Kopychyntsi Old Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
Historical overview
The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. Presumably, it was established in the 18th century. Today there are no visible traces of the cemetery and its boundaries.
The Jews were known in Kopychyntsi since the late 17th century. Local Jews engaged in crafts in the 17th century and trade in the 18th-19th. The Jewish community emerged in the mid-18th century. 346 Jews resided in Kopychyntsi in 1765. In 1894, a Hasidic court was established by Yitzhak-Meir Geshel (1862 – 1935). The Jewish population reached a peak of 2,467 (35,4% of the total population) in 1890. It declined to 2,109 (29,4% of the total) in 1910. In the early 20th century, five Hasidic synagogues functioned. In 1920, a pogrom staged in the town claimed the lives of local Jews. In July. 1941, the Wehrmacht troops occupied the town, and, in August, they burned a synagogue. On September 30, 1942, around 1,000 Jews were deported to Belzec extermination camp, and more than 50 sick Jews were executed on the spot. In October 1942, the Jewish refugees from the surrounding villages arrived. In December 1942, these refugees were put into a ghetto. The ghetto was liquidated in July 1943. Around 20 Jews, who survived the war, soon left for Poland.