Cherkassy – Wave of Cemetery Desecrations in Ukraine; Anti-Semitic “Cossacks” At it Again

Cherkassy, Ukraine – Anti-Semitism continues to sprout all over Ukraine.

Hooligans in Cherkass desecrated the monument over the kever of Rav Yaakov Yisroel of Cherkass, the son of Rebbi Mordechai of Czernobyl and son-in-law of the Mittler Rebbe of Lubavitch, which was discovered last Rosh Hashana by Agudas Ohalei Tzadikim. The goons uprooted the marble monument and destroyed its top piece. Cherkass police are investigating and the SBU, the Ukraine Security Agency, have also become involved.

In Chechelnik, the Jewish cemetery fence that was erected four years ago with much effort, was demolished by the local authorities and a road paved on it. The kever of Rav Moshe Tzvi, the Savaron rebbe, was only recently restored in the cemetery.

In Chemelnitzki, formerly called Pruskorov, a local anti-Semitic group which calls itself “Cossacks” have toppled the memorial erected by the Jewish community over the ancient Jewish cemetery in the center of the city.

Chemelnitzki’s Jewish cemetery was totally desecrated, with all monuments removed and an office building erected on part of it. The part that remained bare had a black basalt memorial set up by the Jewish community, listing the names of gedolei olam who were buried in the city. The Jewish community turned to the mayor and asked that a new memorial be built on the site, but the “Cossacks” threatened that if a new memorial is placed there, they will set up statues to honor Chemelnitzki and other Ukrainian “heroes” who killed hundreds of thousands of Jews.

The Jewish community head tried to convince the mayor to ignore the Cossack’s anti-Semitic rantings, but the mayor disregarded his pleadings. A year ago the community leader suffered cardiac arrest and died, and since then, no one has taken up the issue. Agudas Ohalei Tzadikim’s director, Rav Yisroel Meir Gabbay, finally managed to convince the director of the office building to allow a sign affixed to the building indicating that this place is the site of the city’s ancient Jewish cemetery.

Despite these unfortunate developments, there is some good news for those who visit kevorim in Ukraine. In Butasht, the authorities finally permitted setting up a memorial over the kever achim from World War II.

Butasht had a large Jewish community which had swelled to 15,000 souls when Hungarian Jews from the Carpathian mountains fled to the city after the German conquest. When the Germans took the city over on 10 Tammuz 1941, nationalist Ukrainians rampaged through the city murdering Jews and looting their property. Jews were hunted down over 1942-43, with many Jews deported to the Belzec death camp until finally the city was declared Judenrein in July 1943. That ended 500 years of Jewish settlement in the town.

In Polna’ah, a new hachnosos orchim near the old Jewish cemetery has opened serving Jews visiting the kevorim of the Toldos Yaakov Yosef and Rav Leib Mochiach. Bathroom facilities and light refreshments are available, provided by the Agudas Ohalei Tzadikim. Soon a dininghall will be open for those wishing to rest from the long journey and make a seudas yartzeit.