Izyaslav Old Jewish Cemetery

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. The oldest gravestone relates to the mid-18th century, so it can be assumed that the cemetery emerged during that period. First, it appears on a Russian map of the 1920s.

The Jewish community was established in the 16th century. During the Khmelnytskyi uprising, nearly 200 Jews were captured or murdered. The majority of Jews fled to Ostroh and Mezhirich, then to Dubno. The community suffered during pogrom staged by Cossacks in 1708. In 1747, and 1830, the blood libel processes happened in the town. The Jewish population increased from 2,807 people in 1765 to 5,998 (47,6% of the total) in 1897. In the early 18th century, a Baal Shem Tov’s descent, Rabbi Mordechai was a cantor of the town. Rabbi Jacob Shimon Shapiro (1772-1811) founded a Hasidic dynasty in Izyaslav. In 1857, 14 synagogues and prayer houses operated in Izyaslav. By 1902, its amount reduced to 11. In 1886, a Jewish hospital, almshouse, Mark Borukh Feld’s library and bookstore functioned. In 1909, a Talmud-Torah (closed in 1913), and private Jewish schools for boys and girls were in operation. The peak of the Jewish population stood at 6,365 in 1912, and it declined to 3,820 (32,6% of the total) in 1926. On November 30, 1917, a pogrom was staged. In the early 1920s, the clandestine Zionists were active in the town. The Jewish population dropped to 3,208 in 1939. The Wehrmacht occupied Izyaslav on July 5, 1941. On August 24, 1941, 1,000 Jews were murdered. A ghetto was created. In 1942, 5,000 ghetto prisoners were executed. In the 1990s, the Einikite Jewish culture society was established.