Federeation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine:
Belaya Tserkov'.
Chairman of the community: r. Mayer Holtsberg
Phone: +38 04463 3 29 60 Address: Gogol Str., 8, office 1, Belaya Tserkov', Ukraine |
Community history |
Community history
Picture: The Bolshaya synagogue of Belaya Tserkov'.
The of Belaya Tserkov' is the largest industrial center of the Kyiv region. It was founded 977 on the river of river Ros'. The first Jews came to Kyiv region in 11th and 12th centuries from Criea. In the end of the 14th century after the Kyiv region was conquerred by Lithuanians Jews began to come here from Poland and Germany. This was the time the Jewish community was born and in 1660 the Jews were allowed to biuld synagogyes. роительство синагог. According to the population census of 1784 this town was the main Jewish town of the Kyiv region. That is why on October 15 in 1806 the polish count Francisc-Ksaverius Branitskiy, the governor, signed a contract with the Jewish community and gave Jews the right to build and trade and provided credits for this purpose.
This town had many synagogues in which famous tsadiks prayed: rabbi David Maghid Mesharim (the disciple of the rebe Daal Shem Tov), rabbi Chaim Mayer Dayan (disciple of the rabbi Yehuda Leb Shpole), rabbi Avraham Mepodol'sk (disciple of rebe BeShT, the author of the "Hesed Le Avraham" book), rabbi Aaron Shmuel a-Kohen (the son of rebe Naftali Kats, the author of the "Smichat Chachanim" book), rabbi Aleksander (disciple of rebe BeShT, the author of the "Shivchey Baal Shem Tov" book), the Chernobyl' tsadiks Sholom Yosef Tverskiy, Mordechay Melover Tverskiy. On the old Jewish cemetery there is a memorial about this. In 1860 the Bolshaya Khoral'naya Synagogue was built (the building exists until now) in which many world famous cantors performed: Pinchas Minkovskiy, Yosef Rosenblat and others.
In 1917 there were 18 synagogues in the city, 12 Jewish schools and cheders, the Jewish hospital of Byalin (the building exists untill now). In 1925 Jews made 44.2% of the population though all the synagogues were closed and different establishments were there.
The city is famous not only with its religious but also secular activity. In Belaya Tserkov' in 1883-1888 Sholom Aleichem lived. Here he wrote the book Katriel. In 2009 during the celebration of 150 years from birth of the writer the International Theatrical Festival took place. The known writer Isak Babel descends from Belaya Tserkov'. Benzion Vul, the world known physician, was born here.
During the Nazi occupation in 1941 - 1943 16 thousand Jews were killed in Belaya Tserkov'. A Memorial stands at the place of mass executions.