Plyushchivka Jewish Cemetery

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. Given it appears on a Russian map from the 1860s, it can be inferred it was founded in the mid 19th century. According to locals, the cemetery was demolished in the mid 20th century.

A Jewish farming colony was founded in Plyushchivka in 1809. In 1810, the Jewish population numbered 276. This population grew to 878 in 1859. By 1868, three synagogues were operating. In 1887, 179 Jewish and eight German farmhouses existed. In 1896, there were two synagogues, a Jewish school, a Jewish-owned bathhouse, 20 shops, two taverns, a wine cellar, and a meteorological station. In 1897, the Jewish population reached 2,038 (94% of the total population). In 1902, a new Jewish two-year public school was opened. In 1905, a self-defence detachment was created. Some Jewish colonists’ families migrated to Argentina because of the constant threat of pogroms. In 1912, the Jewish population numbered 2,430 (86% of the total population). During the Civil War period, the Jewish population suffered from pogroms and pillaging. In 1921 to 1922, epidemics and hunger caused deaths among the colonists. A special government committee named Komzet and Agro-Joint provided the colonists with equipment, livestock, and seeds. In 1924, two Jewish elementary schools were operational. In the mid-1930s, the local kolkhoz became one of the richest in the area. On August 1941, Nazi forces occupied the colony. On September 10, 1941, 519 Jews were murdered. In the same period, the old Jewish cemetery was destroyed. In 1961, a monument to Holocaust victims was erected by their relatives.