Verbovets Jewish Cemetery

The exact period of the cemetery’s establishment is unknown. Given the oldest preserved tombstone is dated 1828, it can be inferred the site was already in use by the early 19th century.

The town of Verbovets was first mentioned in 1439. From 1569 the region belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. About this period the population of Verbovets consisted of 1144 Orthodox Christians, 583 Catholics and 1934 Jews, which was more than half of the population. During the Khmelnitsky’s rebellion, in 1648-1654, Verbovets was totally devastated. In 1765, there were 202 Jews; in 1784, 129 Jews and in 1787, 118 Jews.
In 1793, after the Second partition of Poland, it came under the control of the Russian Empire, and became a part of the Podolia Governorate (Podolskaya Gubernia). In 1847, the Jewish community of Verbovets numbered 786. In 1897, Jews comprised almost 30% of the total population (661 of 2311). In the early 20th century there were two synagogues.
After 1922, Verbovets became a part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic within the USSR. In 1926, the Jewish population was 165.
Verbovets was occupied by Hungarian units and then by German troops on July 20th 1941. Soon all of Verbovets’ Jews were shot to death.
In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Verbovets became a part of the independent Ukraine.
The Jewish cemetery of Verbovets is situated on the eastern outskirts of the town. It contains around 300 headstones, which date between the 19th and the first half of 20th centuries.