Hnativka Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Ukraine
Region
Volyn
District
Kivertsi
Settlement
Hnativka
Site address
From the monument to the Jews of Trokhymbrid, proceed westwards along a dirt road. After 660 metres, the trail veers left. Continue straight ahead on an overgrown dirt road into the forest, and drive another 380 metres. The cemetery territory is located in the woods, about 50 metres to the right side of the road.
GPS coordinates
50.93399, 25.69340
Perimeter length
292 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
No fence
Preservation condition
Demolished Jewish cemetery that has not been built over
General site condition
The site is overgrown.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved
Date of oldest tombstone
Date of newest tombstone
Urgency of erecting a fence
High
Land ownership
Property of local community
Preserved construction on site
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

During the 19th century, the Hnativka Jewish community was using the old cemetery of Trokhymbrid. A separate cemetery of Hnativka cemetery was established during the early 20th century. It was called “Hayim Motis’ Nivki,” after the land plot’s donor. The cemetery was destroyed along with the shtetl of Hnativka during WWII.
Today, the site is abandoned and overgrown, hardly reachable due to its location in the forest. No traces of cemetery were found, and the area is often flooded, presumably due to Soviet melioration works in the 1970s.

The farm settlement of Hnativka was founded in 1838. In 1897, 567 Jews were living in the village. The population is estimated to have reached 1,204 in the early 20th century. During the interwar period, its number varied. Villagers migrated to ICA settlements in Argentina, leaving a Jewish population of 577 in 1921. In 1931, approximately 900 Jews lived in Hnativka, and ten years later, 700 Jews resided here. On August 24, 1942, Hnativka’s Jews were deported to Trokhymbrid and murdered there alongside locals. Some managed to escape and joined a partisan detachment. After WWII, Hnativka ceased to exist.