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Vasylivka Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Ukraine
Region
Zaporizhya
District
Vasilievsky
Settlement
Vasylivka
Site address
The cemetery was located behind private houses on Kravets Street (No. 20, 22, 24, 26), in woodland.
GPS coordinates
47.44589, 35.30465
Perimeter length
402 мetres
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
No fence
Preservation condition
Demolished Jewish cemetery that has not been built over
General site condition
Now, the site has been planted with trees. According to local residents and representatives of the museum, the cemetery was gradually dug up. In the construction of private houses, many tombstones were taken as building materials. The locals also say that the cemetery was dug up over time by archaeologists, who have returned to the site occasionally. The location of the cemetery was established approximately, according to the stories of the locals and the museum. In the museum, several fragments of tombstones were found, as well as a tombstones in the form of a tree, which was well preserved. All of these tombstones were found by local residents and brought to the museum.
Number of existing gravestones
No tombstones preserved. No tombstones preserved.
Date of oldest tombstone
N/A
Date of newest tombstone
N/A
Urgency of erecting a fence
Fence is not needed
Land ownership
Municipality
Preserved construction on site
No
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment as well as demolishing is unknown. It was established no later than the first half of the 20th century, as the earliest preserved tombstone (in the museum) dates to 1905. According to locals, the cemetery was demolished and the tombstones were used for the construction of private houses. It cannot be found marked on old maps of the region.

Vasylivka’s (Ukr. Василівка, Rus. Васильевка) Jewish community maintained a cheder in 1846 as well as a synagogue in 1885. The Jewish population was 252 (30% of the total) in 1897, but dropped to 97 in 1939 (less than 2% of the total population). During the German occupation, 42 Jews were shot in October 1941. According to the 2001 census, there were 13 Jews in Vasylivka and the neighbouring areas.

It is not known when exactly the cemetery was founded. The earliest tombstone preserved at the local museum dates to 1905. Over the years, local residents used tombstones from the abandoned cemetery for construction until there were none left.

3D model
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