Olevsk Old Jewish Cemetery

According to the Commission on the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, the cemtery was established in the 19th century. The earliest preserved tombstone dates to 1892.

Jews in Olevs’k (Ukr. Олевськ, Rus. Олевск, Yid. אָלעווסק) are first mentioned in the 18th century. The Jewish population rose from 157 in 1765 to 845 in 1847 and reached 1,187 (57% of the total) in
1897. The community maintained a synagogue, the town had a Jewish loan fund. The Jews survived everal pogroms during the Civil War of 1918–21. Zionists were active until at least 1925. The Jews of Olevs’k founded 2 agricultural collectives in Kherson District. There were 2858 Jews (42% of the total) in Olevs’k in 1939. After the German invasion of the USSR in 1941, many of Olevs’k Jews were able to evacuate. Olevs’k was initially controlled by German-aligned Ukrainian nationalists under Taras Bulba-Borovets (the so-called Olevs’k Republic). The Jews who remained in Olevs’k were subjected to robbery, brutality, and killings. When the German civil administration was established in November 1941, the Jews were confined in a ghetto. Most of them were soon murdered. After the liberation, Jews began to return to Olevs’k from evacuation. In 1959, there were about 1,300 Jews (13% of the total) in Olevs’k. Most of the Jews emigrated to the US or Israel in the late 20th century. As of 2001, there were 41 Jews in Olevs’k and the neighbouring area.
The exact date of establishment of the cemetery is unknown, however the oldest tombstone dates back to 1892.