Ozeryany New Jewish Cemetery (Ternopil Region)
Cemetery Information
Historical overview
The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. It is marked on the Austro-Hungarian map of 1880s. Presumably it emerged in the second half of 19th century, after the Old cemetery was closed.
According to Yizkor Ozeryany, there used to be an ohel of R. Velvele, descendant of Baal Shem TOv, on this cemetery.
The Jews are present in Ozeryany at least since the late 18th century. The Jewish population stood at 1,558 (48,1% of the total population) in 1880. By that time, Haskala movement, as well as Zionist trend, acquired followers among the local Jewish community. The local Jews were engaged in tailoring and trading of cattle and horses. In 1912, 30 Jewish families became homeless after the fire. The Jewish community suffered during WWI. The Jewish population declined to 1,302 (57,3% of the total population) in 1921. The commercial and public activity of the Jewish organizations were banned by the Soviet government in 1939-1941. Some of the local Jews were drafted into the Red Army. On July 1941, the Hungarian army occupied the town. The Gestapo came to Ozeryany two months later to establish a ghetto. On September 26, 1942, 700 Jews were deported to the Belzec death camp. In October 1942, the rest of the Jewish population of Ozeryany (500 people) were sent to the other ghettos. Around 50 Jews survived the war.