Ladyzhyn Old Jewish Cemetery

According to local residents, the cemetery was in excellent condition in the 1980s. However, in the 1990s, locals began stealing tombstones. A local woman who lived near the cemetery and used to look after it died in the 1980s. The gardens on the cemetery site are not owned by the locals, simply occupied and claimed as their own.

According to the Commission on the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, the cemetery was established in the latter half of the 19th century. It can be found marked on a map of Western Russia from the 1900s.

Jews first settled in Ladyzhyn in the 17th century. The Jewish community was destroyed during the Haidamak Uprising. The community was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century. In 1765, 176 Jews lived there. The population was slowly growing and in 1784, there were 453 Jews and 1790,643.
In the 1760s, the rabbi was Meir Misunovich. In 1765, Jews owned 67 houses. According to the census of 1847, 942 Jews lived in the town.
In the 19th century, Jews were involved in crafting and trades. In 1852 there were 49 artisans. In 1871 Jews owned a tannery, 3 mills, a number of guesthouses and small shops. In 1885 there were 3 synagogues. According to the census of 1897, the population had grown dramatically to 3212 Jews (48.7%).
In the beginning of the 20th century, there were 4 synagogues, a Jewish school, a Jewish hospital, and 2 Jewish cemeteries. In 1905 the Jewish community survived the pogrom. In 1914 the Jewish community owned a distillery, a pharmacy, 7 timber warehouses, 2 bakeries, a hotel, 2 bookstores, and more than 50 small shops. During 1919-1920 Ladyzhyn suffered from severe pogroms. By 1923 the Jewish population halved to 1731 people and it continued to fall. By 1939 there were only 720 Jews (13%).
Ladyzhyn was occupied on July 26,1941. On September 12th 1941, 500 Jews were killed. 450 Jews from Trostynets were brought to Ladyzhyn. In the beginning of July 1942, 600 Jews from Chernivtsi and 400 Jews from Dorohoi (Romania) were moved to Ladyzhyn. On November 30th 1942, 600 Jews from Yampil were transferred to Ladyzhyn. During the occupation more than 3500 Jews were executed.
After 1945, only some families returned to Ladyzhyn and by 1998, only 8 Jews remained.
According to the Commission on the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, the cemetery was established in the second half of the 19th century. The cemetery is marked on the old maps of the region of the 1900s. The earliest gravestone found dates to 1867. The newest gravestone dates to 1973. There is a mass grave on the cemetery territory. According to the locals, in the 1980s the cemetery was in perfect condition, however by the 1990s the cemetery had been plundered. There are around 42 gravestones left today.