Salnytsya Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Ukraine
Region
Vinnytsia
District
Khmil'nyk
Settlement
Sal'nytsya
Site address
The cemetery is located behind the house on 34 Myru street.
GPS coordinates
49.72662, 28.01291
Perimeter length
276 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
no
Type and height of existing fence
There is a rusty section of a 2 metre tall metal fence adjacent to the house nearest the cemetery site.
Preservation condition
Unfenced Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The cemetery is overgrown. According to Commission on the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, there was a mass grave. According to local residents, there was once a fence with a gate around the site. The neighbours do what they can to maintain the site. In 1973 and 1992, agreements were signed by these residents to act as caretakers for the site. However, with limited resources to oversee its protection, they are having difficulty doing so. One Mr. Starikovsky from Vinnytsia was previously looking after the site and has requested his family continue to do so. The cemetery is under threat of demolition without the proper intervention.
Number of existing gravestones
Approximately 80.
Date of oldest tombstone
1916 (the earliest tombstone found by ESJF).
Date of newest tombstone
1942-1943 (as locals say) – the only fenced one (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

According to the Commission on the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, the cemetery was founded in the early 19th century. It can be found marked on a map of the region from the 1900s.

There is not much information on the Jewish community of Sal’nytsya. It is likely that Jews first settled in Sal’nytsya after the uprising of 1648-49. According to the census of 1847 the Jewish population numbered 179 people. In 1870 there was one synagogue and by 1889 there were 3 synagogues.
In 1885 one Jew owned a brewery. According to the census of 1897 the Jewish population grew fivefold to 903 people, out of the total of 3,699. In 1910, there were 831 Jews in Sal’nytsya. In 1910 there were 2 synagogues, one of which was Hasidic.
In 1914 Jews owned the only timber yard, both pharmacy stores, the only mead brewery and beer factory, all 6 grocers, all 11 dry goods stores as well as the only food and wine shop. In 1920 the Jewish community survived a pogrom in which 30 Jews were killed. By 1923 there were only 672 Jews, and by 1926 the Jewish population had dropped to 567.
Sal’nytsya was occupied in mid-July 1941. Between December 1941 and spring 1942 more than 450 Jews were deported to the Ulaniv ghetto. On June 12th 1942, all of these people were executed, together with the local Jews.
In 1996 there were only 2 Jews living in Sal’nytsya.

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. According to the Commission on the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, the cemetery was founded in the early 19th century. The cemetery is marked on the maps of the 1900s of the region. The earliest gravestone found dates to 1916, the most recent dates to 1942-1943. There are around 80 gravestones. According to locals, the gravestones date to the late 20th century. The cemetery is taken care of. There is a threat of destruction to the cemetery, there is a plan for the site to be divided by the local government and privatized.