Pishchanka Old Jewish Cemetery

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. However, given the oldest preserved tombstone is dated 1892, it can be inferred it was already in use by the late 19th century. It can be found marked on a map of Western Russia from the 1900s.

The first Jewish settlement in Pishchanka dates to the end of the 18th century. In 1871, the population of Pishchanka was mostly Jewish. In 1853, there was a synagogue and the Rabbi was Gershon Pustilnik. In 1889, there were 5 prayer houses and by the beginning of the 20th century there were 6 prayer houses. According to the census of 1897, the Jewish population numbered 3,682 people, out of the total of 7,506. Until 1900 the spiritual Rabbi was Shlomo Harif, followed by Mordechai Yusim. In the 1880s, a Talmud Torah and later a Jewish school for boys were opened, which operated until the 1930s. At the beginning of the 20th century Jews owned timber yards, guesthouses and small shops. Pishchanka suffered pogroms in 1917 and 1919. In the late 1920s, around 120 families earned their livelihoods through agriculture. In 1924, there were 750 Jewish residents (3,100) and by 1939, the Jewish population numbered 1,602, which was 25% of the town.
Pishchanka was occupied from July 23rd 1941, until March 18th 1944. Jews were used as slave labor.
Jews were deported to Domanivka and Bohdanivka in Autumn 1941.
As of 1990, there were more than 50 Jews living in Pishchanka.

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. The cemetery emerged no later than in the late 19th century, as the earliest preserved gravestone dates to 1892. The cemetery is marked on maps from the 1900s of the region. The most recent gravestone dates to 1909. There are around 15 gravestones remaining, some which lie on the ground. The cemetery is abandoned, its land is used for cattle grazing.