chernivtsi Sadhora Jewish Cemetery

Information on the cemetery’s establishment is unknown, but it was already operating in the early 19 century, and the latest gravestones relate to the end of the 1930s. The cemetery was vandalised during World War I. Among the destroyed burials were gravestones of a famous rabbi Israel Fridman of Ruzhin, two of his sons Avraham Yaakov of Sadigura and Dov Ber of Leova, and other family members. These gravestones afterwards were replaced by a large white concrete slab. In the 2010s, their ohel was renovated by the Ohaley Tzaddikim foundation.

Jews were among the founders of the town in 1770. In 1774, 103 Jews were inhabitants of Sadhora. By that time, Jews earned a living, working in the coin minting plant. In 1782, 42 Jewish families were exiled by the Austrian authorities. In the 1840s, Rabbi Israel Friedmann of Ruzhin setup a Hasidic court there. At the same time, a synagogue accommodating 1,000 people was constructed. Other synagogues operated as well. Sadhora was a famous site of pilgrimage in the Hasidic world. The Zionist movement became active in the early 20th century. The Jewish population reached 3,888 (80,4% of the total) in 1880. The Jews were involved in commerce and trades of tobacco, grain and wool. The Jewish community flourished until 1914, numbered 5,060 people that year. When the WWI started, Avraham Yakov Friedman, headed the Hasidic court, escaped to Vienna and set up his court there. During WWI, many Jews were expelled to Siberia, and their property and homes were destroyed. By 1919, the Jewish population dropped to 900 people. In the interwar period, the Gehalutz training farms were operated. The Jewish population decreased from 1,459 in 1930 to 654 in 1941. Under the Soviets, Jewish traders were expelled to Siberia. When the Wehrmacht troops occupied the town, 73 Jews were murdered by Ukrainians. The rest were sent to Transnistria in autumn 1941.