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Romaniv Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Ukraine
Region
Zhytomyr
District
Romanovsky
Settlement
Romaniv
Site address
The cemetery is opposite No.26 Zavodskaya street. There is a dirt road across the road, after 400m turn left and continue for 130m, then the cemetery will be on the right.
GPS coordinates
50.13248, 27.95351
Perimeter length
519 мetres
Is the cemetery demolished
no
Type and height of existing fence
A moat is clearly visible along the entire perimeter. The front side is only partially fenced with a wooden fence 1.7m tall.
Preservation condition
Unfenced Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The new part is well-groomed, the vegetation is cut. The old part of the cemetery is covered with dense seasonal vegetation, it is not cleared.
Number of existing gravestones
There are about 200 gravestones.
Date of oldest tombstone
1891 (the earliest tombstone found by ESJF).
Date of newest tombstone
2016 (the latest tombstone found by ESJF).
Urgency of erecting a fence
High
Land ownership
Municipality
Preserved construction on site
No
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. It was established no later than the late 19th century, as the earliest preserved tombstone dates to 1891. It is marked on a map from 1890-1910s.

Jewish residents in Romaniv (Ukr. Романів, Rus. Романов, Yid. ראָמאַנאָוו, in 1933–2003 Dzerzhynsk – Ukr. Дзержинськ, Rus. Дзержинск) were first mentioned in 1787. During the 19th century, the Jewish population grew from 344 in 1847 to 2,599 (46% of the town) in 1897. The community maintained a synagogue, a prayer house and a talmud-torah. The Soviet authorities opened a Yiddish-language elementary school in the 1920s. The Jewish population stood at 1,720 (24%) in 1939. When the Germans arrived in July 1941, around three quarters of the Jewish residents remained in the town. They were joined by a few hundred Jewish refugees. Around- 1,800 Jews were confined in a ghetto and murdered by October 1941.
According to the 2001 census, there were 12 Jews in Romaniv (then Dzerzhynsk) and the surrounding area.
The exact date of the establishment of the cemetery is unknown, however the oldest tombstone dates back to 1891. According to the 1994–95 survey by the Jewish Preservation Committee (KSEN), the cemetery was also used by the Jews of Bykivka.

3D model
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