Velykyy Kuchuriv Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Ukraine
Region
Chernivtsi
District
Storozhynets
Settlement
Velykyy Kuchuriv
Site address
To reach the cemetery, turn right onto Onchulenka street on the crossroads of Onchulenka and Holovna Street. Proceed to the end of the street. Turn left and proceed for about 100 metres. The cemetery is located on the right of the road.
GPS coordinates
48.21172, 25.90988
Perimeter length
226 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
no
Type and height of existing fence
The cemetery is surrounded by a metal mesh fence, installed by ESJF in October 2017.
Preservation condition
Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery
General site condition
The cemetery is well-maintained.
Number of existing gravestones
150
Date of oldest tombstone
1886
Date of newest tombstone
1980
Urgency of erecting a fence
Fence is not needed
Land ownership
Property of local community
Preserved construction on site
Drone surveys
No

Historical overview

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. According to epigraphic data, it already existed in the 1880s. The cemetery was operating after WWII, the latest preserved gravestone relates to 1980.

The earliest records about the Jewish community of Velykyy Kuchuriv relate to the late 17th century. In 1815, many Jews left the village because of a bad harvest. In the 19th century, a synagogue and a Jewish cemetery functioned. The Hasidic movement predominated in the Jewish community of Velykyy Kuchuriv. The Jewish population grew to 415 in Velykyy Kuchuriv in the late 19th century. In the 1920s, the community maintained three synagogues – an oldest one and two newly built Beit Yitzchak (1907) and Ahavat Achim (1912). In the 1930s, 386 Jews were inhabitants of the village. In the 1930s, the Jews were mainly engaged in trade and crafts. Some of the Jewish residents worked as teachers, doctors and specialists of other professions. During the German-Romanian occupation in 1942, around 300 Jews were murdered in the neighbouring village Glyboka.

3D model