ShtetLink [July 2009]
US Commission No. UA02040101
Alternate names: Kowle (Polish), Kowel (English) and Kovla (Russian). Kovel is located in Volynskaya at 51º13 24º43, 70 km from Lutsk, 440 km from Kiev, and 126 km from Rovno. The cemetery is located at Vladimirskaya Street. Present town population is 25,001-100,000 with 11-100 Jews.
- Town officials: Town Executive Council - Nezavistimosti 73 [Phone: (03352) 22321]. Town Housing Department of Dubyk P.G. [Phone: (03352) 22363].
- Regional: Oblast Housing Department of Lytsk [Phone: (03352) 45591]. Oblast Department for the Protection of Monuments of Chemeris E.V. (03352) 42293.
- Others: Organization for the Protection of Monuments. Lytsk - Protas L.A. [Phone: (03352) 24649] Historical Museum of Pchelky Street 11 Kovel [Phone: (03352) 22060].
The earliest known Jewish community was 17th century. 1939 Jewish population (census) was 12758. The Orthodox (Sephardic) Jewish cemetery was established in 18-19th century. Gorodilets (3 km away) and Bahovets (3 km away) used this unlandmarked cemetery. The isolated urban flat land has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road and turning directly off a private road. The access is open to all. No wall, fence, or gate surrounds site. The cemetery was levelled. Only one monument remains with more than 75% of surviving stones toppled or broken. Removed stones were incorporated into roads or structures. The cemetery had special sections for men and women but has no known mass graves. The municipality owns the site used for industrial or commercial use. Adjacent properties are commercial-industrial and residential. The cemetery boundaries are smaller now than 1939 because of commercial-industrial development. The cemetery is visited rarely by organized individual tours. The cemetery was vandalized frequently in the last ten years. There is no maintenance. No structures.
Kirjner Moisey Davidovich of Lutsk, Prezidenta Grushevskogo Street 18, Apt. 38 [Phone: (03322) 34775] visited and completed survey on 8/8/94 with Shihman Sima. Interviewed on 8/8/94 were Gershtein Boris Matveevich, Shafeta V.N., Minich I.D. of Nezavisimosti 73 and Kluchuk.
