Semenivka Jewish Cemetery

The exact period of the cemetery’s foundation is unknown. The oldest preserved gravestone dates back to the post-war period. According to the Committee on the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, the cemetery once contained a number of older gravestones, dating from 1930 to 1937. However, the ESJF team was unable to find these in 2020.

The earliest references to a Jewish community in Semenivka date to the first half of 19th century. According to historical records, by the end of the 19th century, the territory of the modern Semenivka district was inhabited by over 2,000 Jews. In Semenivka itself, the Jewish population numbered 1,377 people. The Jewish community withstood pogroms in October, 1905. In 1939, only 402 Jews remained in Semenivka. Semenivka was occupied from August 25th, 1941 to September 20th, 1943. During World War II, the entire Jewish population of the city was resettled into Kovalivka Street which became the Jewish ghetto. This ghetto did not last long. On November 30th, all of the Jews were brought out of the city into a birch grove and shot. It is no longer possible to establish the exact number of Jews shot in Semenivka during the Holocaust. The exact period of the cemetery’s foundation is unknown. The oldest preserved gravestone dates back to the post-war period. According to the Committee on the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, the cemetery once contained a number of older gravestones, dating from 1930 to 1937. However, the ESJF team was unable to locate these in 2020.