GUSYATIN (HUSIATYN, Ternopil oblast: Gusiatin, GUSIATYN, GUSATIN, USIATYN, HUSIATIN , HUSIATYŃ , GUSYATIN )

Alternate names: Husyatyn and Гусятин  [Ukr], Gusyatin AND ГУСЯТИН [Rus], Husiatyń [Pol], Husiatin [Yid], Husiatyn, Gusiatyn, Gusatin, Gusiatin , Usiatyn. 49°04' N, 26°13' E, In SE Galicia, 44 miles SE of Ternopil (Tarnopol). Husiatyń is divided by the Zbrucz River, which was the border between the Austrian and Russian Empires. Most of the Jews lived in the Austrian part. The Russian part was in the Kamenets district of Podolia gubernia.

ShtetLink.

• • Sefer zikaron Husiatyn ve-ha-seviva (Tel Aviv, 1976)
  • Husiatyn; Podoler Gubernye: Idisher yishev, gegrindet in 16-tn yorhundert, umgebrakht in 1942: le-zikhron netsah (New York, 1968)
  • Kehilatiyim: Husiatyn ve-Kopyczynce (Tel Aviv, 1977)
  • Mibet aba; pirkei zikhronot mi-yemei yaldut be-ayarat moladeti Husiatyn(Tel Aviv, 1965)
  • JOWBR Landsmanshaft: Bathurst Lawn Memorial Park, North York, Canada
  • • Gesher Galicia
    • Museum of the History of Polish Jews
    • Jewish Records Indexing Poland Town Page
    • Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), III, p. 222-226: "Husiatyń".
    • Shtetl Finder (1980), p. 30: "Husiatin".
    • Pinkas HaKehilot, Poland, Vol. 2 (1980), pp. 181-184: "Husiatyń".
    • Еврейская энциклопедия (1906-1913), "Гусятин, местечко".
    • Еврейская энциклопедия (1906-1913), "Гусятин, город".

Russian Source with photos: city in the Austro-Russian border in Eastern Galicia in the era of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; as a part of the Podolsk province, Chervonograd povet and owned by private owners. G. in the 16th century, the town. had a synagogue. Grodskaya Acts of Lviv in 1623 shows that owner Galshka Kalinovskaja and her son Martin accused three tenant brothers of "killing Christian children." Without hearing the witnesses and wwithout any judicial formalities, they were subjected to horrible torture and then ordered to burn stake. During the first half of the 18th century. Gusyatin's owner was Volyn governor Michael Potocki. When a local church collapsed, Jews occupied the area under [sic] the cemetery. The other end Potock a building as a chapel. The newly appointed bishop Kamieniec Serakovskii sealed the synagogue, said to disassemble the cemetery fence and demanded 1000 PLN episcopal cash from the Jews , but Potocki removed the seal on the synagogue, restored the fence and discourage Jews from paying a fine. The bishop sent a sharp letter. Lublin court decided in favor of the bishop, on pain of excommunication governors that the Jews were removed from the place where the church once stood. However, the Jews remained in place. In 1765, the kahal numbered 1435 persons, in the G. - 1144. After the occupation of Austria G. Galicia became an important point for trade with the hem [sic]. Here occurred a bread fair. The railway Tarnopol - Podvolochisk opening in 1882 dealt a blow to the value of trade. In Gusyatin was a branch of tsadiks, descendants of Israel Różan, who resides in Sadagore. In 1900, a resident of 5373, 3648 of them Jews. photohunt.org.ua / Husyatin.html
Used material ternopillya.livejournal.com

"Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron" In 1931, the Polish part of goose population of 388 Jews. In the Soviet part of the census was conducted in 1923, 546 Jews were registered in July 6, 1941 Gusiatin was captured by the German army.Immediately local Ukrainians ransacked. On July 6, 1941, Ukrainians and Germans killed about 200 Jews (the Jewish cemetery on the market square, near the synagogues and in the wine cellars). Created a ghetto, where many died of starvation and disease. Finally, in March 1942, the remaining Jews were deported to goose Belzec extermination camp. At 2013 Jews in Gusyatin no detailed description of the photo.[Mar 2014]

Jewish history of the town with photos. [Mar 2014]

CEMETERY:

MASS GRAVE:

A ravine behind residence in Ternopilskaya St., 1. There is no memorial at the site. photos. [Mar 2014]

Oldest Jewish cemetery (or 2 cemeteries) existed in the 17th and 18th centurie, probably in NW district of the city. That site no longer exists. In the 1850s, a wealthy Jew named Fayvish Marcus Friedman arrived. By 1859 he bought a large portion of land the city and founded a Jewish cemetery. Friedman owned most of the land surrounding the cemetery. On the most early 19th century and early 20th century map, a small building , probably the Hevra Kadisha, is noted. During WWII, the  historic cemetery fence and all gravestones were destroyed. Now the cemetery area is covered by the layer of soil, asphalt and garbage. In Soviet times this area was unguarded. From the late 1940s to at least 2014, the cemetery without gravestones is overgrown with bushes on the north and construction over the entire approximately 2.6 hectares area of the former cemetery.The cemetery covers an area that stretches almost parallel Ternopilska Str. from the southeast to the northwest to a steep slope. In 2007  Friedman's family renovated their graves. They are only object that remain about Jewish past of this area. [Mar 2014]

US Commission No. UA19170101

Alternate name: Hussiatin (Yiddish) and Husiatyn (German). Gusyatin is located in Ternopolskaya at 49÷4 26÷13, 74 km from Ternopol and 88 km from Chrnovtsy. The cemetery is located at northwest on Ternopolskaya Street Present town population is 1,000-5,000 with no Jews.

• Town officials: Town Executive Council of Skakun Mikhail Pavlovich [Phone: (03557) 21528]. Local officials:
• Regional Executive Council of Voloschuk Stepan Stanislavovich [Phone: (03557) 21178 Oblast State Administration of Skibnyavskiy Mikhail Vasilyevich [Phone: (03522) 25225].
• Jewish Community 'Alef' - Paren Nuta Elyevich [Phone: (03522) 69323].
• Others: Main Architect of Gusyatin Region of Komunitskiy Ivan Vasilyevich [Phone: (03557) 21832]. Local History Museum of Strotsen Bogdan Stepanovich [Phone: (03522) 53592]. Memorial Protection of culture Society of Birkova Aleksandra Tadeevna [Phone: (03522) 26053].
• The earliest known Jewish community was 1577. 1939 Jewish population (census) was 368. 1772 border changebetween Russia & Austria divided community into 2 parts, (r. Zbruch). Since 1861, tsadak Mordehay Shraga Fridman lived here as did Rabbi Yegoshua ben Mordehay, tsadak Mordehay Shraga Fridman (1834-1894) son of Rabbi Israel from Ru and Zhin (foundator of Sadgorskaya branch). The Jewish cemetery was established in 1730. Mordehay Shraga Fridman and his son Shalom Yosef are buried in the cemetery. The last known Hasidic (Sadgorskaya) Jewish burial was 1940. Jewish No other towns or villages used this unlandmarked cemetery. The isolated urban hillside has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. No wall, fence, or gate surrounds site. 3 stones with no surviving stones toppled or broken, date from in 1990. Location of any removed stones is unknown. Some tombstones have metal fences around graves. The cemetery contains no known mass graves. The municipality owns the property now used for recreational use (park, playground, sports). Adjacent properties are residential. The cemetery boundaries are smaller now than 1939 because of new roads or highways and housing development. The cemetery is visited occasionally by organized Jewish group tours or pilgrimage groups and local residents. The cemetery was vandalized prior to World War II, during World War II and not in the last 10 years. Jewish groups abroad did re-erection of stones in 1990. Now, authorities clear or clean occasionally. Within the limits of the cemetery are housing & businesses. Very serious threat: existing nearby development (Possible widening of construction). Serious threat: uncontrolled access, and vandalism (Possible digging & disintegration of remaining tombstones.). Moderate threat: weather erosion and pollution. Slight threat: vegetation and proposed nearby development.
• Hodorkovskiy Yuriy Isaakovich of Kiev, Vozduhoflotskiy Prospect 37A, Apt. 23 [Phone: (044) 2769505] on 22/04/1996. He completed survey on /04/1996. Interviewed was Komunitskiy I.V. on 22/04/1996. Documentation: see at section 14. [sic]

Photos by Charles Burns [March 2016]