Alternate names: Skelevka [Rus], Felsztyn [Pol], Felshtin [Yid], Skelivka and Скелівка [Ukr], Fullenstein [Ger], Felstin, Felsteen, Fel'shtyn, Fel'shtin, Skeliwka. 49°32' N, 22°58' E, 50 miles WSW of L'viv, 19 miles SSE of Przemyśl, 7 miles NNW of Stary Sambir. Jewish population: 690 (in 1900).
- Jewish Records Indexing - Poland
- Gesher Galicia
- Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego (1880-1902), II, p. 382: "Felsztyn".
- Shtetl Finder (1980), p. 23: "Felshtin".
- Pinkas HaKehilot, Poland, Vol. 2 (1980), p. 420: "Felsztyn"
- Encyclopedia of Jewish Life (2001), p. 380: "Felsztyn".
Russian source with photos: "In 1584 the governor Nikolai Gerburt Podolsky founded Fel'shtyn place, where he built a wooden castle defense. Name of the town was derived from the name of the place of origin of the genus Gerburt - Fulshtyn in Moravia (Czech Republic). The township was laid on the site of the destroyed settlements Dobrogoscha Tatars. Simultaneously Gerburt persuaded the king Stefan Batory get Magdeburg rights for Fel'shtyn. Felshtine Jews settled in the first half of the XVIII century. (469 pers. To 1765) for 1885, the Jewish population was 1,885 people - 95% of the total population town. February 16, 1919. Petliurist resulting mayhem in the town, killing about 600 Jews. In 1923 Jews lived here in 1003, made up the majority of the local population.Fel'shtyn Until 1931 was the center Felshtynskogo district, in 1939 the area was restored, but not for long. Fel'shtyn was 2 In the village council - Ukrainian and Jewish. In 1941 - 42 years. local police killed most Jews Felshtina. In February 1942, about 300 Jews were sent to Matskovtsy to work on the construction of roads, many of them died from the intolerable conditions or were shot, the survivors destroyed Proskurov in the fall of 1942. Detailed description of the photo. photohunt.org.ua / Felshtyn.html
CEMETERY
- SKELIVKA I: US Commission No. UA13500101
- Alternative names: German: Folsteyn Polish: FelsztynIt is located in Lvovskaya Oblast at 49º32' and 40º38', is 20 km from Samor and 12 km from St. Sambor is. The cemetery is located at the W of village near the main road, left of the road to Khyrov. Present town population is 1000-5000 with no Jews.
- Town officials: Village Soviet Chairman Motyka Ivan Stepanovich, tel.: 41337. Village Soviet is located on the central square near the main road, left of way to Khyrov.
- Regional officials: Lvov Regional State Administration, Lvov Vinnichenko St., 18, reception room, tel.: 722947, 728093. Lvov Central State Historical Archives (CSHA), Sobornaya Square, 3a, tel.: 723508; State Archives of Lvov region (SALR), Lvov, Podvalnaya St., 13, tel.: 720030.
- Lvov Jewish Community, Lvov Mikhnovskih St. 4, Rabbi Mordekhai Shloime Bold, tel.: 330524.
- The earliest mention about Jewish Community is 1645. 1900Jewish population was 690. The cemetery was created in 17th century with last known Orthodox Jewish burial before 1933. Other towns did not use this unlandmarked cemetery. The isolated urban plain has no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off the road, access is open to all. There is no wall, fence or gate. 1-20 tombstones are all in original location with more than 75% of stones broken. Some of the removed sandstone and slate flat stones are part of roads or structures in Skelivka. There are no separate monuments or mass graves. Municipality owns property used only as Jewish cemetery. A residential area borders the cemetery. The cemetery boundaries are smaller than in 1939 because of residential development. Private visitors stop occasionally. The cemetery was vandalized during the World War II and since. There is no care or restoration or structures. The Jewish cemetery is located in a corner surrounded by residential structures. That leads to appearance of strange objects that should not be on the cemetery territory. Seven years ago the cemetery still had some stones. Now, they are gone. Serious threat: pollution, vandalism; Moderate threat: safety, incompatible present and planned development. Slight threat: erosion, vegetation overgrowth.
- Iosif Gelston, Lvov, 290049, PO Box 10569, tel./fax: (0322) 227490 Lvov, 290049, PO Box 10569, tel./fax: (0322) 227490 completed survey on 10.11.1998. Documentation: CSHA, Fond 186, Inventory 10, page 4; F.13, inv.1, 331 Points of Safe, p.771; Slownik Geog. Krol. Pol. , T.2, Street. 382, Warsz., 1881 (in Polish); Jewish Encyclopedia , B.13, p.874, St. Petersburg, 1912; SALR, Fond 1, Inventory 52, page 6. Gelston visited site on 3.11.1998. Koptsukh Nadezhda Alexandrovna, secretary in Village Soviet, tel.: 41337 was interviewed.
- The cemetery is located at the W part of the village, 600m W from the old cemetery. The Orthodox cemetery was created in 1933 with last known Jewish burial before June 1941. Other towns did not use this unlandmarked cemetery. The isolated suburban hillsidehas no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off the road, access is open to all. No wall, fence, or gate surrounds the cemetery. 1-20 tombstones, all in original location with more than 75% of stones broken, date from 1934. Some of the stones removed from the cemetery are part of roads or structures in Skelivka. The sandstone, slate and concrete flat stones or multi-stone monuments cannot be read. No records of gravestones inscriptions exists. There are no separate monuments or structures. The cemetery has no mass graves. Municipality owns site used as Jewish cemetery and for cattle grazing. An agricultural area borders the cemetery. Rarely, local citizens visit. The cemetery was vandalized during the World War II and since. There has been no care or restoration. Very serious threat: vandalism. The cemetery was destroyed during recent years. Now, only horizontal stones are left. There are also fresh traces of grave excavation. Moderate threat: safety, pollution, vegetation overgrowth. Slight threat: erosion, incompatible present and planned development.
- Iosif Gelston, Lvov, 290049, PO Box 10569, tel./fax: (0322) 227490 Lvov, 290049, PO Box 10569, tel./fax: (0322) 227490 completed survey on 10.11.1998. Documentation: SALR, Fond 1, Inventory 52, page 6; CSHA, Fond 13, Inventory 1, page 771; Slownik Geog. Krol. Pol. , T.2, Street. 382, Warsz., 1881 (in Polish); Jewish Encyclopedia , B.13, p.874, St Petersburg, 1912. Iosif Gelston visited site on 3.11.1998. Koptsukh Nadezhda Alexandrovna, secretary in Village Soviet of Skelivka, tel.: 41337, was interviewed.
[UPDATE] Photos by Charles Burns [April 2016]