International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies - Cemetery Project

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BELARUS


THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

Belarus SIG on JewishGen: http://www.jewishgen.org/Belarus
See Shtetls of Belarus for links to more information for various towns listed in the Cemetery Project.

Jewish Community information:
http://www.haruth.com/JewBelarus.html
http://www.fjc.ru/belarusfr.htm [October 2000]
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2000/12/13/JewishWorld/JewishWorld.17314.html [Jan 2001]

Frank Swartz, Executive Director
East European Jewish Heritage Project
13b Dauman Street
Minsk 220002
Republic of Belarus
tel/fax: +375 17 234 5612/234 33 60
fjs@voluntas.org
website: http://eejhp.tripod.ca is the East European Jewish Heritage Project website with links to its pages on Jewish history and communities of Belarus. [July 2001]

Data sent by Frank Swartz from Minsk only includes burial sites that he and his group have verified. The East European Jewish Heritage Project has negotiated with the government to allow all Jewish cemeteries to be listed as protected historic sites once the stones have been indexed. Of course, there are costs for indexing but these are minimal. If they obtain the small sums needed for this project, all the Jewish cemeteries in Belarus can be saved. Note: His Grodno list includes none of the cemeteries in Ostrin, Zaludok, or Scucyn or the headstones thrown in the river and still visible in Rozanka [Lida uezd].



Union of Jewish Communities and Organizations of Belarus
22 Kropotkina St.
Minsk 220002, Belarus
Email: belarus@fjc.ru

    UPDATE ON CONDITIONS IN BELARUS: Legislation effecting cemeteries that were inactive for twenty-five years (of all religious faiths) was promulgated under Soviet rule. More than just Jewish sites suffered. The murder of entire Jewish community in 1941-44 left Jewish cemeteries prey to this law in 1966-1969 but the central Minsk Dynamo Market sits atop the Russian Orthodox cemetery. Many religious buildings of all faiths were subject to Soviet "adaptive reuse." Also, during the 1991-1994 transitional period, some cemeteries were partially destroyed. Under the current government, supportive to the Jewish community, this practice ceased. Minsk has no Jewish cemetery, but development of the old cemetery property is prohibited by the Minsk city government. Bobruisk and Mogilev cemeteries are still active. Mogilev recently received additional cemetery space from the local authority.
    The East European Jewish Heritage Project ( fjs@voluntas.org ) negotiated with the Belarussian Committee for the Preservation of the Nation's Heritage to protect Belarus' Jewish cemeteries. To be protected, indexing and mapping of headstones must be done and a barrier (fence, wall, hedge) must be erected around the site to demarcate its boundaries. The current obstacle to preserving cemeteries is funding; however, these same poor economic conditions also prevent development. Nature and indifference are the main threats to Jewish cemeteries in Belarus. Small, unattended cemeteries become overgrown, as memorial markers topple, damaged by vegetation and weathering. Rural sites disappear under secondary forests. Today, few Jews throughout the world donate to the preservation or maintenance of these cemeteries. The largest international Jewish 'aid' organization participating in restoration in the past announced a 40% reduction in this year's aid.
    Jews are responsible for our own heritage throughout the world. Because the present Belarussian government now supports the Jewish community, preserving the physical remains of our heritage is imperative. The East European Jewish Heritage Project will assist. Contact Franklin J. Swartz, Executive Director, East European Jewish Heritage Project, P.O. Box 97, Minsk, 220074, Republic of Belarus, fjs@voluntas.org [March 2002]

REFERENCE: History of Jews in Belorussia and Ukraine by Dymshytz, St-Petersburg, 1944. Almost all the cemeteries described are on hills, sometimes covered by woods. The most ancient ones were destroyed although some of them exist today on the original places. Many Jewish cemeteries are converted into Christians ones. Usually the stones are 1m-1.2-m high and 0.5-m width. The reverse side of the stone is not polished. The top of the stone is half-round and sometimes partially broken as an image of sorrow. The decor is very limited with sometimes a Star of David and sometimes blessing hands or menorah. The images are dated second half of the last century: in MIR-a bird, in SHARKOVCHINA-a lion, in DRUE and DISNA-a lion, a bird and floral ornamentation. Source: Irene Kudish: kudish@netcom.ca


MAPS of various Belarussian cities: http://www.calle.com/world/BY/index.html


THE CEMETERIES L-Z

B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K

AMDUR: see Indura

ANTOPOL (Antelpolie): 5212 2447, 164.7 miles SW of Minsk See http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/antopol/antopol.html http://mywebpage.netscape.com/stephenpmorse/barg [March 2002]

ASMENA: see ASHMYANY

ASHMYANY: {10952}
Located at 5425 2556 in Grodno Oblast, 75.1 miles WNW of Minsk and 31 miles SE of Vilnius Alternate/former names of town or village: ASMENA, OSHMYANA, OSZMIAMA, OSHMIANI. A partial listing of burials exists. This town also belonged to Lithuania at a different time. Present Jewish population: 1-6. Person to contact regarding cemetery: Our guide was Regina Kopelivitch - e-mail: Regina@pub.osf.lt
     Tzadakkim and other noteworthy Jews buried in the cemetery: Rabbi Shmuelson and Rabbi Gelpand. The cemetery site is isolated rural flat land, with no sign or marker, near the "new" school. The school is a light colored brick building surrounded by a white and blue wooden fence. If you drive past the school, you will see some 5-6-story apartment buildings (white) ahead. The cemetery is right there in a field by the apartments. The cemetery has a lot of stones spread out over a large field. Access is open to all with no wall, gate, or fence.
     Approximately 400 gravestones are in the cemetery, with 250 in original location. About 25% of surviving gravestones are toppled or broken. Vegetation is a constant problem disturbing graves and stones and damaging stones. The granite, limestone, and sandstone tombstones may date from the 18th century. Some tombstones are rough stones or boulders, flat shaped stones, finely smoothed and inscribed stones, flat stones with carved relief decoration, double tombstones, sculpted monuments, or obelisks. Some tombstones have portraits on stones, metal fences around graves, or are common gravestones. Inscriptions are in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian. The cemetery has many stones spread out over a large field and is not in great shape. Many of stones are overturned or buried by weeds, dirt etc. Many are very weathered and hard to read. No known mass graves. I found a couple large bones but could not tell if they were human or animal. We copied down the last names from 195 stones. It would be fair to say that most of the graves in the section we worked were from 1900 +/- 25 years. Other sections had earlier ones. We recorded them by row. In the list of names, the ones with 2 names mean that it was a doublewide stone or one stone with 2 names. We worked mostly on the graves within a small wooded area. I would say we missed getting information from 1/4 of them because they were overturned, missing, or buried. The rows mentioned in the list refer to this wooded area, starting with the side closest to the apartments. The present owner of the property is unknown and is now used for inactive Jewish cemetery and agriculture (crops or animal grazing). Properties adjacent to the cemetery are residential. The cemetery is visited occasionally. Organized Jewish group tour or pilgrimage groups, organized individual tours, and private visitors visit the cemetery. No maintenance. Within the limits of the cemetery, are no structures. Security (uncontrolled access), weather erosion, vegetation, vandalism, and incompatible nearby developments are threats. One resident thought that a corner of the cemetery may have been lost when they put up one of the apartment buildings (unconfirmed). If you are going, I recommend taking clippers and work gloves (a lot of rosebushes to clear away) and a spade. I spoke with Regina about going back and recording the names and dates on all the stones. This is something she does for other cemeteries, when funding is made available. If anyone has any interest is joining with me to fund this, please let me know. Her estimate was $2000-$3000. This would be her for time and 2 others to clear away the brush and lift up the many overturned stones. Source: Scott Noar; e-mail: sman@uscom.com ; phone: 856-663-5192, completed the survey on 31 August 1999. He visited the site on 18 August 1999 with Pat Noar and Regina Kopelivitch.
     UPDATE: The week before Rosh Hashanah, I visited the cemetery in Krewo (Kreve) located east of Oshmiany (about 15 km). The entire area was formerly in the Oblast of Vilna. The village of Krewo is famous for the Fortress of Krewo built in 1385 to commemorate the Unia of Krewo (The unification of Krewo). This treaty united the Lithuanian and the Polish People. The fortress still stands. The synagogue, which is in reasonably good condition, is next to the fortress. The town is also the birthplace of the Millikovsky family. Natan Millikovsky changed his name to Netanyahu after leaving the Vlozhin Yeshiva and immigrating to Palestine. Bibi Netanyahu is his grandson.
     Upon entering the main road of the rural community past the general store, there is a grouping of houses to the right behind which is a heavily wooded area. The first turn is at a corner of what was known as the Lapuk residence. Go right about one hundred yards down that road. There is a stone wall to the right that is the beginning of the cemetery. The cemetery itself is in a wooded area with a partial clearing that at one time must have been much larger. Many of the stones are between heavy vegetation overgrowth. Vandalism appears to be at a minimum. Certain areas are well preserved, e.g. the burial site of the family of the last chief Rabbi of Krewo.
     The stones that survive best are the ones not located in the clearing between the two wooded areas. I saw about 150 stones but it is hard to tell what actually survives because the woods require a greater time to do a more formal survey. Among the names we encountered were: Bodonovsky, Lapuk, Milikovsky, Perevosky, Halevi, Hirkovitz, Cohen, Epstein, Rudnik, Schmuelisky,Berman, Delion, Soloduka, Brudno, Palistina, Goler, Koniansky, Skop, Jakbson. Padunober, Likovich, and Lakerman. My special thanks to Regina Kopelovich and the family of Bella Lipkovich without whom this visit would not have been possible. Rafael Guber Talner@aol.com
      UPDATE: Organization of Oshmiany New Comers (Olim) in Israel announces restoration and rebuilding of the Jewish cemetery about 50 kilometers from Vilnius. Former residents of Oshmiany found the Jewish cemetery half destroyed. Part of the tombs weren stolen, broken, or dispersed in the field. A few are still standing. The cemetery is overgrown with wild overgrown grass and filled with garbage. Herds of pigs and cows graze. The old fence has disappeared. City hall intends to remove the graves and build on the site.       The Jewish Oshmiany organization registered as non-profit organization whose registration number is 58-034-598-1, Town officials were very positive about restoration..All the expenses of the restoration have to be provide by our organization. We need additional help to preserve and eliminate the complete destruction of the cemetery. Chanan Peled- Chairman. 24 Argaman St. Ramat Efal 52960 ISRAEL. Tel. +972-3-6351493. E-mail: peledch兀.net.il. Source: JewishGen Digest. [March 2004]

B

BABRUYSK:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5309 2914, in Bobruisk uezd, Minsk guberniya, 85.8 miles SE of Minsk. Also known as BOBRUYSK, BOBRUISK. Source: Charlotte Guthmann Opfermann.
http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/newsletter/rem_bobruisk.htm [October 2000]

BARANAVICHY:
Alternate names: BARANOVICHI, BARANOVICHE. Located at 5308 2602, 82.2 miles SW of Minsk, in Novogrudok uezd, Minsk guberniya. Baranovichi was in the Novomyshskaya volost' (courtesy of Vcharny@aol.com .) The Jewish cemetery in Baranovichi is fenced off and nicely kept, thanks to the work of the Baranowitzer Society of Israel and a local man, Schmuel Kaplan, who was my host. There are memorials there. One gravestone turned on its side supposedly covered the crypt of the Halperin family, one of the prominent families before the W.W.II. Kuncevitsky, Turevsky, Vinograd and Slucjac stones are in the foundations of surrounding buildings. There are also memorials at the two mass grave sites. One is where the Germans themselves reported killing 19,000 Jews around July 31, 1942. The report is available from the Nizkor Project on the Internet. The other is at the site where 3,000 Czech intellectuals were executed after being taken off a train from Czechoslovakia, supposedly for a rest stop. Visit was May 5-9, 1977. Sources: Larry S. Goldblatt, M.D., BGoldblatt@aol.com [1999]
      http://www.jewishgen.org/Belarus/newsletter/kaplan.htm "My Memoirs From Palonkeh and Baranovichi, Belarus, 1904 to 1922" [October 2000]
http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/newsletter/eial.htm [October 2000]

BARYSAW:
Located at 5415 2830 in Borisov uezd, Minsk guberniya/Oblast, 44.9 miles ENE of Minsk. Also known as BORISOV, BORISSOW. I visited the Jewish cemetery in Borisov in October 1996 with local residents, Boris Gitlin and former resident (now in Israel) Alexander Rosenbloom. A few hundred gravestones exist, most carved out of rough boulders, dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Only some have last names. Many are in poor condition but many are quite legible. A modern section, still-active, has fine Russian-language tombstones, most with pictures of the deceased, and is in the front of the cemetery near the entrance. A monument to local Jews killed by Stalin also stands at the entrance of the cemetery. A second Jewish cemetery that I did not visit exists and was active from about the 1920's. Subsequently closed, burials continued in the old cemetery. On the outskirts of town, near an airfield, is a mass grave of 9,000 Jews from Borisov and nearby Zembin who were killed by the Nazis. An impressive monument, with signs in Russian and Yiddish, mark the site. Source: Eric L. Goldstein, 12 Monroe Place #2, Brooklyn, NY 11201, (718) 625-1058; e-mail: ELGOLD1@aol.com
     There are two Jewish cemeteries, the inactive one is in the newer part of the city where burials started a little before W.W.II (so people say). The active second cemetery is in the older part of the city. The person in charge of the active cemetery is Genadi Krasnik, who brought me to this cemetery. From my relative, Alexander Rosenbloom, I heard that there was also a third cemetery moved in 1930 to which we went. The cemetery is pretty big and has two types of burials. The older style of burying, which started at the beginning of the 19th century, spreads from one end of the cemetery to the other. The modern style of burying is done at the other end, to which direction the older burying is advancing and even encroaching. The older style is more or less uniform: a stone tablet standing, rounded on top, humble text without praises and descriptions. For the men, it is written often "The Righteous and Honest Man", and for women "The Humble Woman". Despite the fact that the entire area is fenced off, passersby who wish to take shortcuts make gaps here and there. The older graves are bending from age; and some even are pushed down deliberately by vandalism. Grass grows over the entire area, which is used as food by the cows grazing there. Only the part with newer graves received fairly good care. I was given a list of those buried in the newer part until 1995 by Mr. Krasnik to pass on to Alexander Rosenbloom. This list includes family names, first names, and father's names as well as dates of birth and death. (All the names have been changed to the masculine). Source: Rav Eliyahu Tavger eliyahu@tekhelet.co.il . See http://www.jewishgen.org/Belarus/borisov_cemetery.htm
      http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/bobruisk/bysktoc1.html [September 2001]
      http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/newsletter/risatrip.htm [October 2000]
      UPDATE: "Unidentified assailants have smashed dozens of Jewish tombstones in Belarus, prompting Jewish activists to accuse Belarusian authorities Friday of inaction amid a string of anti-Semitic incidents. ... 19 tombstones destroyed at one cemetery in ... Minsk. ... Last week, more than 70 tombstones were desecrated in the city of Borisov east of Minsk, and police arrested some teenagers suspected of committing the attack... " Source: Ha'aretz English Edition: July 22, 2002-Av 13, 5762 at http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=188741&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 [July 2002]

BELITSA:
      UPDATE: "...the abandoned Jewish cemetery in Belitsa, which is almost 54 [sic] centuries old. Belitsa was once a Jewish settlement and at this time there are no Jews there. We organize Voskresniki (hours of unpaid labour) to clean the territories around the memorials, to fix them in case of vandalism. In February 2001 Zenon Bunko reported about the place where Jews from Lida and Vilnius were buried. We needed two and a half years to gather proofs, documents and to find sponsors. On the 13th of August 2003 the monument was opened. Boris Golubovich gave money for the fence (8mx22m) around this "third ditch". And Lida's painter and sculpter Richard Grusha put into the monument his talent and a great sum of his own money. Source: http://lidajews.narod.ru/indexen.html [February 2004]
BEREZINO:
Source: fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5454 2812 in Borosov Uezd, Minsk guberniya, 73.6 miles NNE of Minsk. Alternate name: Berezin. Berezin was in Pogostskaya volost' and in Berezinskaya volost' (courtesy of Vcharny@aol.com .)

BESHENKOVICHI:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5503 2927 in Vitebsk Oblast, 109.6 miles NE of Minsk. Also called Beshenkobichy, Beshenkowitschi.
     The unlocked cemetery is a 15-minute walk from the village down a dirt road and a 45-minute drive from Vitebsk. Present town population is 3-4,000 with no Jews. The earliest known Jewish population was in 1600. The pre-WWII Jewish population was 2,800. In 1931, the Jewish community's synagogue and school suffered a fire. Rabbi Avram Yisroel Goldensohn (disciple of Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk) lived there, as did many other rabbis buried in the cemetery established probably about 1700. The last known Orthodox Jewish burial was 1930. No other towns used this cemetery about 4 miles from the congregation. The isolated and slightly hilly forest site has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all with no wall, gate, or fence. The pre- and post-WWII size is 8 (?) hectares. Approximately 1000 gravestones exist with 50% not in original location. Vegetation overgrowth is a constant problem damaging stones. Water drainage is a seasonal problem. The granite rough stones or boulders and flat-shaped gravestones with Hebrew inscriptions date from 1711. The unknown owner uses the site as a Jewish cemetery only. Adjacent properties are agricultural. The site is never visited and has no recorded maintenance or vandalism. Source: Dr. David Frey dfrey@bigpond.net.au .
      http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/newsletter/frey.htm has description and photo of cemetery. [October 2000]

BOBR:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5420 2916 in Senno uezd, Minsk Oblast, 75.0 miles ENE of Minsk

BOBRUISK: see BABRUYSK:

BOGINO:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5525 2648 in Vitebsk Oblast, 109.1 miles NNW of Minsk. Also known as BOGIN', BOHIN

BOLSHOYE SELO:
see VELKAVES

BORISOV: see BARYSAW

BREST:
Source: Charlotte Guthmann Opfermann. Located at 5206 2342, 203.1 miles SW of Minsk in Brest Oblast. http://www.jewishgen.org/Belarus/Shtetls/pictures/brest_cemetery.jpg

BUTEN: see BUTIN

BUTIN:
Located at 5253 2530, 110.3 miles SW of Minsk. Also known as Butin, Buten. Yehzona used the site in 1917 as there was no Jewish cemetery closer. Supposedly, a person with proper tools and skills can still see many surviving stones with inscriptions. He visited May 5-9, 1977. Source: Larry S. Goldblatt, M.D.: BGoldblatt@aol.com . [2000]

BYCHOW: see BYKHOV

BYKHOV:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5331 3015 in Mogilev Oblast, 112.8 miles ESE of Minsk. Alternate name: BYCHOW

C

CHATYN: see KHATYN

CHECHERSK: see CZECZERSK

CHEDRIN: see SELIBA

CHERVEN:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5342 2826 in Igumen uezd, Minsk guberniya-Minsk Oblast, 37.9 miles ESE of Minsk. Alternate name: IGUMEN

CRAISK: see KRYASK

CZECZERSK:
5255 3055, 153.7 miles ESE of Minsk, now in Gomel Oblast. Alternate name: CHECHERSK, Chachersk A Jewish cemetery still exists. Source "Saint Petersburg" farkisa1@hotmail.com . [December 2000]. Previously Chechersk, Rogachev uezd, Mogilev guberniya.
See http://gomel.lk.net/didyou.html
and http://www.american.edu/projects/mandala/TED/CHERNOB.HTM
     Chechersk is in the area contaminated by Chernobyl but not restricted to visitors. Source: Franklin J. Swartz fjs@voluntas.org [December 2000]

D

DALHINOV: see DOLGINOVO
DALHINOW: see DOLGINOVO
DANILEVICIAI: see DUNILOVICHI

DAVID-GORODOK:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5203 2713 in Brest Oblast, 128.6 miles S of Minsk. Alternate names: DAWID-GRODEK, DAWIDGRODEK, DAVIDGRODEK or in Mozyr uezd, Minsk guberniya at 52º03' 27º13'
http://davidhorodok.tripod.com has link to cemetery photograph and an English translation of much of the David Gorodok Yizkor as well as other information. [December 2000]

DEREZHIN:
Apparently the stones are intact although worn. The cemetery is overgrown. Source: Everett Leiter

DEREVNA: see IVENETS

DISNA:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5534 2813 in Vitebsk Oblast, 118.0 miles NNE of Minsk. Alternate names: Dzisna

DOBROVOLIE: see PINSK
DOHLHINEV: see DOLGINOVO

DOKSHITZ:
54º 53', 28º42'. http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/dokshitz/dokshitz.html [October 2000]
http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/Dokshitsy/Dokshitz.html Alternate name: Dokshitz-Parafianow. [October 2000]
     UPDATE: www.jewishdokshitsy.org has information about cemetery restoration. Parafianov, 12 km away, used this cemetery. The villages of Voznvoshchina, Uskrom'ye, and Karolina may also have used it. The cemetery was destroyed in 1965 and made into a park. G. N. Portyanko of the Dokshitsy government states that, There are headstones at the far end of the park. A 1942 mass grave is located in a ravine next to the site and marked. Another mass grave on a piece of abandoned land behind a local grocery store in Parafianov is marked. http://friendsofjd.googlepages.com/siteoffriendsofjewishdokshitsy has photos, a map, and information about the cemetery and town. [December 2006]

DOLGINOVO:
Alternate names: Dalhinov/ Dolhinov/ Dalhinow/ Dohlhinev. Location: 54º39' 27º29' in Vileika uezd of former Vilna guberniya. Website: http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/dolhinov/dolhinov.html [December 2000]
     From the Dolhinov guestbook: http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/dolhinov/d_pages/d_cemetery2001.html : "… the old Jewish cemetery in Dolhinov. There are many generations of Jews, our ancestors, who were buried there. Also most importantly our parents, sisters, brothers and cousins who were murdered by the Nazis and their assistants-- some of our gentile neighbors, are all buried there. The cemetery is open on all sides. There is no fence around it. It is overrun with weeds, plants and bushes that reach the height of a tall man. None can enter to observe the graves. Cows, pigs and sheep wander through freely. Jews who went to visit the cemetery were shocked and extremely upset by the shameful and terrible neglect. A few of us, natives of Dolhinov in Israel, have organized a working committee in order to 1. Clean the cemetery area. 2. Put a fence around the cemetery. 3. Renew the headstone for the memorial for the few thousands of Jews who perished in Dolhinov during the Holocaust and later were buried in one mass grave by their few Jewish brothers and sisters who survived. Our aim in writing this letter is to collect funds in order to carry out this sacred task. … We have received practical proposals from a Jewish building contractor in Minsk … You could send your checks to one of the following addresses:
1. Arieh Rubin, 25 Raines Street, Givataim, Israel.
2. Leon Rubin, 2 Hartsit Street, Ramt Efal, 52960, Israel.
3. Shlomo Shamgar (Smorgonsky) 21 Keren Hakayemet Street, Givatayim, Israel
4. Foreign Currency Accounts for the Committee of Dolhinov, Bank Leumi-Givatayim Branch, No.10-857-773609/61, Israel."
     Source: Leon Rubin for The Working Committee of Dolhinov at Tel# 03-635-6469 in Israel, email: rubinlj@netvision.net.il . [21 December 2000]

DOLHINOV: see DOLGINOVO
DRUJA: see DRUYA

DRUYA:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5547 2727 in Vitebsk Oblast, 130.1 miles N of Minsk. Alternate names: DRUJA, near the Latvian border. Thanks to the support of Druja descendents in Israel and the United States, we have been able to clear all undergrowth and bushes and reset the nearly five hundred stones which had fallen over during the last 57 years. Incredibly these stones are painted in bright hues of white, red, yellow and blue to accentuate the carvings. The surrounding soil had preserved both the stone ornamentation and pigmentation. Now that the stones are upright once more we are very concerned that exposure to the atmosphere will cause the paint to flake and fade. These stones are the only painted stones I have encountered here. If anyone has any experience in the conservation of this type of artifact I will be grateful for advice. Source: Belarus SIG Archives and Franklin J. Swartz fjs@voluntas.org

DUBROVNO:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at ? Vitebsk Oblast

DUKORA:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5340 2757 in Igumen uezd, Minsk guberniya-Minsk Oblast, 22.5 miles SE of Minsk. Dukora was in Dukorskaya volost' (courtesy of Vcharny@aol.com )

DUNILOVICHE: see DUNILOVICHI

DUNILOVICHI:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5504 2714 in Vitebsk Oblast, 81.7 miles N of Minsk. Alternate names: DANILEVICIAI, DUNILOWICZE, DUNILOVICY, DUNILOVICHE

DUNILOVICY: see DUNILOVICHI
DUNILOWICZE: see DUNILOVICHI

DYATLOVO:
Located at 5328 2524, in Lida uezd, Vilna guberniya (Lithuania) then Grodno guberniya, now Grodno Oblast. 93.5 miles WSW of Minsk. Alternate names: ZHETEL, ZHETL.
     1997 visit: A family member received a letter, which states the current condition of the one remaining Jewish cemetery in Zhetel and solicits donations to raise $10,000 to build a fence around the cemetery. The letter mentions that the first and oldest Jewish cemetery in Zhetel has already been destroyed and a housing project built on its site. The letter mentions Risha and Aaron Kovensky as the Zhetlers who recently visited the remaining cemetery and reported on its condition at the annual Zhetlers' meeting this year in Israel. The leader of the Zhetler landsmanschaft is Eframi Shefer, Irgun Zetl, Rechov Shibat Zion 41 Ramat-Gan, 52-391 Israel. If you would like to discuss Zhetel, please contact me. I have the Zhetel Yizkor Book and will gladly do searches for you. I would also be glad to send out copies of this detailed letter to anyone interested. Source: Robinn Magid, Kensington, California; e-mail: RobinnM@aol.com
     For more information, see http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Lida-District/lida-dist.htm [July 2001]
See http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/shtetls/sdyatlovolv.htm for two photos. [October 2000]
Contact: Frank Swartz fjs@voluntas.org
     UPDATE: "About 8 thousand are buried in 3 huge ditches in the northern suburb of Lida. Jews from Wilnius, Dyatlovo, Voronovo and other settlements surrounding Lida are buried in the same ditches." Source: http://lidajews.narod.ru/indexen.html [February 2004]

DZISNA: see DISNA

E

EWIE: see IVYE

F

G

GERMANISHKI: 54º08 25º22 in Vileika Uezd, Vilna and Minsk gubernii.
GERMANOVICHE: see GERMANOVICHI

GERMANOVICHI:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located in 5524 2748 in Vitebsk Oblast, 104.0 miles N of Minsk. Alternate names: GERMANOVICHE, HERMANOWICZE. Hermaniszki, Kreminchaw, Kremenshaw, Kreminzow.

GLUBOKOYE: see Ivenets

GOMEL:
Located at 52º25' 31º00' in Gomel uezd, Mogilev guberniya.
      http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/newsletter/risatrip.htm [October 2000]

GORODICHE:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 53º44' 29º48', Near Baranovichi, Novogrudok uezd, Minsk guberniya (18th century cemetery) and Source: Irene Kudish: kudish@netcom.ca . REFERENCE: Horodishter Korsoner Lodge (New York, N.Y.) Title: Records, 1930-1974. Description: .9 linear ft. Notes: Lodge was organized by Jewish immigrants from Gorodishche (Gorodok), Byelorussia. …, YIVO collections are in Yiddish, Russian, Polish, English, Hebrew, and other European and non-European languages. Location: YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, New York, NY. Control No.: NXYH89-A736 [December 2000]

GORODOK:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5303 2846 in Gorodok uezd, Vitebsk guberniya, 76.7 miles SE of Minsk

GRODNO: SEE HRODNO

H

HERMANOWICZE: see GERMANOVICHI
HERMANISZKI: see Germanishki

HRODNO:
I

IGUMEN: see CHERVEN

INDURA:
Located at 5327 2353 in Grodno uezd, Grodno guberniya-Grodno Oblast, 153.8 miles W of Minsk and approximately 26 kilometers from the outskirts of Grodno. Also called AMDUR. After passing through the industrial outskirts of Grodno on a road with much automobile traffic, one is in the countryside. Fields are slightly rolling, with some birch trees and pine trees. The town of Indura seems much less changed, from the description in Yedidya Efron's book Amdur Mein Geboirn Shetl, written of the town from what it was in the 1890's than one might expect. The synagogue is a large red-brick building with two stories and roof-dormer rooms. Although there are many stones in the cemetery, most have been lost --presumably taken away-- because one no longer sees rows of stones, even where there are rows of mounded graves. The cemetery is unfenced. The synagogue is visible from most points on it. I saw practically no obvious desecration, with one exception. There is just one raised 'kevre' (if that's the right term [ohel?]) in the cemetery. That ohel had apparently been forced or blasted open, a piece lies at too much distance from it to have simply fallen. There is some litter now in the ohel, though that may bespeak only slovenliness, not intentional desecration. But there is a skeleton of a dead dog and a few broken bottles alongside it that may bespeak more than negligence. I failed to try to tidy things up; maybe someone else will. I took about 35 photos of tombstones in the INDURA cemetery. A set of those photos, positives and negatives, and also scanned pictures are on file with the Jewish Community Center of Warsaw. Source: Steve Amdur; sahaon@jerusalemail.com htt p://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/indura/Amdur-InduraHomepage.htm [February 2001]

IVANIKI: see Pinsk

IVANOVO:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5209 2532 in Brest Oblast, 147.4 miles SW of Minsk

IVENETS: {10694}
Located at 5353 2645 in Minsk uezd, Minsk guberniya-Minsk Oblast, 33.3 miles W of Minsk. Ivenets was in the Ivenetsko-Starinskaya volost'. (Courtesy of Vcharny@aol.com ) Alternate name: Iwienjec Cemetery: Although the Ivenets Yizkor book refers to an old and new cemetery, we found no traces of the old or anyone who knew anything about it. The new cemetery can be found by taking the "road to Kamen" up a small hill, past the remains of a pottery factory on the left. The, take the first left and go about 50 meters down a dirt road. The unmarked cemetery is just past the first houses on the left. The cemetery contains about 100 stones, some of which are readable, but many of which are in varying stages of disrepair or overturned and partially buried. The cemetery now is used as a grazing field for 3 or 4 goats. There is a row of newer homes across the street from the cemetery. Children play on that street, but don't seem to know that it is a Jewish cemetery. We took Polaroid pictures of the children. The Polaroid process fascinated them; and I think they will remember us. At least one of the children spoke some English, which he had learned in school. They retained the pictures. I think much of the cemetery is intact, but I suspect that the houses that separate the "road to Kamen" from the cemetery were built, in part, on the cemetery grounds. The oldest stone we found was (at the far end away from the "road to Kamen) from the year 5588 (1828). The newest stone at the opposite end was from 1931. There might be older and newer stones, but we had no time or equipment to survey everything. Since Jews first settled in Ivenets in the 18th century, there must be, or must have been, an older cemetery.
     Our guide and interpreter was Oleg Perzashkevich Director, Minsk Genealogy Group, Minsk-Zhukouskogo 9-2-190, Belarus 22000 Z, pkp1@drop.belpak.minsk.by Telephone: 017-2240560 In Ivenets, Iosef Lestshinsky, Belarus, Minsk Oblast, Volozhin Rayon, Ivenets, Belarusskaya St. 10 was very friendly and helpful. Ivenets looked very much the way it must have looked 100 years ago. The main streets are paved, but many side streets are not. Some people have automobiles, but horse-drawn carts are common. Milk is delivered in large tin cans by horse-drawn carts. Mr. Lestshinsky had the keys to the building that used to be the synagogue. There is no indication that it ever functioned as a synagogue.
     Holocaust Memorial: Just outside the town limits on the road to Volozhin is a memorial to the Jews who were killed by the Nazis in 1942. The Israeli government erected the memorial with help from the Ivenetser societies in Israel and New York. A large Belarussian sign on the right side of the road (leaving Ivenets) points to a path in the woods that leads to the memorial. The memorial consists of a mass grave in a rectangular, gated area about 15 feet by 50 feet, at the end of which is a memorial stone. The grass on the grave is overgrown with no care. Two artificial wreaths were recently placed in front of the memorial stone. The stone is engraved with a message in Hebrew and Belorussian. In paraphrase, it says that 800 Jews from Ivenets. Derevna (Daled resh, vais, nun, heh), Glebokoye (gimmel, lamed, yud, vais, vov, kupf), Rubezhevichi, Volma, and Kamen were murdered at the hands of the German Nazis on June 9, 1942. (Note: Derevna refers to a town south of Ivenets and just southeast of Naliboki. Rubezhevichi, Volma and Kamen are on most good maps.)
     Pamyat, a memorial book about the partisan movement in the Volozhin District (which includes Ivenets) was published in 1996 in Minsk. The 450-page book is written entirely in Belorussian using the Cyrillic alphabet. It has many pictures of people and lists of names, including many Jewish names. I purchased several copies at the Ivenets Post Office for about $2.00 each. The book should be of interest to anybody doing research about this area. Source: Joseph H. Rubinstein, Hartsville SC; rubinstein@Coker.edu and Judith Rubinstein Prigal, Teaneck, NJ - July12 and 14, 1997 visit to the cemetery. Also see the Ivenets ShtetLink at JewishGen
     A group of German and Dutch students spent several days cataloguing the cemetery last summer. They were able to finish about one quarter of the project, but have no plans to return. Also, they were able to locate the remnants of the "old" cemetery that is largely destroyed. When I was in Ivenets, I could not find anybody who would tell me about it. I put Gary Mokotoff in touch with these people; and I think there will be a forthcoming story in Avotaynu. Source: Joseph Rubinstein joseph_rubinstein@yahoo.com [5 March 2000].
      http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/ivenets/ivenets.html [October 2000]
      http://www.jewishgen.org/Belarus/newsletter/IvenetsGraves.htm Story and cemetery description with photo [May 2006]

IVYA: see IVYE

IVYE:
Located at 5356 2546 in former Lida uezd, Vilna guberniya and Grodno guberniya. Alternate names: Ewie, Iwie, Iwje, Ivya.
http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Lida-District/lida-dist.htm [June 2001]
http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/lida/lida.html
Yizkor Book [October 2000]

IWIE: see IVYE
IWJE: see IVYE
IWIENJEC: see Ivenets

J

JELAWDIK: see ZALUDOK

K


KAMEN: [Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5501 2853 in Minsk uezd, Minsk guberniya, now Minsk Oblast. Kamen' was in Ivenetsko-Starinskaya volost'. Also see IVENETS.
http://www.jewishgen.org/Yizkor/kamen/kamen.html [October 2000]

KARLIN: see PINSK

KARPILOKOV:
A suburb of Zhlobin at 5254 3003 has a Jewish cemetery. See also Zhlobin. Source: Arthur Obermayer; obermayer@alum.mit.edu

KAROLINA: see DOKSHITZ

KHATYN:
Alternate name: Chaty. Formerly located at 54°20' 27°57', Logoisk region of Minsk guberniya, 33.7 miles NNE of Minsk. A memorial called "Village of Villages" information can be found at http://www.khatyn.by/en/about/excursion/step9/. A black granite obelisk marks the mass grave and says "on October 29, 2004, the Belorussian Jewish Community installed a monument of brown granite inscribed in Yiddish and Belarussian...for the victims of Stalinism." Information and photos can be found at http://www.khatyn.by/en/about/history/. 149 people, including 75 children under age were burned alive. The village was then looted and burned to the ground. occurred on March 22, 1943. For information, see http://www.khatyn.by/en/tragedy/. [December 2006]

KLECK: see KLETSK

KLETSK:
Located at 5304 2638, 69.1 miles SW of Minsk in Slutz uezd, Minsk guberniya-Minsk Oblast. Kletsk was in the Kletskaya volost'. (Courtesy of Vcharny@aol.com ) Alternate names: KLECK. Kletsk was 73% Jewish. June '42 uprising against Germans was bloodily suppressed: Source: Charlotte Guthmann Opfermann.
http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/newsletter/risatrip.htm [October 2000]

KLIMOVICHI:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5337 3158 in Klimovichi uezd, Mogilev guberniya, 180.6 miles E of Minsk. Also known as KLIMOWITSCHI
     UPDATE: Website with Klimovichi town and cemetery pictures: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.globus.tut.by/klimovichi/index.htm&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=4&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%25D0%25BA%25D0%25BB%25D0%25B8%25D0%25BC%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B2%25D0%25B8%25D1%2587%25D0%25B8%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG [June 2007]

KLIMOWITSCHI: see KLIMOVICHI
KOBYLNIK: see NARACH

KOCKI:
Location: 5328 2535 in Dyatlovo district, 3 km from Nowojelnia.
http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/nowojelnia.htm has photos and has the following information from Fr. Wieslaw Dabrowski who found a memorial marking the common grave of 10,000 Jews murdered by the Nazis in a forest of Nowojelnia in the village of Kocki, 3 kilometers from Nowojelnia where, on December 28, 1942 the Germans killed 10,000 children, women and men gathered from the entire area of Dziatlow. A monument had been erected in honor of these martyrs. The gravesite was fenced in 61 meters 18 cm long and 5 meters 13 cm wide. Over time, however, the fence has partially deteriorated. Fr. Wieslaw Dabrowski, a Catholic priest, decided to restore the fence in Spring 2000 and plant flowers. He states that, according to elders from his parish, the killing occurred in one day with no witnesses and that not all the victims died instantly. Some were still alive after the grave was covered with soil. When everything is complete, he will send more photos and a videocassette. Source: Fr. Wieslaw Dabrowski, Roman Catholic Parish of Most Sacred Heart of Lord Jesus, Belarus 231470 Nowojelnia [2000]

KOPIL: see KOPYL'

KOPYL': Location: 5309 2705, 55.5 miles SSW of Minsk. Alternate name: KOPIL. "I visited the cemetery in Kopyl/Kapulya some three years ago and found it largely overgrown and neglected. A number of stones still stand, but most of these are broken. The Hebrew  inscriptions on those which are complete are usually illegible, since they have weathered badly. A handful of stones made of granite have survived in decent condition ... " Neville LAMDAN, Jerusalem. ly-11@zahav.net.il  Source: JewishGen Digest- 30 August 2003. [August 2003]

KOSOW: see KOSSOVO
KOSSOV: see KOSSOVO
KOSSUV: see KOSSOVO

KOSSOVO:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5245 2509 in Brest Oblast, 127.4 miles SW of Minsk. Alternate names: KOSOW, KOSSOV, KOSSOW, KOSSUV

KOSSOW: see KOSSOVO

KOSTUKOVICHI:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Klimovichi uezd, Mogilev uezd-Mogilev Oblast at 53º20' 32º03'. Alternate names: Kostujukovichi, Kostyukovichi

KOZHAN-GORODOK:
Located at 5213 2701 in Pinsk uezd, Minsk guberniya, 118.4 miles SSW of Minsk. Alternate names: KOZANGRODEK, KOZHAN-GRUDEK. Has a W.W.II memorial but no list of names. Source: Larry Gaum; e-mail: lgaum@total.net
     See http://hometown.aol.com/hghoover/genealgy/Luninets.htm
and Cemetery photo: http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/hghoover/genealgy/kgcem.jpg [October 2000]

KOZHANHORODOK: see KOZHAN-GORODOK
KOZLAKOVICH: see PINSK
KREMENSHAW: see Germanishki
KREMINCHAW: see Germanishki
KREMINZOW: see Germanishki
KREWO: see Ashmiany
KREVE: see Ashmiany

KURENETS:
Alternate names: Kurenitz/Kureniec. http://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/kurenets/kurenets.html [October 2000]
Kurenets Jewish cemetery pictures:
tp://www.eilatgordinlevitan.com/kurenets/k_pix/burials_memorials/mem19_5_big.jpg [21 December 2000]

KURENITZ: see KURENETS
KURENIEC: see KURENETS
KRICHEV: see KRYCHAW

KRYASK: Located at 5431 2730, 42.7 miles N of Minsk. Alternate name: CRAISK. David Fox, BELARUS SIG Coordinator fox@erols.com , forwarded the following: "One of our researchers reports what he believes to be an undiscovered Jewish cemetery in Craisk, 60 miles N.N.W. of Minsk. None of the stones is standing; and many are partially buried. This was formerly a very prosperous town with a large Jewish population. Today, there are only a few hundred inhabitants. All the stones are supposedly in Hebrew except one; it is in Russian and marks the grave of a Jewish partisan commander. Many graves were dug up after the war in search of gold. Many stones used for foundations and pathways are supposedly still visible." [2000]

KRYCHAW:
[Source: Swartz fjs@voluntas.org ] Located at 5342 3143, 169.8 miles E of Minsk in Mogilev Oblast, formerly Cherikov uezd, Mogilev guberniya. Alternate names: KRYTCHEV, KRICHEV, KRITCHEV



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