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Trace in history
Jews appeared on the territory of our region as early as the first century. At the
peak of its development at the beginning of the twentieth century, the number of
the Jewish community reached 2,200 people. It was they who opened the first
grammar school, cinema, and library on the territory of Kilia. Thanks to Jewish
enterprises, Kilia became a leader in the export of grain. They owned shops,
pharmacies and almost all the houses on the main street. It was on it that a large
synagogue was located, one of the four synagogues of Kili. During the Second
World War, a large number of the city's Jewish population was murdered there.
These events were depicted by the local artist Dychev, who was an eyewitness to
the events.
Among the victims was Edith Beneraf, a talented photographer of Jewish origin.
Date of death July 11, 1941.
Circumstances of death punitive action.
The Jewish cemetery of the city of Kilia is one of the oldest in the south of
Ukraine. We found its designation on the 1948 map. Some tombstones date from
around the 17th century.
The total area is 10 square kilometers. The approximate number of gravestones is
one thousand, more than half of them - before the 20th century.
The cemetery can be divided into three sectors: the first - the oldest tombstones,
the second - the end of the 19th - the first half of the 20th century, the third - the
second half of the 20th century to the present day.
Tombstones in the old sector are mostly made of local sandstone. They can be
divided into 2 types: round and rectangular. The latter refer to the period of rule on
our lands by the Moldavian principality. Round ones do not differ in lush
decoration and patterns. Most of them are difficult to read due to poor
preservation.
The rectangular properties of the material allowed the carvers to lavishly decorate
the gravestones, using floral ornaments and traditional Jewish symbols, such as the
"blessing of the Kogens", as well as images of various animals, mostly lions and
deer.
In the second sector, tombstones with the Star of David, which are well preserved,
can be seen more and more often.
In addition to the usual gravestones, there is also one with a metaphor for death,
namely a broken tree. This indicates that a young person is buried. Crypts and
family burials are also found in this sector.
The tombstones of the third sector have features characteristic of burials from the
time of the Soviet Union: the tombstones are similar to each other without
decoration, the inscriptions are made mainly in Russian. The last burial was made
in 2021.
The Jewish cemetery in the city of Kilia is an active cemetery located within the
city limits. Today, it requires detailed research and is an important source for
studying the history of the Jewish community.