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Jewish Families from Burshtyn, Ukraine

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This project seeks to collect all of the Jewish families from Burshtyn, Ukraine also known as Burshtin, Bursztyn, Burschtyn, Burstyn, Бурштин.

Gesher Galicia-Burshtyn

Wikipedia article Burshtyn

Background

Burshtyn (Ukrainian: Бурштин, Polish: Bursztyn, Hebrew: בורשטין‎) is a city located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, in western Ukraine, to the north of Halych. It lies in the Halych Raion and is accessible by rail. It developed rapidly and significantly grew in population during the Soviet period. Administratively, Burshtyn is incorporated as a city of regional significance. Population: 15,340 (2013 est.)[1].

The town, which was one of the Jewish shtetls, and whose name in Ukrainian and Polish literally means Amber, was only granted city status in 1993 and has a special administrative status in Halych Raion.

  • As an urbanized settlement from 1944 to 1962 it was the main town of the raion. There is an old Roman Catholic Church in the center of the city, which was restored in the beginning of the 21st century.
  • One of its landmarks is the Burshtyn TES coal-fired power station, which is situated on a reservoir approximately 8 km long and 2 km wide. A fish farm lies on the lake near the district of Bilshivtsi. The town is known for its soccer club Enerhetyk.

History

The first mention of this town was in a Halych history book from 1596, where it was referred to as Nove Selo (New village), although the town establishment dates back to 1554.[citation needed]

  • In 1809, Franz Xaver Mozart, son of Wolfgang A. Mozart, lived in Burshtyn which at that time was part of the Austrian Empire.
  • There is an old Jewish cemetery in Burshtyn, the only surviving testament of once thriving Jewish community in the city.
  • In 1942 there were 1,700 Jews residing in Burshtyn. Nazis transferred all the Burshtyn Jews to a ghetto in nearby Rohatyn, where they were executed by shooting. The remainder of Jews were taken to the Belzec extermination camp.

The Jewish cemetery was established in the 18th century with the last known Hasidic Jewish burial in the 1940-s.

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The earliest known Jewish community was 17th century. 1939 Jewish population (census) was 379. In 1867, the Jews received all rights of Austro-Hungary. The Jewish cemetery was established in the 18th century with last known Hasidic Jewish burial 1940s. No other towns or villages used this unlandmarked cemetery.

The isolated, urban, flat land with no sign or marker. Reached from the center through Gertsena Street, access is open to all. No wall, fence, or gate surrounds the site. 101-500 common tombstones, most in original location with between 50%-75% toppled or broken, date from 19th-20th centuries. Location of removed stones is unknown. The cemetery has no known mass graves. The municipality owns the property used for agriculture (crops or animal grazing). Adjacent properties are agricultural.

The cemetery boundaries are smaller now than 1939 because of housing development. Occasionally, private Jewish or non-Jewish visitors and local residents visit. The cemetery was vandalized during World War II and not in the last 10 years. There is no maintenance now. Within the limits of the cemetery are no structures. Water drainage is a seasonal problem. Serious threat: vandalsim and existing nearby development (may be increased in housing development). Moderate threat: uncontrolled access and pollution. Slight threat: weather erosion, vegetation and proposed nearby development.

Notable Residents

  1. Mika Newton
  2. Zdzislaw Adamczyk (1886-1940) - Colonel of the Polish Army, mayor of Zakopane, murdered by the NKVD in the Katyn massacre,
  3. Wlodzimierz Czerkawski - Polish economist of Kraków’s Jagiellonian University,
  4. Ludwik Finkel - Polish historian, rector of the Lwow University,
  5. Edward Rittner - Polish legal expert, rector of the Lwow University,
  6. Karol Tichy - Polish painter and designer.

Resource

Documentation: Jewish Encyclopedia . Ivano-Frankovskaya Oblast of Kiev, Vozduhoflotskiy Prospect 37a, Apt. 23 [ph: (044) 2769505] visited site on 1/6/96. No interviews were conducted for this survey. Survey was completed on 02/08/1996.
Last Updated on Thursday, 27 December 2012 15:59