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Lishchyn Old Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Ukraine
Region
Zhytomyr
District
Zhytomyr
Settlement
Lishchyn
Site address
The cemetery is located in a private territory with an old wooden fence on the first street to the south from the river Huiva, around 400m from the hill at the end of the street.
GPS coordinates
50.15355, 28.8574
Perimeter length
158 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
No fence
Preservation condition
Demolished and overbuilt Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The cemetery is built up with private houses and adjoining territory with seasonal vegetation. A local woman (70), along with other enighbours, identified the located of the cemetery. However she doesn’t remember it and nor can she remember details on its destruction or by whom it was demolished. The same woman also mentioned the third Jewish cemetery in Lischyn, “On the hill near the pinetrees”. No more specific information was given.The supposed location of the third cemetery is shown below.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved.
Date of oldest tombstone
N/A
Date of newest tombstone
N/A
Urgency of erecting a fence
Fence is not needed
Land ownership
Private
Preserved construction on site
No
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. It is likely that it was demolished during WWII if not beforehand, as the locals only remember that it once existed and none of them ever personally saw the site. It cannot be found on the maps of the region.

Jews likely first began to settle in Lishchyn (Ukr. Ліщин, Rus. Лещин, Yid. לישטין) in the early 18th century. The community maintained a synagogue in the town. The Jewish population rose from 192 in 1775, to 572 in 1847, however it later fell to 337 people (20% of the town). There were 157 Jews living in Lishchyn in 1926. During WWII, the Jews who had failed to flee the rapidly advancing German army were murdered in late August or early September 1941.
It is not known when the cemetery was either founded or demolished. According to local residents, there used to be another, older Jewish cemetery nearby.

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