Teplyk Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery Information
Historical overview
The post-war burials are separated from the older burials by a fence. There are monuments built by relatives of those who died in the 40s. According to a local resident, the fence was built around 10 years ago and many of the older tombstones have sunk into the ground due to age and inclement weather.
Jews first settled in Teplyk in the early 18th century. In 1765 the Jewish population numbered 289 people. The Jewish community suffered during the Haidamak Uprising. According to the census of 1897, there were 3,725 Jews out of the town’s total population of 7,044.
The Jewish community survived a pogrom in 1919, when 400 Jews died.
During the Soviet period there was a Jewish elementary school, founded in 1929 for 262 students, and a Jewish council. In the 1930s there were artisan cooperatives. By 1939 the Jewish population had fallen to 1,233 Jews.
Teplyk was occupied on July 26, 1941. A ghetto and Judenrat were established and young people were sent to the forced labour camp.
On May 27th 1942, 769 Jews were executed, along with 520 Jews from Bukovina. A small group of skilled workers were executed later.
The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. According to IAJGS, Jewish cemetery was established in the 18th century. The cemetery could not be found marked on old maps of the region The earliest gravestone found dates to 1918, the most recent to 2014. There are around 50 older grave stones and 50 newer. The cemetery territory is used for cattle grazing.